By Saji and Salin
A senior citizen couple, Saji and Salin drove the Blue Jimny from Trivandrum, Kerala:
- A round trip distance of 20,510 km
- 121 days on the trip: December 10, 2025 to April 9, 2026
- Crossed 137 toll plazas
- Travelled through 18 states of India
- From Purvanchal express way to the dirt track to Vijaynagar, Arunachal.
- An international drive through Bhutan
- From sea level to 15,600 ft altitude
- From -5 deg in Gongkar lake, Arunachal, to 37 deg in Ahmedabad.
- From Kaho, Arunachal Pradesh (easternmost village of India) to Narayan Sarovar, Gujarat (the westernmost point of India)
- The Jimny performed spectacularly in 2-wheel drive and 4-wheel drive high and low.
- Fortunate to have no Jimny related issues; not even a puncture.
Prelude to the travelogue
The mighty little Blue Jimny
We bought the Jimny in September 2025, after a wait of 3 months to get the blue colour. The previous vehicle, an AWD Duster was sold after 9 and a half years of use and close to 1 lakh kilometers on the ODO. The Duster had a reliability issue with the diesel injectors with 7 injectors failing, and leaving us stranded many times, and did not inspire any confidence for long drives.
The Jimny is very reliable and we find it a pleasure to drive on highways and bad and non-existent roads. The main problem with the Jimny is the 40 liter petrol tank, which necessitates carrying extra fuel for the remote areas.
The travellers
We are a travel happy couple. Saji, all of 67 years, is a retired ISRO scientist who worked in Space Applications Center, Ahmedabad, for over thirty years. While the working years gave enormous satisfaction, the retirement years are more enjoyable being spent on lots of travel. Salin, 63, is an Electrical engineer who spent many years teaching at Engineering colleges in Gujarat.
After retirement, we have settled down in our home state of Kerala, but are more often found traveling elsewhere.
Acknowledgements:
We are grateful to Reeturaj Yogi and Parul of Guwahati for their advice on travel in the North-East, and provided contacts of agencies for the various permits. He was in daily contact with us regarding our progress. His travel to Vijaynagar, in Arunachal Pradesh, which is as remote as remote can get, inspired us to undertake the arduous 10-hour drive to get there.
We are thankful to Team Bhpian Samba who provided lots of advice for the journey to Zuluk, Sikkim. Our dear friend, Suresh Stephen, in Bangalore, provided lots of advice on interesting places to visit.
In addition, we met many wonderful people on the journey, accommodation hosts, fellow travellers and others interested in our journey.
The travelogue
This was a long journey of 121 days, so we have broken it into six phases. This travelogue is only about phases I and II.
Phase I: Trivandrum to Kalimpong, West Bengal (8 days)
Phase II: Drive through Sikkim and to Jaigon, West Bengal (20 days)
Phase III: Drive through Bhutan from Phunentsholing to Samdrup Jonkar (11 days)
Phase IV: Drive through Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and Nagaland (25 days)
Phase V: Drive from the easternmost village of India, Kaho in Arunachal Pradesh to the western most point of India, Naryan Sarovar in Gujarat. (33 days; including travel in Arunachal Pradesh)
Phase VI: Drive from Narayan Sarovar to Trivandrum (14 days).
Phase I: Driving to Kalimpong, West Bengal
To get to Sikkim, a long drive through south and east India is required.
Day 1, December 10, 2025: Trivandrum to Kilipakkam 746 km, 14h 40m.
With the Jimny packed to the roof with our luggage, petrol cans, some tools and food stuff, we set off at 5:20 in the morning.
The usually crowded road to Kanyakumari had less traffic at this time. We made good time on the road to Nagercoil and soon entered the toll highway. The first toll plaza was encountered 82 km after leaving home. The annual fast tag pass we had purchased for 3000 rupees, became operational and an sms showed a debit of zero rupees.
The second toll plaza was crossed 38 minutes later. The highway has improved significantly in recent years, but the highway leading to the first toll plaza is very busy during day time.
At 8:30 am we stopped for breakfast at a non-descript place called Hotel Thamilachi. The idlis and dosa we had were tasty, but the ambience of the place is nothing to speak of.
Salin took over driving the Jimny. We were consistently driving between 90 and 100 km/hr and the vehicle did not feel underpowered. Overtaking wasn’t difficult either. We also drove at 120km/hr for a few minutes, and the engine noise and performance did not seem significantly poor. Most of the time we kept driving between 90 and 100 km/hour to ensure optimum fuel economy.
We stopped for refuelling 303 km into the drive. The fuel consumption showed 13. 82km/liter (tankfull method), and this is the best we had seen so far. Petrol in Trivandrum costs Rs. 107.47, while it was only Rs. 101.55 in Tamil Nadu. The highway continued to be good, the annual fast tag working very well. Overall, the drive was much better than what we expected; both in terms of Jimny performance on the highway and the condition of the road. There were minimal diversions due to construction, and at these places, the Jimny happily sailed over the bad roads, leaving more powerful vehicles behind.
