My First Impression of Pelling, Sikkim

I’ve never heard of Pelling prior to this trip and I was just glad that I’ve decided to visit this place for a couple of days. A lot of people that I’ve met in Gangtok and Siliguri told me great things about Pelling and I was so ecstatic to finally get there.

Pelling is known to be the best place to catch a glimpse of Kangchenjunga mountain and other surrounding Himalayan peaks. It gives a better and clearer view of the mountain range compare to Gangtok.

The best time to see it is at sunrise.

This is the main attraction of the town and nothing else. Visitors usually take a tour to nearby villages or trek.

Getting to Pelling

We walk down from our hostel in Tibet Road to the jeep station around 9AM and asked for a direct jeep to Pelling. Unfortunately, there’s no jeep available for that day and they suggested to go to the next town instead called Geyzing and take a shared taxi (30 Rupees/person) from there.

We bought a ticket (140 Rupees/person) to Geyzing after finding out that it’s just 2 KM away from Pelling. We waited for around four hours in Gangtok jeep station because the trip to Geyzing started at around 1:30PM.

The jeep to Geyzing is cramped especially for those sitting at the back but the scenic view made up for it. We also met two friendly locals who gave us a lot of helpful information and some cool stories about Pelling.

Where to Stay

After almost 6-7 hours of travelling from Gangtok to Pelling (including the transfers and some breaks) we finally arrived at Pelling at dusk. Luckily, our hostel (Hotel Kabur) which was referred to us by our hostel in Gangtok is located at the roadside and we didn’t had to walk anymore to look for it.

Upon arrival, we immediately inquired about the price and haggled until we agreed at 450 Rupees per night. Not bad for a double room with en suite bathroom and hot water, I thought.

Where to Eat

Hotel Kabur is also known as one of the best places to eat in Pelling though the price is not as cheap compare to the small eateries in this town. There are lost of choices in Upper, Middle and lower Pelling.

Just like Gangtok, the most popular dish is Vegetable Momo.

Money Matters

We didn’t find any ATMs serving international cards when we were in Pelling so be sure to stack up with cash while you’re still in Gangtok.

Safety

Pelling is a very small town in Sikkim and it’s very safe.