Getting there
Gangtok to Pelling
About 130km west to the Kanchenjunga ridge.
About 130km
Modes
How the trip works
Road
Road is how everything beyond the gateways actually works: shared taxis, private cabs and state buses.
Permits
Paperwork for this route
The honest notes
Before you go
Hill roads in the Northeast run on daylight and weather: start early, keep buffers, and never plan a tight connection on the same day as a mountain drive. Monsoon (roughly June to September) brings landslide-prone stretches on most hill routes; the dry months move faster.
Fuel and cash up before leaving the big gateway towns, network coverage thins with altitude, and a driver who knows the road is worth more than any vehicle class.
Around this route
Plan it
Want this road handled?
We run these roads all season: vehicles, drivers, permits and honest timings. Tell us your dates.
Route and permit facts checked against official state tourism sources · Last verified 2026-09-26