We stopped for tea and a bio break every three hours or so and came across an interesting place called Ray Fair restaurant, where we had tea and coffee.
Alternating driving, we kept going with one more stop for coffee and tea at Vasantha Bhavan. As we approached Chennai, the traffic increased and we had to slow down. There was also a traffic jam due to an accident which caused another half an hour delay. We continued and checked into Jai Residency, situated opposite the Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus in Kilambakkam. We had checked out this hotel on Google Maps and walked into the hotel for accommodation. The hotel is neat and comfortable enough for a night and has parking outside the room. The location enabled us to quickly leave early next morning. There are plenty of restaurants and tea stalls near the hotel.
Observations: We had no issues with the Jimny and did not feel unduly fatigued by the nearly 15 hour drive. Our appreciation of the vehicle increased with more familiarity with its performance. The seats were comfortable for the driver and passenger. We passed 15 toll plazas, of which 12 were free due to the annual pass and we had to pay Rs. 55 to the Tamil Nadu government for 3 toll plazas.
Day 2, December 11, 2025: Kilambakkam to Vijaywada, 486 km, 8h40m.
Checked out of Jai residency at 0500 and had tea from the stall on the road. Started the drive at 0520 and filled up petrol from a pump a few kilometers away. The fuel consumption improved to 13.99 km/liter. A few kilometers ahead, turned off the Chennai highway and encountered an unexpected speed breaker and the Jimny went flying with the luggage contents rearranged in unexpected ways. Well, no damage done, but after this I was more focussed on the dangers on the road. There was some heavy early morning traffic till we left Gummidipundi behind. The road was ok with 4 lanes and local cars in a hurry trying to overtake at all cost. After crossing over to Andhra Pradesh, the road continued to be 4 lane but improved a bit later. Traffic thinned out. There are very few restaurants available on this stretch and the ones that were open did not seem appealing. The first decent place we came across was Hotel Sampoorna Bhavan at 8:10 am. The food was good and we noticed a couple of electric charging points.
After a breakfast of idlies and dosa, we continued the journey. We noticed several other decent looking restaurants a few kilometers ahead. The road was generally in good condition with some deviations. Tractor trailers moving at slow speed often held up the traffic to a crawl. Often a truck moving at 41km/hour overtaking a truck moving at 40km/hour made the impatient drivers blast their horns, perhaps hoping to vaporize the trucks! The situation improved with the six lane highway and it was a fast drive till we stopped for tea at Rush Café at 11:30 am. Had a talk with the owner about the Jimny and we drove off towards Vijaywada. Stopped to fill petrol and observed the fuel consumption had improved to 14.12 km/liter. This is excellent by Jimny standards. The petrol price is Rs. 109.31 rupees/liter, much higher than Kerala.
We crossed the bridge over the Krishna river and headed for Stay Pride service apartment off MG Road and reached by 2 pm. The apartment is spacious and well maintained. We were the only people staying in the 3 bedroom apartment, so we had a bedroom and the spacious living room and kitchen all to ourselves. Stay Pride service apartment was booked through Booking.com.
MG road has a lot of shops and we had lunch of Andhra Thali and ragi sankati at Sweet Magic Mithai shop. The food was delicious and service was excellent.
Day 3: December 12, 2025 : Vijaywada to Club Mahindra, Dindi, 165 km, 3h 30m.
We had a leisurely morning and checked out of Stay Pride service apartments at 10:00 am. Had breakfast and coffee at a tea stall outside the apartment and left Vijaywada at 10:30 am. Initially we had to battle the chaotic traffic of the city but the traffic thinned out from the outskirts. The highway was two lane and sometimes four lane, but there was not a lot of traffic. The highway skirts Machilipatanam and we passed Bharat Electronics. Soon we encountered the rice growing region and half the road was frequently occupied by rice husk left to dry. There was a lot of agricultural activity with rice harvesting and transportation. Soon extensive stands of coconuts appeared and the backwaters of the Godavari delta with marine farming. The road was generally good, but narrow due to the rice on the road.
We gave way to the local cars which were always in a hurry. Crossed the Godavari on a bridge which was restricted to cars. A strong steel frame sufficient for cars prevented entry of larger vehicles. We exited the main road and took the narrow road to Club Mahindra, Dindi, which is located close to the banks of the Godavari. We checked in at 2pm. The property is beautifully designed around a large pond filled with water lilies and the flowers were fully open. There were white, pink and blue water lily flowers. Giant water lilies occupy another large pond on the property.
Dandi is famous for prawns and we had great prawn masala from the AP tourism hotel next door to Club Mahindra. A small outlet, Godavari foods, located before Club Mahindra, provides tasty local snacks, coffee and omelette. It was a nice place to relax and chat with the hosts about the local food and customs.
The rest of the day and the next day were spent in relaxing and enjoying the property.
