From the drivers’ seat
Travel guides
Answers to the questions our drivers hear every day, kept current.
7 guides Updated 24 October 2026 Written by our drivers
Start here
The guides
Every guide ends with the date we last checked it against the road, the check posts and the weather.
Travel guideUpdated Sikkim permit guide: who needs one, where and howWhich places in Sikkim need a permit, the documents accepted, Nathula opening days, and the rules for foreign nationals.Read the guide 
Travel guideUpdated Bagdogra Airport to Darjeeling and Gangtok: every way to travelPrivate taxi, prepaid counter, app cabs, shared jeep, bus and helicopter compared on price, time and comfort.Read the guide 
Travel guideUpdated Best time to visit Darjeeling and Sikkim, month by monthWeather, Kanchenjunga views, snow, crowds and what is open each month in Darjeeling, Gangtok, North Sikkim and the Dooars, with monsoon advice.Read the guide 
Travel guideUpdated Nathula Pass guide: permit, opening days and what to expectHow to visit Nathula Pass from Gangtok: the permit, opening days, timings, Tsomgo Lake and Baba Mandir, altitude sickness and what to wear.Read the guide 
Travel guideUpdated Offbeat places in North Bengal and Sikkim near BagdograQuiet hill villages near Bagdogra Airport, from Lava and Rishop to Sittong, Zuluk and Okhrey, with drive times and why each is worth a night.Read the guide 
Travel guideUpdated Bagdogra to Gangtok: private taxi, helicopter or shared jeep?The three ways from Bagdogra Airport to Gangtok compared on price, time, luggage, weather and where each one drops you, with the 2026 fares.Read the guide Travel guideUpdated NH10 road status: what happens when the Siliguri to Gangtok highway closesWhy NH10 between Siliguri and Gangtok closes, how to check it, the alternative road via Gorubathan, Lava, Pedong and Rhenock, and what it means for your taxi.Read the guide Quick answers
What the phone rings with
- 01Do Indians need a permit for Gangtok?No. Only Tsomgo, Nathula, Zuluk and North Sikkim need one, and we arrange it.Full answer
- 02How long is Bagdogra to Darjeeling by taxi?About 3 hours door to door. Gangtok is about 5.Full answer
- 03Which month has the clearest Kanchenjunga views?October to December, once the monsoon has washed the air.Full answer
- 04Which days is Nathula Pass open?Usually Wednesday to Sunday, for Indian citizens only.Full answer
- 05Nearest offbeat village to the airport?Sittong, about 3 hours away, with orange orchards in winter.Full answer
- 06Do Uber and Ola run from Bagdogra?Only on the plains. Hill trips need a pre-booked taxi.Full answer
How it works
Read, ask, go
No guide covers the day you travel. That is what the WhatsApp number is for.
- 1Read the guidePermits, opening days, fares and seasons, written by the people who drive these roads every week.
- 2Send us your datesOne WhatsApp message. We reply with the current road, weather and permit position, not a script.
- 3We arrange the restPermits applied for, the right car for the road, and a driver who knows where the tea stops are.
Team on duty nowReplies on WhatsApp in minutes, every day of the year.
Where the guides take you
See the road for yourself
Kanchenjunga at dawnDarjeeling tea gardens
The toy trainDarjeeling Himalayan Railway
The ropewayOver the Darjeeling tea gardens
Dali MonasteryDarjeeling
Shared jeepsDarjeeling- Plucking first flushA Darjeeling tea estate
Tea on the hillsideKurseong
Sumendu LakeMirik
Town on the ridgeKalimpong
Kagyu Thekchen Ling MonasteryLava
Sunrise on KanchenjungaRishop, near Lava
MG Marg at duskGangtok- A town built on the hillGangtok
Tsomgo LakeEast Sikkim, 3,753 m- Tsomgo Lake in winterEast Sikkim
- Nathula PassIndia–China border, 4,310 m
Kanchenjunga from PellingWest Sikkim
Kanchenjunga up closeSikkim, 8,586 m
Chenrezig statuePelling
The road to YumthangNorth Sikkim
Yumthang ValleyNorth Sikkim, 3,564 m
Gurudongmar LakeNorth Sikkim, 5,430 m
Lachung MonasteryLachung
Morning on the Silk RouteZuluk- The zig-zag roadZuluk, Old Silk Route
Buddha ParkRavangla
Rumtek MonasteryNear Gangtok
One-horned rhinoJaldapara National Park
Elephant safariJaldapara, Dooars
Punakha DzongBhutan- Where every trip startsBagdogra Airport (IXB)
Outside the terminalBagdogra Airport
Folk art in the terminalBagdogra Airport
Bagdogra from the airThe plains around the airport- Coronation Bridge over the TeestaSevoke, on the road to Gangtok
Through the tea gardensDarjeeling hills
- Fixed fares, all inclusiveTolls, parking, driver allowance and GST included.
- 60 min free waitingWe track your flight or train. Delays cost nothing.
- Free cancellation 24 hFull refund of your advance within 5 working days.
- Secure advance paymentPay 20% by UPI. Balance after the trip.
