Money and signal
In the hill towns, cards and ATMs are easy. Beyond them, from Yuksom to Zuluk, cash and signal both thin out. Here is what works where across India, Bhutan and Nepal, from the table in our planning guide.
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The towns
Hotels take cards, most shops take UPI, and every town has ATMs. As a foreign visitor, expect cards at hotels and larger shops, and carry rupee notes for tips and stalls. Jio and Airtel work in town, with gaps in the Teesta and Rangeet gorges.
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West Sikkim
Only the bigger houses take cards. Offerings at a monastery, a glass of tea and market stalls are cash. Signal is fair on the Pelling ridge, patchy toward Yuksom and up the Tsomgo road.
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The high roads
There is no ATM to rely on north of Mangan or at Zuluk, and it is cash only on the Singalila Ridge. Signal is weak north of Mangan, only BSNL reaches Zuluk, and phones may jump to Nepali networks. Draw cash in Darjeeling, Kalimpong or Gangtok.
Photo: A four wheel drive on a high track, the place not recorded. Arghyadeep Manna / Unsplash
Bhutan
The ngultrum is pegged at par with the Indian rupee, and rupees are accepted. Lodges take cards. Indian SIMs roam poorly, so buy a B-Mobile or TashiCell SIM at Paro airport or in Phuentsholing.
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Nepal
Indian ₹200 and ₹500 notes are accepted in Nepal up to ₹25,000 a person, but never the ₹2,000 note. A Nepali SIM is sold at Kathmandu airport, and Indian SIMs need a roaming pack.
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Before you land
With a US passport, you can buy an Indian SIM with your passport and visa, or set up a travel eSIM before you fly. Tell family at home that a day at Tsomgo or on the ridge can pass with no signal at all.
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Next step
Tips are your choice and never in the quote; in India we suggest ₹500 to 800 a day for a driver. Ask us how much cash your route needs, and where the last reliable ATM sits before the high roads.
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