Day 5: December 14, 2025 : Club Mahindra Dindi to Chilka, 587 km, 11h 40m.
We checked out of Club Mahindra at 5:20am. It was very dark and we had to be careful to spot early morning walkers, cyclists and vehicles without head lights. There was very little traffic, and we proceeded cautiously till we reached the main road. The road passes through rural Andhra Pradesh and through many villages and towns, which had not woken up at this early hour.
We filled up petrol at 6:40 am from Yanam, a Union Territory, and the petrol price was Rs. 97.15. The fuel consumption, calculated tankful to tankful showed 13.63 km. We looked for a decent place for breakfast, but could find only tea shops which sell only tea and snacks. Stopped for tea and snacks at 8:50 am and continued the drive. The highway was generally in good condition and there wasn’t much traffic. As we approached Srikakulam, we saw the sign for Grand Hotel. Stopped here for lunch at 12:30pm. It is a good place to have lunch and the food was very good. We made good time in the drive and decided to push on to Chilka for the night halt. We made a second halt for petrol at 3:10pm, petrol cost was Rs. 102.78. We reached Orissa Tourism Panthanivas at 1700 and got a deluxe room. This hotel has certainly seen better days. The reception staff prefer online booking as walk in bookings require them to type in all the visitor information. Parking was available and we had dinner there. The surrounding area for Chilka boating is crowded and not very neat.
Day 6: December 15, 2025 : ODTC, Panthanivas, Chilka to Bardhaman, 559 km, 12h 50m.
We checked out at 5am and entered the largely empty highway. It was very dark and we had to be careful of parked vehicles and other vehicles without lights. There were a few deviations, but overall the highway was good. This stretch of highway doesn’t have any suitable restaurants for breakfast. We made do with a small tea shop and snack shop at 7:25am. There are numerous speed cameras in this stretch and it is wise to stick to the speed limit. We continued the drive and stopped for petrol at a Jio BP outlet at 10:45am. The petrol price was Rs. 101.17. We stopped for lunch at 1:35 pm at Hotel Annapurna, on the outskirts of Kharagpur. It is a decent place with good food. Soon we left the national highway and drove through West Bengal highways, which passed through many towns. There were speed breakers before and after each town and village and some of them had multiple speed breakers. We had to look carefully to spot these unmarked speed breakers, and the better strategy was to follow a local car. After lunch it was a strenuous drive navigating multitudes of speed breakers, village and town traffic. As we neared Bardhaman, the traffic became more chaotic and we had to watch out for speed breakers, electric vehicles, bikes and always in a hurry local SUVs. We reached Hotel City Tower in Bardhaman after passing through some narrow lanes, and walked in to book accommodation. Fortunately, they had a double room and underground parking for the car. This is an OK place to stay on the 4th floor of the building for a night.
We walked around the busy town for dinner and snacks and a bit of shopping. We were in constant contact with Reeturaj Yogi, and considering our early start every day, he suggested that we could drive to Siliguri, instead of stopping at Malda. Booked Hotel Mainak, WB tourism hotel in Siliguri before going to sleep early.
Day 7: December 16, 2025 : Bardhaman to Siliguri, 490 km, 12h 40m
We started the drive at 5:20am and had an easy time exiting Bardhaman, as the town was still sleeping. The roads continued to be a West Bengal state highway passing through numerous villages and towns with large numbers of unmarked speed breakers. Eyes peeled to the road looking for the speed breakers, but still managed to miss a few. Each village seemed to be competing for the number of speed breakers; the more lenient ones had just one at each end, while the more sadistic villages had up to 5 at each end. The Jimny took it in its stride. There was some truck traffic, but nothing like I had read about. We stopped at a village teashop for an early morning tea. Filled up petrol at 7:20am, costing Rs. 106.26 per liter. We stopped for breakfast of aloo paratha at a dhaba attached to a petrol pump at 10am. The drive continued through the highway, which was not very crowded. We reached Malda around 11:30am and continued on to Farakka barrage, which surprisingly did not have much traffic. It was smooth driving and we started seeing lots of BR registration vehicles, and wondered if we had entered Bihar. The highway passes very close to the Bihar border and that explained the large number of BR registered vehicles. The drive was smooth and with very few deviations and we continued the journey, bypassing Islampur. There was a bit of traffic crossing Fulbari. Darkness comes early in these regions and it was completely dark by 5pm. We braved the Siliguri traffic and reached Hotel Mainak, WB tourism hotel. This is a very good place to stay. There is ample parking, and the rooms are very good. We checked in and went out to explore the immediate neighbourhood and had dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Day 8: December 17, 2025 : Siliguri to Kalimpong, 136 km, 6h 35m
We had completed the longer drives from Trivandrum, and this was a relaxed day of driving. We had a talk with the Airbnb host in Kalimpong and he suggested we take the longer route through Lava to Kalimpong, since it is more scenic and passes through the Doars region. We had a leisurely breakfast in Mainak hotel and went out for exploring the neighborhood, Checked out at 9am and battled the heavy and chaotic traffic of Siliguri. There was a police check on the outskirts of Siliguri for checking the vehicle documents and driving license. The police man was polite and asked us if we had really driven all the way from Kerala. He suggested visiting Sikkim, and we told him that, that is where we are headed. The drive was through forested regions, and we allowed all the impatient local drivers to overtake us. The road was good for the most part. We reached Sevoke and took the right turn and crossed the bridge. We started seeing a lot of Bhutan registered vehicles.
