Zuluk is a well-kept secret in East Sikkim.
BHPian borntotravel.03 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Hello Everyone Out there,
Today will be going to share a self driving Experience from Agra to Sikkim In & Days Covering 3800km in 7 Days
Day 1: Agra To Siliguri
We started our drive from Agra in the afternoon at around 3 PM and drove directly onto the Agra-Lucknow Expressway. It was around 3.5 hours that we took to drive through that portion. Then we approached on the Outer Ring Road, which linked us to the Purvanchal Expressway. The roads till the Purvanchal Expressway were great, and we had a fantastic and smooth drive.
While going towards Siliguri, we took the exit at Ghazipur (Pro Tip: At the end for cut shorting the time). We were able to travel about 700 km in a mere 7 hours. But the moment we hit Ghazipur, conditions worsened. Road conditions were deplorable, and during the night hours, there was a huge line of trucks on the thin single-lane roads—making driving very tiring and difficult.
Once we managed to pass Ghazipur, we stopped at a roadside dhaba, slept for around 2 hours, and continued our journey at 3 AM. We arrived at our stay by 11 AM. In the evening, we ventured out to a local market and visited a spot nearby called Upper Dudhiya.
Day 2: Siliguri to Darjeeling
Next morning we woke up early and full of adrenaline to take to the roads once again which our bringing us to our dreamland to gurudongmar lake.
we began our journey at 6 in the morning and going up the curves of kurseong we arrived darjeeling by 8:30 in the morning. we directly headed towards the batasia loops there after we had our braekfast at near vegetarian cafe with very homly atmosphere. theresfter we begin our trip to visit tea gardens and factory. we began our ride towards jorethang a lovely site in south sikkim .in the way we halt at a tea factory and observed the procedure how tea are seggragated. then we proceeded for our overnight stay at darjeeling
Day 3: Darjeeling to Lachen
We began our journey at 4 AM to get to Tiger Hill to witness the sunrise. But when we arrived at the checkpoint, we heard that the tourism office had to provide us with a special pass—something we hadn’t planned on the night before. Therefore, we went straight to Lachen.
We halted at around 8 AM in a peaceful forest region with the river Teesta quietly flowing behind us. This was the ideal place to have breakfast. We placed our gas stove in the portable form and prepared some bread, butter, and coffee—a plain but soothing meal amidst nature.
Post-breakfast, we proceeded towards Mangan to secure permits for North Sikkim. We arrived at the DC Office by about 11 AM and secured the permits with minimal inconvenience.
After that, we encountered a tough stretch—a part that had recently been flooded. A makeshift detour had been taken, but it was ugly, with huge rocks and an incline. This section surely was in need of fine driving talent to get through without any harm and without harming the vehicle. We hardly saw any private cars on this route; local cabs were in the majority.
We arrived in Lachen around 5 PM, a quiet village that is used as the launching point for people visiting Gurudongmar Lake. Everyone usually spends a night here to acclimatize to the high altitude. We strolled around the quiet village, had an early dinner, and slept early—looking forward to the big day tomorrow.
Day 4: Mighty Gurudongmar
We got up at 3 AM and started driving to Gurudongmar Lake at about 4 AM. The roads were almost vacant, with just a solitary vehicle crawling up the rough off-road road in front of us. As we went higher up, the terrain became all the more difficult—but then the sunrise broke upon the snow-clad peaks, and we were rewarded with one of the most awesome views of our lifetime.
We stopped briefly to soak in the moment and take some photographs before continuing our journey. Ours was the third vehicle to cross the checkpoint, which gave us a peaceful, early arrival at the lake.
We finally arrived at Gurudongmar Lake at approximately 8 AM, and it was well worth all the effort. The scenery was surreal—a life-time experience. We lingered there for almost an hour, drinking in the beauty and tranquility of the location.
While returning, we had breakfast at the Madras Café, an army-owned canteen at an altitude of 15,000 feet. The warmth of food and hospitality was just what we needed.
Then we drove towards Lachung, our second stop, and arrived there by about 8 PM, bringing an end to a long but memorable day.
Day 5: Ly away
With our hearts filled with happiness after watching the awe-inspiring beauty of Gurudongmar Lake, we proceeded to explore other regions of Sikkim. On that day, we headed towards Yumesamdong and Zero Point.
We had breakfast exactly at Zero Point, amidst a clean white sheet of snow—it was something out of a dream. Returning, we saw the colorful rhododendron plantations of Yumthang Valley that painted a splash of color against the white landscape.
After that, we started our return journey to Gangtok. But as we reached the city, we were attacked by heavy rain, which unluckily prevented us from visiting anywhere else that night.
Day 6:Nathola, Zuluk
Day 6 started with yet another experience. We had set out to visit Zuluk, but at first couldn’t obtain the necessary permits. Nevertheless, since we already possessed Nathula Pass permits, we decided to go ahead and see what we could manage along the route.
We arrived at the 3rd Mile Check Post, where permits are issued. To our good fortune, we found that we could obtain all required permits from there itself. While we had come prior to 7 AM and the office was not yet open, we waited patiently. As soon as it became functional, we obtained our permits and continued on our journey.
By about 9 AM, we arrived at Nathula Pass—a very emotional experience. Only one barbed wire stands between India and China, and standing there provided us with an immense feeling of patriotism. To our surprise, even our mobile phones changed to the Chinese network and time zone, which made the experience even more unreal. After taking a few unforgettable snaps, we proceeded towards Zuluk.
Zuluk is a well-kept secret in East Sikkim. The distance of approximately 42 km from Nathula took us about two hours to cover. Of the delights of this trip, the Zigzag Road, with its 32 hairpin bends, is perhaps most well known—a view that looks remarkably like something out of another world.
Having soaked in the scenery, we returned to Gangtok. In the evening, we went to the serene Rumtek Monastery and then took a leisurely walk down MG Marg, where, coincidentally, a shoot for Aashiqui 3 was in progress!
Day 7&8
The following day, we set off for home, getting as far as Siliguri by the end of Day 7.
Day 8 was an early start on the road from Siliguri at 5 AM and arrived in Agra around 8:30 PM—travelling a phenomenal 1,300 km in 15 hours!
Pro Tip: This was made possible due to the intelligent route we had mapped earlier, and it ended up being a grand success—and here we’re sharing it with you!
We drove on NH27 from Siliguri, which took us to Gorakhpur. Then we merged into the Gorakhpur Link Expressway, which straightaway connects to the Purvanchal Expressway. This strategic decision saved us nearly 5 hours of journey time compared to the traditional route.
And with that, our amazing adventure reached its conclusion.
Throughout this unforgettable road trip, we traveled a total of 3,800 km in our Mahindra Scorpio, discovering the best of Sikkim and making memories for a lifetime.
Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.
