Sikkim

Gateway to Yumthang Valley and Zero Point — rhododendron paradise in North Sikkim.

Buddha Park with 130-foot statue, Temi Tea Garden, and the best Kanchenjunga panorama in South Sikkim.

First capital of Sikkim and base camp for Goechala trek to Kanchenjunga. Coronation throne of first Chogyal.

The Silk Route's 32 hairpin bends — where the road itself is the destination and Kanchenjunga fills the horizon.

India's cleanest hill town — monasteries, momos, and jaw-dropping Kanchenjunga views from a state where plastic bags are illegal.

Sacred lake at 17,800 ft — one of highest lakes in the world, frozen Nov-May, stunning turquoise in summer.

India's ONLY mixed UNESCO World Heritage Site — home to the world's third-highest peak at 8,586m. Sacred to the Lepcha people.

North Sikkim base for Gurudongmar and Chopta Valley, Lachungpa tribal village.

Giant Guru Padmasambhava statue, Char Dham replica, and South Sikkim's laid-back capital.

Front-row seats to Kanchenjunga — a tiny ridge town with the 17th-century Pemayangtse monastery and the new Chenrezig statue that dwarfs everything.

Sacred glacial lake at 12,313 ft, 40 km from Gangtok, gateway to Nathula Pass (India-China border).