The road was very scenic passing through forest, tea gardens and it was a pleasant drive. We passed several tea estates and reached Lava.
Passed through the town and continued on to Kalimpong. We looked for a suitable place to stop for lunch, and stopped at Café Khangsing. This is a small pretty café with delicious momos and chowmein. The views out of the windows are very scenic.
After lunch we continued on to Kalimpong and our Airbnb. The host was in constant contact with us and advised us to take upper cart road to his place. In the dense traffic of Kalimpong and the absence of road signs and GPS getting confused, we invariably took the wrong turn and ended going out of Kalimpong. With traffic in front and rear, there is no place to stop to get our bearings, so we continued going the wrong way till we got some respite from the traffic and tried to locate the Airbnb. We succeeded this time and ended up at the beautiful Airbnb. The building was built by the British over a century ago, and the current owners have kept in very good condition. There is a large compound with a lawn, ample parking and the room we rented is very spacious. Best of all the host was very friendly and helpful. We parked the Jimny and relaxed in the compound. The host provided delicious soup for dinner. We had come to the end of the long drive from Trivandrum to Kalimpong. Now we had to get the permits to move on to Sikkim.
Eight days after leaving Trivandrum, we had reached Kalimpong. The total distance covered from Trivandrum was 3170km. The Jimny had performed spectacularly on the highways and on the narrow roads. We had yet to engage 4 wheel drive. We spent the next two days relaxing and roaming around Kalimpong, while waiting for the permits to drive to Zuluk, Sikkim. Kalimpong is the part of West Bengal where you hardly find Bengalees ! There are may Bhutanese and Nepalese running restaurants and other business.
We visited the Art Café in Kalimpong for lunch. This is a very interesting place with great views of Kanchenjunga and exotic food, such as Laphing, a cold jelly cubes made of potato or green gram starch and buckwheat momo. In addition there were several other dishes we had not seen anywhere else.
Sengupta Samba provided the information and contact of Sapna Travels for the Zuluk permits. Thank you.
Phase II: Driving through Sikkim
Salin likes to drive on highways; the straight stretches are a favourite. Once we entered Siliguri and headed off to the hills, all the driving was done by the twisty, curvy, narrow, bad, no road loving Saji, eagerly looking for an opportunity to use 4-wheel drive. We complement each other in driving under various conditions.
Day 11: December 20, 2025 : Kalimpong to Rongli and further to Zuluk, 94km, 5h 10m
We packed up and loaded the Jimny. The final breakfast of Ting momo with potato curry on the lawn. This is the first time we had this interesting dish.
We settled the bill and bid goodbye to the wonderful host and his excellent staff and started the drive to Rongli. Navigating the congested roads of Kalimpong turned out to be a hassle with GPS seemingly lost. We continued on Clock tower to end up in a narrow road with traffic coming both ways.
We realized our mistake, but there was no place to turn back. Continued on till we found a place to take a U turn. Returned to the clock tower and took the right road out of Kalimpong. We stopped at a petrol pump to fill the tank. The petrol price in Kalimpong is Rs. 106.22. The mileage had returned to the usual Jimny values of 10km/liter.
We drove through the narrow roads to Algarah and took the turn to Pedong. There was not much traffic, but the road was generally good with some bad patches.
There were landslides on approaching Reshi and we could see huge concrete blocks displaced. The road took diversions in several places and we crossed the Rishi river into Sikkim.
There was a police checkpost and we had to show the vehicle papers and driving license. They took copies of the driving license as proof of identity. There was no charge for entering Sikkim. We continued out drive to Rongli and went to the Sapna tourist office to collect our entry permits to Zuluk. They had made several copies to be given to the various checkposts we would encounter on the way to Zuluk. We had a tea and bought a one liter oxygen cylinder. Continued our drive and soon started climbing. We encountered the first checkpost and presented the permit and a copy. They stamped the original and took a copy. This continued on the next checkposts. There was a forest checkpost where we presented the permits and paid Rs 200 for passing through the Pangolakha wildlife sanctuary. The checkpost persons were friendly and did their job quickly. We entered the landslide region and the road had several diversions. After driving up the zigzag road we reached Zuluk and our homestay at 3pm. Lunch was waiting for us and soon it became dark and very cold. The Jimny was parked on the road and we had to climb up several stairs to reach the homestay.
