Guides by country
Darjeeling and Sikkim, from wherever you live
Most of our guests fly half way round the world to reach the hills. Choose your country for its visa, flights, time difference and the weeks that match your holidays.
In short
How do you plan a Darjeeling and Sikkim trip from outside India?
Apply for India's e-Tourist Visa online, fly to Delhi or Kolkata, then take a one- or two-hour flight to Bagdogra, three hours by road below Darjeeling. Add Sikkim with its online Restricted Area Permit, filed about 30 days ahead. Come between October and mid-December for the clearest views, or March to May for rhododendrons and first-flush tea. We meet every flight and file every permit with you.
Choose your country
Your route to the hills, from where you live
Visa, flights, time difference and the best weeks for your own holidays, set out for each country we welcome guests from.
- US United States e-Visa, flights via Delhi, Thanksgiving skies
- GB United Kingdom e-Visa, London to Delhi, half-term weeks
- CA Canada e-Visa, Toronto or Vancouver, autumn weeks
- AU Australia e-Visa, via Singapore or Delhi, spring holidays
- SG Singapore e-Visa, four hours to Kolkata, year-end holidays
- ES España Visado electrónico, vuelos con escala, puentes
Every foreign passport
Four things everyone does
Wherever you fly from, the paperwork and the last leg are the same. The country pages add what differs.
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6 to 4 weeks out
Apply for the e-Tourist Visa
Online, at least four days before you fly; a month ahead is calmer. Your passport needs six months' validity from arrival and two blank pages.
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About 30 days out
Send us scans for Sikkim
Sikkim's Restricted Area Permit is issued only online through e-FRRO since January 2026. We prepare it with you about 30 days ahead.
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Travel day
Fly to Delhi or Kolkata, then Bagdogra
Bagdogra (IXB) is a short domestic flight: about two hours from Delhi, one from Kolkata. Your driver waits at arrivals.
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Arrival
Three hours up the hill road
Through the tea flats and sal forest to Kurseong, where the tea bushes begin, and on to Darjeeling at 2,045 m.
Bhutan and Nepal
The neighbours, on a foreign passport
Both are a day from Darjeeling and easy to add. The fees below are the published amounts; we list each one in your quote.
| Country | Visa | Daily fee | Getting there from Darjeeling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bhutan | US$40, online | US$100 a night until 31 August 2027, half for ages 6 to 12 | Drukair from Bagdogra to Paro on set weekdays, or 162 km by road to Phuentsholing |
| Nepal | On arrival: US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30, US$125 for 90 | None | Road to the Mechi bridge at Kakarbhitta, then 45 minutes by air from Bhadrapur to Kathmandu |
Questions
Travelling from abroad, answered straight
Which countries' citizens can use India's e-Tourist Visa?
Most: the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Spain and the rest of the European Union are all eligible, among more than 160 countries. Check your own passport on the official portal, indianvisaonline.gov.in, before you apply, and never pay a look-alike site: the government portal is the only one that issues it.
Can I fly straight into Bagdogra from abroad?
Only from Paro and Bangkok on Drukair. Bagdogra is an e-Visa airport, so you can clear immigration there on those flights. From everywhere else you land in Delhi or Kolkata, clear immigration, and take a domestic flight to Bagdogra.
How many nights should we plan after a long-haul flight?
Seven or more, if you can. The first day goes on the last leg and the hill road, and the mountain shows itself on some mornings, not all. Seven nights gives Darjeeling three dawns and leaves room for Sikkim or Kalimpong; ten adds Pelling or Bhutan without rushing.
Do OCI cardholders follow these guides?
For India itself an OCI card replaces the visa. For Sikkim, Bhutan and Nepal, OCI cardholders are treated by the passport they carry: the Sikkim online permit, the Bhutan visa and the dollar rate of its nightly fee all apply.
Sources we checked for this page (8)
- e-Tourist Visa: Bagdogra is an e-Visa airport; 30-day e-Tourist visa; holders may exit from any ICP
- 1- and 5-year e-Tourist visas: continuous stay up to 180 days per visit for nationals of the USA, UK, Canada and Japan, 90 days for other eligible nationals
- Sikkim RAP and PAP for foreigners only through e-FRRO; apply about 30 days ahead from abroad
- Bhutan SDF US$100 a night for dollar-paying tourists until 31 August 2027, half for children 6 to 12
- Bhutan visa fee US$40, applied for online
- Nepal tourist visa US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30, US$125 for 90
- Bagdogra flights, road times to Darjeeling, Gangtok and Pelling
- Which permits each passport needs, place by place
Checked 10/2026. We confirm every rule, fee and flight again for your dates.
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