AUFrom Australia
Darjeeling and Sikkim, from Australia
Closer than it looks: through Singapore to Kolkata, an hour to Bagdogra, and you are in the tea by evening. The visa, the routes and the seasons.
In short
How do I plan a Darjeeling and Sikkim trip from Australia?
Australian passports qualify for India's e-Tourist Visa, applied online at least four days ahead; one- and five-year visas allow up to 90 days a visit. The quickest route east is via Singapore to Kolkata, then an hour to Bagdogra and three hours by road. Spring school holidays and November are clearest; Australian summer brings cold, clear Himalayan winter. Sikkim needs its online permit 30 days ahead.
At a glance
What changes for your passport
The numbers that are different for you. Everything else on this site applies as written.
- Visa
- e-Tourist VisaOnline, at least four days before you fly. On a 1- or 5-year visa, Australians may stay up to 90 days a visit.
- Long haul
- Via Singapore to KolkataSingapore to Kolkata is about four hours nonstop. Delhi nonstops from Melbourne run in some seasons.
- Last leg
- Kolkata to Bagdogra, about 1 hOr two hours from Delhi.
- Time difference
- India is 2h30 to 5h30 behind5h30 behind Sydney and Melbourne in daylight saving, 4h30 otherwise and all year from Brisbane; 2h30 behind Perth.
- Best weeks for you
- Spring holidays and NovemberThe hills clear in October; November is the clearest month.
- Bhutan on an Australian passport
- US$100 a night + US$40 visaThe nightly fee is half for children 6 to 12.
- Sikkim
- Online permit, 30 days aheadRestricted Area Permit via e-FRRO. No fee is reported.
Door to the hills
Your route, stop by stop
Long-haul to Delhi or Kolkata, a short flight to Bagdogra, and the hill road. We meet every flight.
- Day 0 Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Perth Your first flight, to Singapore or Delhi
- 8 h from the east coast Singapore Change planes for Kolkata, about four hours on
- About 1 h Kolkata, then Bagdogra (IXB) Clear immigration on your e-Visa in Kolkata; an hour's domestic flight north
- About 3 h by road Darjeeling, 2,045 m Three hours up through the tea to the ridge
Your holidays, our seasons
When your time off meets clear skies
Your school and public holidays set against the hills' weather. October to mid-December is the clearest; June to September is monsoon.
- September
- Spring school holidaysThe rains end
Late September can still be wet; the season opens in early October.
- Spring school holidaysThe rains end
- October
- End of spring holidaysThe clearest weeks begin
Crisp air and the first long views of Kanchenjunga.
- End of spring holidaysThe clearest weeks begin
- December
- Summer holidaysHimalayan winter
Swap the heat for cold, clear days. Christmas in the hills runs 22 to 26 December.
- Summer holidaysHimalayan winter
- January
- Summer holidaysCold and very clear
Snow on the high ridges some years; tea-and-snow weeks run December to February.
- Summer holidaysCold and very clear
- April
- Easter and autumn holidaysRhododendrons and first flush
Easter 2027 falls on 28 March; rhododendrons peak from mid-March to late April.
- Easter and autumn holidaysRhododendrons and first flush
- July
- Winter school holidaysMonsoon
The wettest weeks in the hills. Keep this break for somewhere else.
- Winter school holidaysMonsoon
Sikkim on the same trip
Darjeeling and Sikkim, one permit apart
Foreign passports need Sikkim's Restricted Area Permit before the border at Rangpo or Melli. Since January 2026 it is issued only online, through India's e-FRRO portal, and Indian missions suggest applying about 30 days ahead. We prepare the application with you. Gangtok, Pelling and Yuksom are then open to you; Tsomgo Lake and North Sikkim need a further protected-area permit filed by a registered agent for two or more travellers, and children five and under cannot go up. Nathu La, Gurudongmar and Zuluk stay closed to foreign passports.
Part of a bigger India trip
After Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, the hills
Many first visits to India start in Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. The hills fit neatly after them: end in Delhi, take the two-hour flight to Bagdogra, and a driver meets you in the arrivals hall for the three-hour climb to Darjeeling. After the plains the change is total: cool air, tea gardens, monasteries, and a mountain at dawn. Five nights in the hills is the least we would suggest after a Golden Triangle; eight lets Sikkim in as well.
Where to start
Journeys that suit a long flight
Each can be moved, stretched or cut. Prices on each page are per person, twin share, before flights.
-
Kanchenjunga at First Light
Seven nights built around the mountain.
-
Tea and Snow
Five nights of Himalayan winter for Australian summer holidays.
-
The Hills with Children
Six nights paced for families, for the school holidays.
-
Three Kingdoms
Fourteen nights: Darjeeling, Sikkim and Bhutan for a long break.
Questions
Darjeeling and Sikkim from Australia, answered straight
Do Australians need a visa for Darjeeling?
Yes, an Indian visa. Australian passports qualify for the e-Tourist Visa, applied online on the official portal at least four days before travel. One- and five-year visas allow up to 90 days a visit for Australians. Sikkim adds its own online permit.
What is the fastest way from Australia to Darjeeling?
Usually via Singapore. Singapore to Kolkata is about four hours nonstop, and Kolkata to Bagdogra about one; then three hours by road. From Melbourne, nonstop flights to Delhi also run in some seasons, followed by a two-hour flight to Bagdogra.
Is December a good time to visit Darjeeling from Australia?
Yes, if you like cold and clear. December is Himalayan winter: frosty nights, bright days and the mountain often out. It falls in the Australian summer holidays, so the houses fill early; book three to four months ahead.
What is the time difference between Australia and Darjeeling?
India is 4h30 behind Sydney and Melbourne for most of the year and 5h30 behind during Australian daylight saving; 4h30 behind Brisbane all year, and 2h30 behind Perth.
How long should we stay after such a long flight?
Seven nights at least. The journey from Australia is shorter than from Europe or America, but the first day still goes on travel, and the mountain shows itself on some mornings, not all. Ten nights lets Sikkim or Bhutan in.
Sources we checked for this page (9)
- 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
- Singapore Airlines operates nonstop Singapore to Kolkata
Checked 10/2026. We confirm every rule, fee and flight again for your dates.
Plan my journey
Tell us your dates and your home airport
A travel designer replies within 24 hours with a route, the flights that connect, and one straight price.