The homestay was arranged by Sapna travels. The hosts were very friendly and did their best to make our stay comfortable. We spent most of the time in the room under the warm quilts because of the cold.
When we reached Zuluk, the clouds had completely obscured the view and we couldn’t see much of the surroundings. Wondered where the famous Zuluk loops were.
Day 12: December 21, 2025 : Zuluk to Gangtok, 102km, 5h 10m
We had breakfast and checked out of the Zuluk homestay. The view was clear in the morning and we had great views of Kachenjunga range.
About 10 km after the homestay, we stopped for incredible views of the Zuluk loops on one side and Kanchenjunga range on the other. Took lots of photos and had a tea at a roadside teashop.
We drove on to Tampi point, which is 5 km uphill.
There were several yaks by the roadside, either eating grass or resting.
The road to Kupup was mostly single lane, but wide at places to give way to army trucks. The drivers are very disciplined and give way. After Kupup the road widened to a double carriage and the condition was fairly good. We stopped at a wayside café for a bathroom break. The scenery was great with snow clad mountains and occasional patches of ice on the hillsides. We did not encounter snow any where on this stretch. We continued our journey and just as we were feeling a bit hungry, we encountered an army café and temple. The army personnel were providing free snacks, which was very welcome. We had coffee from the café and bought some army socks.
Continued the drive to Gangtok. Post noon, the clouds and fog drifted in.
We passed several lakes with festooned yaks offering rides and lots of tourists. We realized the advantage of coming to Gangtok from Zuluk when we saw a large convoy of vehicles crawling towards Nathula. We had very little traffic in our direction.
The final checkpost was just outside of Gangtok, and the officer told us to just put a permit copy in a pile of copies left by previous vehicles. We encountered the narrow roads of Gangtok, but the very disciplined driving ensured that there is no block. We drove to Ginger hotel and checked in. Ginger, Gangtok is one of the best Ginger hotels we have stayed in. There is ample parking in the compound and it is located on a quiet street. The room was spacious. After checking in we went out looking for a restaurant to have a late lunch. We had dinner in Avira Hotel restaurant. The food was good and there is a splendid view of downtown Gangtok from the restaurant. Walked back to Ginger.
Day 13: December 22, 2025 : Ginger Hotel to Club Mahindra, Gangtok. 31km, 3h 10m
Checked out by 10.30 and drove through the traffic of Gangtok to Club Mahindra. Filled up petrol on the way, petrol price Rs. 103.3. Got lost as the GPS couldn’t find the current position. Called Club Mahindra for the correct location and reached Club Mahindra at 1240. Checked in and relaxed the rest of the day. Walked around the neighbourhood and explored the restaurants. Had lunch from a restaurant just outside the gate. While the food was getting ready, walked around the neighbourhood. Finished lunch and returned to the room and rested for the remainder of the day.
The next 3 days (Days 14 to 16) were spent in Club Mahindra with a few visits to Gangtok, without the Jimny.
Day 17: December 26, 2025: Club Mahindra to The Planter’s Home, Mangan. 65km, 3h 35m
We checked out of Club Mahindra, Gangtok, at 10:15am and drove through Singtam to Mangan. The road is narrow with a lot of traffic. The Sikkimese drivers are very disciplined and stop to allow oncoming traffic to pass, and horns blaring are rarely heard. The road is under construction or repair at several places, and some places we have to stop for the earth moving machines to finish their duty. Singtam was very crowded, but not too difficult to cross due to the polite drivers. After Singtam the road goes uphill and there are a lot of Boleros carrying passengers to Mangan, as well as large trucks. The pace is slow, but we didn’t feel stressed driving. The road goes adjacent to the Teesta river and in places, there is tarmac. The tarmac doesn’t last long when landslides have created diversions. We reached The Planter’s Home by 1:35pm, and checked in. They had arranged permits for Dzongu valley, Lachung and Yumthang. The Planter’s Home is a very nice place to stay and the staff are very friendly. It is about 1.5 km uphill from the Mangan market. There is ample space for parking. The décor and ambience of the hotel makes it one of the best in Mangan. We had a delicious lunch in their restaurant. In the evening we decided to walk downhill to the market, and chose a steep, unevenly spaced steps to go down. It was a difficult descent. After spending some time in the bazar, we walked up the road to the hotel.
