The Buddhism Tour

Duration : 9 Nights - 10 Days
Places : Bagdogra - Darjeeling - Pemayangtse - Yuksom - Gangtok - Phudong

Day 01: Arrive Darjeeling
Met upon arrival and drive to Darjeeling for three hours through tea gardens and pretty hillside towns. On arrival in Darjeeling transfer to the hotel.

Day 02: Darjeeling
Early morning visit Tiger Hill for fabulous sun rise views of Mt. Kanchenjunga, Mt. Everest and a host of other Himalayan giants are also seen on the horizon. On our drive back to the hotel we will stop at Ghoom, a Tibetan- Buddhist monastery. After breakfast we shall visit the old botanical gardens to see the collection of rare orchids and other plants. After lunch visit the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, the Tibetan Refugee Camp and the local market.

Day 03: Darjeeling
After breakfast visit the Bhutia busty monastery & Tong Soong monastery. PM. Lecture by an expert on  Buddhism.

Day 04: Darjeeling - Pemayangtse
The hillsides and mountain slopes of Sikkim are strewn with bright patches of myriad colours. The lower mountain slopes are abundant with lush green bamboo and ferns. The northern valley are draped with wild cherry, oaks, chestnut, pines as well as magnolia variety’s called Magnolia Campbell and Michelia Doltsopa.

Day 05: Pemayangtse - Yuksom via Kecheoplari Lake
Early morning after having our breakfast we walk to Pemayangtse monastery. Here we hear the chanting of the morning prayers by the young and the old monks and the smell of the burning Junipers Squamatra and Rhododendron Nivele. Pemayangtse, also known as the ‘Perfect Sublime Lotus’, is one of the oldest monasteries of Sikkim. This monastery belongs to Hat sect of the Tibetan Buddhists.

Day 06: Yuksom - Gangtok
The original capital of Sikkim, the tiny hill town of Yoksum is the base for treks and climbing expeditions to Mount Kanchenjunga and other important peaks. This day we walk to the coronation throne, Dubdi monastery and the nearby jungles to see wild orchids like the Coelogyne and Dendrobium, as well as the indigenous flora of sikkim. The 5 hour drive from Yoksum to Gangtok passes lush green fields the famous Sikkimese Cardamoms as well as Golden Rice.

Day 07: Gangtok - Rumtek - Gangtok
The day starts with a visit to the Enchey monastery, Institute of Tibetology, Do-Drul Chorten Rumtek Dharma Chakra Centre.

Day 08: Gangtok - Phudong - Gangtok
A day excursion to the Phudong monastery. Along with Rumtek and Ralong monasteries it hosts the annual ‘Kagyat Chaam’ - the masked dance, on the 28th and 29th of the tenth month in the Tibetan calendar. This corresponds to the second fort night of December. A kilometre uphill is the Labrang monastery which belongs to the Nyingmapa sect of Buddhism.

Day 09: Gangtok - Kalimpong
After breakfast drive to Kalimpong for three hours. Half day sightseeing. Before the Chinese take over of Tibet, Kalimpong was the centre of India’s wool trade with that country, with Tibetan caravans wending their way down from the Tibetan plateau to trade wool for manufactured goods.

Day 10: Kalimpong - Bagdogra
AM. Transfer to Bagdogra airport in time to catch flight to Calcutta or Delhi.