Silk Route Travel Guide: Routes, Costs and the Best Time to Go

The old trade road to Lhasa — Zuluk’s loops, high passes and homestays. This guide sets out what Silk Route actually offers, what a trip
there costs, when to go, and how we run it — written from the routes we operate
ourselves rather than from a brochure.

Silk Route — the landscape you travel into
Silk Route — the landscape you travel into

Why Silk Route is worth your leave

The Silk Route once carried wool, salt and silk between Kalimpong and Lhasa. Today it carries far fewer travellers than it deserves. The Zuluk loops stack up the mountainside in more than thirty hairpin bends, and on a clear morning Thambi View Point gives you the whole Kanchenjunga range at sunrise.

What a trip costs

We run 1 itinerary here.
The lowest published rate is ₹ 5,555 per head. Every figure below is
per person and includes accommodation, the stated meal plan, private transport,
all sightseeing in the itinerary, and toll tax, parking and driver allowance.

PackageDurationFrom
Silk Route Expedition3N / 4D₹ 5,555
On the road in Silk Route
On the road in Silk Route

A sample of the route

Taking Silk Route Expedition as an example —
NJP → Zuluk → Silk Route → NJP, picking up at NJP and dropping at NJP:

  1. Day 1, NJP to the Silk Route foothills — Meet our representative at New Jalpaiguri and drive up through the Teesta valley into East Sikkim. Check in to your homestay, rest, and enjoy the first evening in the mountains. Dinner and overnight stay.
  2. Day 2, The Zuluk loops and the high passes — The signature day of this trip. Climb the famous Zuluk loops, stop at Thambi View Point for the Kanchenjunga panorama, and continue past the high-altitude lakes and old trading posts of the Silk Route. All meals included; overnight at the homestay.
  3. Day 3, Lakes, monasteries and mountain villages — A gentler day among the settlements along the route — monasteries, valley viewpoints, alpine lakes and villages where the road is the only street. Return for evening snacks and dinner.
  4. Day 4, Descent to NJP — After breakfast, begin the long, beautiful descent back to New Jalpaiguri, timed for your onward train or flight.

When to go

The window we recommend is March to June, September to December.
*3 Nights / 4 Days at ₹ 5,555 per pax · 4 Nights / 5 Days at ₹ 7,249 per pax. Minimum 8 persons, travelling in an 8-seater vehicle.

Scenes from Silk Route
Scenes from Silk Route

How we run it

Private vehicle throughout, never shared. Drivers who work these roads every
season. Accommodation we have stayed in ourselves. And a helpline that answers
at whatever hour you need it, on +91 7872349359.

Ready to go?

See every Silk Route itinerary with full day-by-day details, inclusions and
current rates on our Silk Route tour packages
page, or call and WhatsApp us on 7872349359.

What every Sanjhbati Tourism departure includes

Whichever route you choose, the following are part of the published rate and
never appear as a surprise on your final invoice:

  • Accommodation in the hotel or homestay category you selected
  • The stated meal plan — MAP for breakfast and dinner, AP for all meals
  • A private vehicle for the whole itinerary, never shared with strangers
  • Every sightseeing stop written into the day-by-day plan
  • Toll tax, parking charges and driver allowance
  • A 24-hour helpline, plus the direct number of your local representative

Common questions before booking

Are the Andaman packages available in several hotel grades?

Five — Standard, Deluxe, Super Deluxe, Luxury and Premium. The same island itinerary runs on a modest budget or as a genuine celebration.

How do we move between the Andaman islands?

By private cruise between Port Blair, Havelock and Neil. It is included, and we hold the bookings for you.

What is included on a Kashmir departure?

A welcome drink on arrival, MAP meals, private vehicle throughout, one complimentary hour of shikara riding on the Dal, and round-the-clock support from our representative.

Planning your dates

Peak windows — the Pujas, December, and the Kashmir tulip season — fill six to
eight weeks ahead, and offbeat homestays have very few rooms between them. If your
dates are fixed, talk to us early. If they are flexible, tell us and we will
suggest the week that gives you the best weather and the best rate.

Talk to us

Sanjhbati Tourism has been arranging journeys across India since 2015, and is
MSME approved by the Government of India. Our founder and proprietor, Sajal Manna,
still takes calls himself. Whether you are travelling as a family, a couple, a
group of friends, a student batch or a corporate team, tell us what you have in
mind and we will build the route around it.

Call or WhatsApp +91 7872349359, write to
travel@sanjhbatitourism.com, or browse every live itinerary on our
tour packages page.

Share this post :

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Picture of Sanjhbati Tourism
Sanjhbati Tourism

Travel notes, route updates and offbeat discoveries from the Sanjhbati Tourism team. North Bengal specialists, operating tours across thirteen states of India.