Day 18: December 27, 2025 : The Planter’s Home, Mangan to Dzongu Valley. Distance 80km
After breakfast at the hotel, we set out to explore Dzongu Valley. Reeturaj had said that it is a very scenic place and recommended that we stay in Munlom Nature Resort, in Dzongu Valley. The Munlom Nature Resort was fully booked till January 2, so we decide to stay in Mangan. Google maps cannot figure out how to reach Munlom, so we asked around and they told us to take a sharp right after the petrol pump. We misunderstood the exact petrol pump and continued on to the first BP pump as you approach Mangan, which is too far in the direction of Gangtok. We retraced the path to the Indian Oil pump very close to Mangan and took the road on the left leading to Dzongu valley. The road was narrow and under construction or repair at many places. At a sharp bend, we had to make way for a convoy of Army trucks. Finally we reached Sangkalang checkpost, where the police stamped our permit and took a copy and let us through. We crossed the bridge over the Teesta, and soon saw a sign for Munlom Nature Reserve. We took the road on the left and soon the road uphill became very scenic with lots of trees, flowers and orange trees with a full crop of oranges. There were very few people and houses around. We continued the drive looking for any further signage to Munlom. Google maps continued to insist that there is no road to the place. We didn’t see any other sign for Munlom, but the road was so scenic that we continued the drive. At one bend where the road was under contruction, we came across another blue Jimny. Exchanged pleasantries with the owner and continued on. After some time we came to a small place called Phidim and soon we saw a steel bridge over the Teesta, connecting to the Mangan road. We had seen this bridge on the way to Mangan the previous day. We had to provide another copy of our permit to the police checkpost. We drove on the Mangan road and stopped for lunch at a restaurant called Timon. The place was full of army personnel, and the food average. We continued on to Mangan, and we had heard about a mela on the Teesta river bed, close to the Sangklang checkpost. We took the road to the checkpost and convinced the police that we had already surrendered a copy of our permit. The mela was quite nice and we had a look around and bought some home made preserved vegetables.
We filled up petrol and also the 20 liter jerry can we carried with us. The petrol pump attendant said this is sufficient to drive to Lachung and Zero Point and return. Drove back to Planter’s Home and had dinner.
Day 19: December 28, 2025 : The Planter’s Home, Mangan
We planned to drive to Lachung today, but in the morning, we came to know that accommodation in Lachung was not available. So, we decided to spend the day in Planter’s home. The manager of Planter’s home arranged accommodation for us from December 29 to 31. We went to the Mangan market and had a look around at the shops. We had heard of a circular requiring snow chains, spades and oxygen canisters for driving to Lachung and zero point. We asked around Mangan market and they said the authorities are not insisting on these items, as snowfall has not started on the roads. They also said that road work is going on the main road to Lachung and this road is open for traffic only between 4pm and 8am. They advised us to leave early, at least by 6:30am to drive on the main road. We had a leisurely lunch at Yangla café, a very nice place within walking distance from Planter’s home. In the evening, a Sikkim government minister came to stay in Planter’s home, and in discussion with him, he assured us that the main road would remain open the next day.
Day 20: December 29, 2025 : Mangan-Lachung-Zekuphayak-Lachung; 98 km, 5h 55m
We checked out of Planter’s home and started our journey to Lachung at 7am. We filled up the tank from the last petrol pump in Mangan, as Lachung does not have a petrol pump. The road was asphalted, but narrow till Singhik. In places, there were diversions due to landslides.
We continued the drive on this road and we could see road workers getting ready to start work.
We drove through the Theng tunnel whch is about 600 meters long.
There was a police checkpost at Tung, before Chungtham, and we had to enter our details in their register and provide them with a copy of the North Sikkim permit.
We cleared the road work area before 8am and continued to Chungtham. Stopped at a teashop for tea. We continued our journey through Chungtham. The road was narrow, but in good condition. We arrived in Lachung around 10:15am, but it was too early to checkin at Lachung Continental. We decided to drive till Katao. This is a very scenic road once we left Lachung. There were rhododendron bushes and pine trees on both sides of the road. The snow capped mountains kept us company as we drove uphill. There were lots of yaks by the side of the road. We saw frozen waterfalls from time to time.
There was very little traffic and it was a beautiful drive. There were no checkposts on the way. We crossed a fast flowing stream with both banks frozen solid. We had to stop at Zekuphyak, located at 12,666 ft. altitude, as the army does not allow vehicles to proceed further.
Spent some time taking photos and drove downhill back to Lachung Continental and reached at 1pm. This is a busy place and we were lucky to get a room for two nights. It is a comfortable place and the staff are very nice. We had lunch there and relaxed for some time. In the afternoon we went to explore the neighborhood. There were a number of small restaurants selling groceries, tea, momos and alcohol. Sikkim is very open about the sale of alcohol, and we found it was available even in the small teashops. The easy availability of alcohol doesn’t seem to have social problems such as rampant drunkenness. The Sikkimese are very friendly people and very disciplined while driving and interacting with others. Though the roads are very narrow, it is comfortable to drive because the other drivers are very considerate and stop in places where two vehicles cannot pass.
