US holidays
Mid October to mid December is the best time for Darjeeling, Sikkim and Bhutan, after the monsoon has washed the air. Thanksgiving sits inside that window, and so do Veterans Day and, in 2027, Columbus Day. Here is how the dates line up.
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The calendar
Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26 in 2026 and Thursday, November 25 in 2027. Veterans Day is Wednesday, November 11 in 2026, and Columbus Day falls on Monday, October 11 in 2027.
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The view
Our guide names November as the best month for views, with late October and early December close behind. Kanchenjunga usually shows from first light until mid-morning at Tiger Hill, Deolo and Pelling, and Kalimpong averages under 5 mm of rain in the month.
Photo: Anita Prasad / Pexels
November 11
Gangtey Goenpa in the Phobjikha valley holds its Black-necked Crane Festival every year on November 11, the Fourth King's birthday, when schoolchildren dance as cranes. The birds arrive in late October and stay until mid-February.
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Tea
October and November bring the darker autumn teas, and plucking carries on until late November. A Thanksgiving week can still follow the leaf from bush to factory; from December the gardens rest.
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Packing
In October and November Darjeeling runs from about 6 to 19 °C (43 to 66 °F) and Gangtok 10 to 20 °C (50 to 68 °F). Bring layers, a fleece and a light down jacket, plus a hat and gloves for the pre-dawn start at Tiger Hill.
Photo: Harsh Suthar / Pexels
Timing
These are the fullest weeks of the year, so write early. For Thanksgiving 2026, Darjeeling and Kalimpong need no permit, but Sikkim's online permit for foreign passports takes about 30 days. For 2027, there is time for every route.
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Next step
Tell us whether you have the Thanksgiving week alone or a longer stretch around it, and which passports are traveling. We match the dawns, the tea and the festivals to those days.
Photo: Sounak Mukherjee / Unsplash