Sikkim and Bhutan
Sikkim's crown ended in 1975; Bhutan's still holds court in fortresses raised in the 1600s. Two Kingdoms joins them by road in eleven nights, from Gangtok to Paro, and ends with the climb to Taktsang before your flight home.
Photo: Raul Taciu / Unsplash
Why not straight across?
The two kingdoms share no border. The Chumbi valley, a wedge of Tibet, lies between them, so every road runs down NH10 and east through the Dooars in West Bengal. Gangtok to the Bhutan gate is about 230 km (143 miles).
Photo: Falguni Sarkar / Unsplash
06:30 to 08:30
Day 4 is the one long day, about seven hours at the wheel. At 06:30 your driver calls the NH10 police post; at 07:00 you leave with breakfast boxes. At the Rangpo barrier, near 08:30, he hands over the papers while you stay in the car.
Photo: Ujjwal Chettri / Unsplash
09:30, Teesta Bazaar
The first stop is Teesta Bazaar, by the river. On the Kalimpong ridge above stands Bhutan House, where a Gangtok-born daughter of Sikkim's royal house married into Bhutan's Dorji family in 1918. In 1947 she made the first version of Bhutan's flag.
Photo: Sushmit Dam / Pexels
11:30, the Dooars
Below Sevoke the gorge opens out and the road turns east into the Dooars: flat tea gardens under tall shade trees and wide stony rivers. At about 14:00 you walk through the Bhutan Gate at Jaigaon and set your watch 30 minutes forward.
Photo: Subham Dhar / Pexels
Thimphu and Punakha
Over Tashichho Dzong, consecrated in 1968 with Rumtek's 16th Karmapa among the lamas, flies the flag the princess first drew. In Punakha Dzong, Bhutan crowned its first king in 1907, and Britain's political officer in Sikkim photographed the day.
Photo: Raimond Klavins / Unsplash
On a US passport
Sikkim's permit is filed online through e-FRRO about 30 days ahead. Bhutan asks for a US$40 e-visa and a fee of US$100 a night. You also need an Indian visa that lets you back in by air, since you fly home from Paro.
Photo: Sagar Madha / Unsplash
Before you book
If seven hours in a car sounds like work, or you are over 65, add a night in the Dooars and reach the gate by lunch the next day. The journey suits October to December or March to May, and ends with a flight from Paro.
Photo: Rama Krushna Behera / Unsplash