Day 21: December 30, 2025 : Lachung -Yumthang-Zero Point-Lachung, 102 km, 6h
We had an early breakfast and started the drive at 8am. The temperature was 0deg C, and the Jimny was covered in frost. I tried to clear the windscreen using the wiper fluid, but it froze immediately when it contacted the windshield. Switched on the heating to maximum and defrosted both the front and rear glass. The windshield was still having frozen wiper fluid. Stopped and wiped the windshield clean and continued the drive to Yumthang. There were lots of vehicles proceeding to Yumthang and Zero point, and I let the taxis overtake where ever I could find a place to move to the side. We soon came to the checkpost above Lachung. Showed the original permit and gave a copy. They asked about the vehicle. Continued on the journey. Soon we came to a rhododendron reserve, and both sides of the road were full of rhododendron bushes, but there were no flowers in December. Soon we encountered pine trees and as we went higher, vegetation became sparse and only moss and lichen were seen. The scenery was stunning with a river below and snow capped mountains all around.
The road was clear of snow and ice, and the air was very clear. The temperature dropped as we went up, but the climate control of the Jimny ensured we were cosy in the cabin. Lots of taxis overtook us, and we let them as we were in no hurry. We passed through Yumthang, which is a small place with some tea shops. We saw a hotel or lodge which seemed to have people staying there. We reached Zero point, where the road ends, at 10:30am. Parked next to a small shop selling alcohol, tea, momos, chenna and renting gum boots for people interested in walking in the snow.
We had chenna masala and tea and walked around having a look at people enjoying walking in the snow. Took lots of photos. We saw the Jimny dashboard showed minus 3 degrees C. The Jimny started easily and we drove a little further up and turned around and drove back to the hotel in Lachung. Overall, it was a very interesting drive and the Jimny performed beautifully. Reached the Lachung hotel at 1400 and took some rest. We went out and had momos at a small family restaurant, combined with alcohol and grocery sales. The small place was busy selling momos, and it was delicious. We went to another small restaurant cum alcohol and grocery shop and ordered egg omelette and bhurji. Returned to the hotel and relaxed for a while. Went to the busy dining hall in the evening and had a limited, but tasty buffet dinner.
Day 22: December 31, 2025 : Lachung to Mangan, 77 km, 6h
We had a relaxed breakfast at the hotel, settled the bills and packed up to leave. The petrol in the 20liter jerry can was emptied into the Jimy petrol tank. The jerry can was too heavy for me to hold, so I asked the staff for help. We started the drive at 9:40am. The windshield was iced up and it took some effort with the defogger and cabin heat and cleaning with a cloth to get it clear. We didn’t encounter much traffic to Mangan, as the main road was closed for asphalting. We crossed Chungthang and soon came to the police checkpost. We gave the original North Sikkim permit and took the diversion to Mangan. This road is on the right of the main road immediately after the police checkpost. The road was narrow going uphill and not in very good condition. The taxi drivers don’t prefer this route, as it adds another 2 hours to the journey and is not in good condition. We encountered several army trucks and it was a challenge to let them pass. We noticed the army truck drivers were very experienced and could pass with the minimum of space. Futher downhill we came to a convoy of army trucks and a civilian truck. The army trucks easily managed to pass, while the civilian truck driver was hesitant and the taxis and we had to manoeuvre to the side to let him pass. The narrow road went downhill to the Teesta river. It was an interesting drive and the road passed through stands of trees. There were not many villages on this route. Finally we crossed the Teesta river on a narrow steel bridge and soon came to the mela on the banks of the Teesta river. We parked the Jimny and went in to have lunch of chicken chowmein and Ting momo.
We explored the various stalls and admired the people in the traditional Lepcha dress. This mela started on December 27 and 31st was the last day. We crossed the Teesta river again on a steel bridge and provided the copy of the North Sikkim permit. The road up to the main Mangan town is under construction and narrow in places. We drove up to the main road and parked in Planter’s home compound. Checked in to this lovely hotel. In the evening, we had a great time in the bar in Planter’s Home. The owners were celebrating new year, and they generously passed on several dishes to us. It was indeed a great new year’s eve for us.
Day 23: January 1, 2026 : Mangan to Yangsum, 121 km, 7h
We bid the staff of Planter’s Home a happy new year and checked out at 10:10 am. The road to Singtam was familiar to us. The road is narrow, bad in several places and is a dirt road. We didn’t face any difficulty as the drivers in Sikkim are very disciplined and give way whenever they can. We crossed the Teesta river befoe Singtam and the road continued uphill. It was a surprise to see excellent two lane asphalted road shortly afterwards.
The road went uphill and we stopped for lunch at a small restaurant in lower Tarku. After lunch, continued the journey and we encountered several places where landslides had destroyed the otherwise excellent road. After crossing Ravangla, the road became really bad and we were happy that the Jimny was able to handle the bad roads very well.
Traffic was sparse, and occasionally we had to give way to oncoming traffic. We crossed the Teesta at Legship town and started the climb to Yangsum. It was a scenic drive uphill. Finally we reached Yangsum and the host was waiting for us. Yangsum is a very rural place and we stayed in a homestay with lots of vegetables and flowers in the compound. We enjoyed talking to the host and she is an ardent butterfly and bird watcher. We had a pleasant stay and very interesting interaction with the host. After a delicious dinner of roti, chicken curry and a vegetable curry, we retired to sleep.
