Aura of India: Towns in Sikkim: Gangtok, Namchi, Pelling, Mangan and More

Gangtok's houses climbing a green hillside, seen from a walkway near MG Marg

Photo: Subhrajyoti07, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons

Gangtok on its ridge, seen from the ropeway between Deorali and Tashiling on a clear October morning.

Sikkim has one real town and a handful of district headquarters, each a market street on a hillside with a monastery above it and a view of the snows.

Gangtok, the only city

Gangtok is the capital and the one place in Sikkim that feels like a city. It runs along a ridge at about 1,650 m, and the 2011 Census counted about 100,000 people. The centre is MG Marg, a walking street closed to traffic. A ropeway of about a kilometre climbs from Deorali to Tashiling in some seven minutes, with the valley below and, on a clear day, Kangchenjunga beyond. Enchey monastery and the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology are within the town; Rumtek is across the valley.

Gangtok is also where trips are organised. The registered tour operators who arrange permits for Tsomgo Lake and the north have their offices here, and shared jeeps and state SNT buses run to the district headquarters.

Namchi and Ravangla in the south

Namchi, about 78 km from Gangtok at about 1,675 m, is the southern district headquarters and the tidiest of the small towns. On Samdruptse hill above it stands a 135-foot statue of Guru Padmasambhava, the eighth-century teacher revered in Sikkim as Guru Rinpoche. On Solophok hill, about 5 km away, the Char Dham complex has a seated Shiva on a 108-foot temple, with copies of four great Hindu pilgrim shrines around it.

Ravangla, about 85 km from Gangtok, is a ridge town on the road west, known for the 130-foot Buddha of Tathagata Tsal, consecrated by the Dalai Lama in 2013. The Temi tea garden lies between the two. Jorethang, below Namchi on the river, is a busy transit town on the West Bengal border rather than a place to stay.

Gyalshing, Pelling and Soreng in the west

Gyalshing is the western headquarters, but visitors stay at Pelling, about 10 km away at 2,150 m and some 131 km from Gangtok. It is where most people go to see Kangchenjunga at sunrise. Pemayangtse monastery is close by, and beyond it the ruins of Rabdentse, the royal capital from 1670 until 1814. A 137-foot statue of Chenrezig, the Buddha of compassion, with a glass skywalk, opened near Pelling in 2018. Yuksom, the first capital and the start of the Dzongri trek, is about 33 km further on.

Soreng became a district in December 2021. Its headquarters is a farming town about 100 km from Gangtok. Most visitors come for Rinchenpong, about 40 km from Jorethang at about 1,700 m, with its old Resum monastery and a wide view of the Kangchenjunga range.

Mangan and Pakyong in the north and east

Mangan, about 65 km north of Gangtok above the Teesta, is a small town whose district calls itself the large cardamom capital of the world. Mangan town needs no permit for Indian visitors; the protected area begins at the check posts beyond it, on the roads to Dzongu, Lachung and Lachen. A glacial lake flood in October 2023 wrecked roads in the Teesta valley, so check the road north before you set out.

Pakyong, south-east of Gangtok, has Sikkim's only airport, but scheduled flights stopped in June 2024 and had not returned by October 2026. Rangpo, in the same district, is the main road entry from West Bengal on NH10.

A loop of the towns

The towns sit on separate ridges, so distances are short on the map and slow on the road. A loop from Gangtok runs to Namchi, about 78 km, then up to Ravangla and on to Pelling. The way back runs down through Jorethang and up through Melli and Rangpo to NH10. Plan one stage a day.

Mangan is a separate trip north, about 65 km up the Teesta, best as a night on the way to Dzongu or Lachung, which need a permit. For festivals and food, see the Sikkim guide.

Permits for foreign visitors

Every foreign visitor needs a Restricted Area Permit to enter Sikkim. It is free and valid for 30 days. Since January 2026 it is issued only online, on the government's e-FRRO portal, after arriving in India and before reaching the state. It covers the southern and western towns in this story. Tsomgo Lake and the Lachung and Lachen valleys need a further permit through a registered tour operator, for groups of two or more. Nathu La and Gurudongmar are closed to foreigners.

Towns to know

Gangtok (Gangtok): the capital on its ridge, about 100,000 people in the 2011 Census.
Namchi (Namchi): a neat headquarters below two giant statues.
Ravangla (Namchi): the Buddha of Tathagata Tsal and the road to the west.
Pelling (Gyalshing): the place to wake up facing Kangchenjunga.
Gyalshing (Gyalshing): the western headquarters and its market.
Yuksom (Gyalshing): the first capital and the trailhead for Dzongri.
Soreng and Rinchenpong (Soreng): farm country and a quiet mountain view.
Mangan (Mangan): cardamom, and the last town before the permit areas.
Pakyong and Rangpo (Pakyong): the idle airport and the border gate on NH10.

In Sikkim the towns are small, and the mountain is always the largest thing in the view.

Plan your visit

Best season	March to May, and October to mid-December for the clearest views. June to September is the monsoon, when landslides close roads, especially in the Teesta valley.
How to reach	Fly to Bagdogra or take a train to New Jalpaiguri, both in West Bengal, then go up by road; shared jeeps run from Siliguri.
Getting around	Shared jeeps and SNT state buses between towns; reserved taxis for viewpoints.
Where to stay	Gangtok around MG Marg; Namchi or Ravangla; Pelling or Yuksom; Rinchenpong; Mangan for the north.
How long to spend	Two or three nights in Gangtok, one in Namchi or Ravangla, two in Pelling.
Permits	Indian visitors need none for the towns here. Foreign visitors need the free online Restricted Area Permit. Areas beyond Gangtok and Mangan need a further permit for everyone. Check before you go.

Open Gangtok, Sikkim in Google Maps

Questions people ask

Is Gangtok the only city in Sikkim?

In practice, yes. Gangtok had about 100,000 people in the 2011 Census; the other district headquarters are small towns. There is no official ranking of 'developed' cities in Sikkim.

Do foreigners need a permit for Pelling and Namchi?

Yes. The free Restricted Area Permit, applied for online after arriving in India, covers these towns.

Can I fly into Sikkim?

Not at present. Pakyong airport has had no scheduled flights since June 2024; use Bagdogra in West Bengal.

Which town is best for a view of Kangchenjunga?

Pelling, on a clear morning between October and December. Rinchenpong, in Soreng district, is quieter.

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Towns in Sikkim: Gangtok, Namchi, Pelling, Mangan and More