• Bhutan: honouring & preserving cultural heritage, traditional architecture and native knowledge
• Northeast India: Experiencing amazing natural wonders & cultural diversity between Myanmar & Tibet
Best Time to Visit Sikkim
Spring: March to early June
Spring is the best season to experience blooming flowers. Experiencing Himalayan blooming-season from the dense, fragrant, subtropical jungles rich in orchids to the many varieties of rhododendron displaying a riot of colours from April to May is an extraordinary experience. If you love lowers or have an interest in botany, this is the perfect time to visit. Magnolia trees blossoming in white and pink and countless subtropical tree-varieties in colourful bloom now adorn the hillsides. This is also high season for primroses, orchids and bougainvillea. From April onwards the landscape is lush and green. Terraced fields on sloped land alongside rivers are being ploughed by ox and rice-seedlings are raised now. Country folk are engaged in ploughing, sowing and grazing cows and goats. This is also a good time for trekking. Mountain views in lower altitudes are generally clear in the mornings with haze in the later day.
Summer: Mid-June to September
Monsoon bestows intense rains coupled with high humidity and warm temperatures. The terraced paddy-fields are now being flooded, rice-seedlings being planted and allowed to grow strong roots in the submerged soil. The north towards the Tibetan plateau is less affected by monsoon and the high-altitude meadows are now displaying a colourful spectacle with an amazing variety in alpine flora including blue poppy. Visiting during monsoon may be an option for you if you do not mind the humidity and monsoon-rains, if you enjoy travelling outside tourist-season or if you are particularly interested in experiencing Himalayan alpine flora.
Autumn: October to December
The peak of monsoon is now over and the closer to the end of the year the dryer it becomes. In October the valleys are still green and the sky often blue while in November the rice-fields turn from green to golden.
This is Sikkim’s prime harvest-season. A variety of vegetable crops are sown, rice is being harvested in November and many religious festivals, including mask-dances in the court-yards of the monasteries take place now. In the north farmers and herdsmen move now down to lower altitudes. Mountain-views are often clear throughout the day and the sun shines frequently making this the most popular time for trekking in Sikkim.
Winter: December to March
Mild temperatures and often a clear sky are ideal for hiking in lower altitudes. The Sikkime- and Tibetan New Year are celebrated during this time and many religious mask-dances take place in the courtyards of the monasteries. Archery-competitions are also organized in various parts of the state. This is a good time to visit if you prefer lower-altitude walking/hiking, enjoy travelling off-season and if you don’t mind dressing warmly even inside as buildings are generally not centrally heated. Alternatively we can offer to include only top-accommodation with appropriate heating inside at this time of the year.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| average max. temp. in °F at *5900 ft | 53 | 55 | 64 | 70 | 72 | 72 | 72 | 72 | 72 | 70 | 65 | 57 | 66 |
| average min. temp. in °F at *5900 ft | 39 | 41 | 48 | 52 | 56 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 59 | 64 | 48 | 41 | 52 |
| average rainfall in inches | 1.2 | 3.1 | 4.6 | 11.4 | 22 | 23.7 | 25.6 | 22.6 | 19.2 | 7.1 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 143 |
| Month | April | May | June | September | October | November |
| average temp. in °F at altitude of 8200 – 11500 ft* | 41 – 68 Ideal for trekking with warmer days but cold nights | 45 – 77 usually sunny during daytime | 50 – 86 comfortable temperatures; warmest month of the year | 45 – 68 humid, with showers now and then | 41 – 59 from mid October less humidity, with clear views | 23 – 50 mostly clear views but can get cold with snowfall |
* with every 330 ft rise in altitude, depending on weather-condition, the average temperature will lower by 33 to 34 °F.
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