Day 24: January 2, 2026 : Yangsum to Yuksom, 57 km, 6h
We walked around Yangsum village before breakfast at the homestay. After breakfast, we bid goodbye to the host and started the drive to Yuksom. We drove drown to Legship and crossed the bridge over the Teesta river. The road was not in very good condition and had several narrow sections. Somewhere before Ravangla, we took a wrong turn and ended going uphill and then a steep downhill to the Teesta river.
The local drivers had better sense than us, and we did not see any vehicles till we reached the bridge. The Jimny handled all the bad roads without any trouble. After crossing the bridge, the road continued uphill but traffic was sparse.
We continued on to Yuksom and reached Chungda Hidden Homestay at 2:20pm. We checked in and then went to Yuksom bazar for lunch. After lunch and a bit of exploration of Yuksom, we returned to the homestay.
Day 25: January 3, 2026 : ExploringYuksom
We had a leisurely breakfast at the homestay. After breakfast we decided to explore Yuksom on foot. We had last visited Yuksom in 2019 as part of the Goechala trek. The town had changed a lot and it is much nicer than it used to be. We walked downhill to the Kanchenjunga National park office and had a look at the exhibits there. Then we walked to Kathok lake and paid the entry fees of Rs 20 per head. Spent some time at the lake shore. It is a small lake with lots of koi fish. Some people were feeding the fish, but they did not seem to be very enthusiastic about the feed. Then we walked to Yuksom bazaar and had tea at Gupta’s restaurant. Roamed about a bit, but there wasn’t much to look at. We walked to an ornamental gate and walked up the stone paved path, not knowing what we would find at the end. The path ended in Hotel Red Palace, which did not have any signboards anywhere, even at the entrance. Walked back to Gupta Restaurant and had lunch. The sky became overcast and it started raining lightly. We waited for the rain to stop and walked back to the homestay.
Day 26: January 4, 2026 : Yuksom to Pelling, 37km, 2h
The Chumbi Mountain retreat is an associate of Club Mahindra and we had booked this resort for two nights using our Club Mahindra points. The road to Pelling is a narrow road, common in Sikkim. It was asphalted in places, but in the landslide regions it deteriorated to a dirt road. Over all it was a pleasant drive with great scenery. We passed a number of steel bridges and Kanchenjunga waterfalls. On the way we saw some orange orchards with the trees laden with ripe oranges. There were people selling oranges by the roadside. We had bought a large number of oranges and they were small, but sweet. We passed Rimbi waterfalls and then Lounglang waterfall. There were lots of flowers by the roadside, blue hydrangeas and bright red poinsettias.
We filled up petrol at a Bharat Petroleum pump very close to The Chumbi Mountain Retreat, Pelling.We found the road to The Chumbi in a very bad condition, but this is common to all Club Mahindras we have stayed in.
After checking into The Chumbi retreat, we went to Pelling bazar and had lunch in Big Bowl restaurant, which is a decent place with tasty food. Roamed around the bazar for some time and drove back to The Chumbi retreat.
Day 27: January 5, 2026 : The Chumbi Mountain Retreat
We spent a leisurely morning relaxing in the Chumbi retreat. Drove to Pelling Bazar for a late lunch at Seuy Thap restaurant. The food was good and the ambience too. Returned to the Chumbi in the evening.
Day 28: January 6, 2026 : Pelling to Sinclairs resort, Dooars, 151km, 6h40m
We checked out of Club Mahindra, Pelling, and started the drive to Chalsa in West Bengal at 9:40am. We drove through Singtam and Rangpo and crossed the Atal Setu bridge into West Bengal. The roads were generally good with some landslide affected dirt road. After crossing the bridge, the road follows the Teesta river for quite some distance. We stopped for lunch at Jain Restaurant on the right side of the road. The food was good and we continued our journey. The road continues to Sevoke. On the way there were a number of people selling oranges. We bought some and continued on to Sevoke and crossed the Sevoke bridge over the Teesta river to the left bank. Some portion of the road was the same as the previous drive to Kalimpong through Lava. It was a pleasure to drive on straight roads after days of driving on the mountain roads. We crossed Oodlabari and Mal bazaar. The Jimny was so dusty from drives in Sikkim that the blue color was hardly visible. We decided to give it a proper car wash. From Google maps, we identified a car wash in a rural area outside Chalsa. We drove to the car wash and enquired about a car wash the next morning. Then we went to Sinclairs Resort, Chalsa and checked in. It is a nice property in about 20 acres of gardens and very nice rooms. After resting for a bit, we explored the property and had a tea at the restaurant. In the evening we had dinner in the very nice restaurant.
This concludes phase I and II of our travels till Sikkim. The journey did not end there. We continued to travel through Bhutan, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. The account of the remaining travels will be posted later.
Nostalgia EE 84 