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Travel guide · East Sikkim
Zuluk and the Old Silk Route: Permit, Cost and the Best Time to Go
Zuluk is a village of about 36 homestays at 10,000 ft on the old trade road to Tibet, with 32 hairpin bends above it and Kanchenjunga at sunrise. It is also a restricted area. Here is the permit, the taxi rule, the cost and the months that work.
Photo: Arup1981, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Text added by Trip Under.
Short answer
Zuluk needs a Protected Area Permit for Indian citizens, collected at Rongli on the way up for about ₹200 to ₹300 per small group. Foreign nationals are not currently allowed. Only Sikkim-registered taxis with local drivers can go up. Two nights from Gangtok, sharing a taxi with four, costs about ₹4,600 per person on a shoestring and ₹6,800 mid-range. Go in October or November for the clearest Kanchenjunga views.
Most people in East Sikkim go to Gangtok and stop there. Zuluk is ninety kilometres away and feels much further. It is a small army-and-yak village on the old trade route from Kalimpong to Tibet. Above it, the road loops up through 32 hairpins to Thambi, Lungthung, Nathang valley and Kupup. There are no hotels, no ATM and, most of the time, no phone signal.
Rules and prices below come from Trip Under's Zuluk page, checked on 16 October 2026. The official Sikkim Tourism permit page would not load when we checked, so the permit rules come from a travel guide updated in October 2026. Confirm them before you go. Trip Under is not an agency; you book the taxi and homestay yourself.
The permit, step by step
- Who needs it: Indian citizens need a Protected Area Permit (PAP) for Zuluk. They need no permit for the rest of Sikkim.
- Foreigners: not allowed on Zuluk or the Silk Route high road, even with a Sikkim Restricted Area Permit.
- Documents: two passport photos and a photocopy of your ID: Aadhaar, Voter ID or passport. PAN is not accepted.
- Where: the SDPO office at Rongli, on the way up, then the Lingtam check post. About ₹200 to ₹300 per small group is reported. A Gangtok agency charges ₹500 to ₹700.
- When: the Rongli office shuts around 2 pm on weekdays and 11 am on Saturdays, and is closed on Sundays. Plan your drive around it.
Get it yourself at Rongli. Coming from the Rongli side, collect the permit there or through your Zuluk homestay. It costs a fraction of a Gangtok agency's fee. Tsomgo Lake and Nathula need their own separate permits, and Nathula is normally closed to tourists on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Getting there: Sikkim taxis only
There are no buses or shared cabs on this route. The car is the main cost, which is why a full taxi of four makes the trip cheap.
| From | Route | Time | Cost | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxi | Siliguri / NJP / Bagdogra → Zuluk via Rongli | 5 h 30 m - 6 h | Get a quote | 150-160 km. Must be a Sikkim-registered taxi with a local driver; outside vehicles are turned back. Get a quote from a Sikkim operator. |
| Shared taxi | Gangtok → Zuluk via Rongli, 2 nights | 4 h | about ₹1,750 each, whole trip | About 90 km. A Gangtok taxi shared by four costs about ₹1,500-2,000 each for the trip (2026 estimate). There are no buses or shared cabs on this route. |
| Taxi | Kalimpong → Zuluk | 3 h 30 m | Get a quote | About 87 km. Kalimpong taxis must still be Sikkim-registered for the permit stretch; check before you book. |
Infographic · the route
Gangtok to Zuluk and over the top
About 90 km from Gangtok to Zuluk via Rongli. From Kupup you can come back down, or carry on to Gangtok via Tsomgo, 5 to 6 hours, with its own permits.
From Siliguri, NJP or Bagdogra it is 150 to 160 km, five and a half to six hours, and the taxi must still be Sikkim-registered. Outside vehicles are turned back. Those fares are not confirmed, so get a quote from a Sikkim operator.
What two nights cost
The Gangtok taxi, shared by four, is about ₹1,500 to ₹2,000 each for the whole trip, a 2026 estimate. On top of that are two nights of beds, meals and small costs at Trip Under's Zuluk daily rates (₹2,000 shoestring, ₹3,500 mid-range, ₹5,500 comfortable, per person).
Infographic · where the money goes
₹4,600 each for two nights from Gangtok, group of four, shoestring
Ground costs from Trip Under's Zuluk daily rate, with the group discount for shared rooms. The taxi share is a guide's estimate, not a confirmed fare.
Infographic · two nights, per person
Zuluk from Gangtok: who pays what
Each includes about ₹1,750 for the shared Gangtok taxi. A couple or a solo traveller who cannot fill a car will usually pay more for the taxi than this.
Where to stay and eat
Photo: Tsen2006, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
| Stay | Where | From (per night) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homestay, meals in | Zuluk | ₹1,200 | No hotels, about 36 homestays. Budget rooms ₹800-1,500 a night, usually with meals. Your taxi driver or permit agent will know them. |
| Better homestay, meals in | Zuluk | ₹2,800 | ₹2,000-3,500 for warmer rooms. Ask about hot water and heaters. |
| Homestay | Nathang valley | ₹2,200 | About ₹1,800-2,500 per person. At 13,500 ft, sleeping here can bring on altitude sickness; Zuluk is safer for the first night. |
Budget rooms in Zuluk are ₹800 to ₹1,500 a night, usually with meals; your taxi driver or permit agent will know them. Sleep the first night in Zuluk, not Nathang. At 13,500 ft, Nathang can bring on altitude sickness.
Food is homestay food: rice, dal, vegetables and eggs. There are almost no restaurants. Budget travellers spend ₹200 to ₹400 a day on snacks and tea outside the homestay. Vegetarians eat well; tell the host when you arrive.
The high road: what you see
| Stop | Time | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrise at Thambi View Point | 2 h | 11,200 ft, 14 km above Zuluk. The 32 hairpins below you and Kanchenjunga ahead on a clear morning. Leave before 5 am. |
| Lungthung viewpoint | 1 h | 12,500-13,000 ft. A closer Kanchenjunga view; rhododendron forest from March to May. |
| Nathang valley | 2 h | High open valley at 13,500 ft with a small monastery and the old British war memorial. |
| Kupup and Elephant Lake | 1 h | A sacred lake by the road near the border. Heavily restricted zone; stay where your driver stops. |
| Over the top to Gangtok via Tsomgo | Full day | 5-6 hours. Tsomgo and Nathula need their own permits, and Nathula is normally closed to tourists on Mondays and Tuesdays. |
Photo: Arup1981, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
When to go, and what to carry
Infographic · month by month
Zuluk month by month
Month-by-month as text
Jan: Avoid · Feb: Passable · Mar: Good · Apr: Best · May: Best · Jun: Passable · Jul: Avoid · Aug: Avoid · Sep: Passable · Oct: Best · Nov: Best · Dec: Passable
October and November give the clearest Kanchenjunga views. March to May is second best, with rhododendrons in bloom. June to August brings landslides and possible permit stops; avoid July and August. December to February the route is under snow, roads are often blocked from January, and the Kupup high road is most likely shut December to March.
- Cash: bring all you need. Homestays are cash. There is no ATM in Zuluk; the last reliable ones are at Rongli, Rangpo or Gangtok.
- Signal: only BSNL works, and patchily. Tell people you will be offline.
- Altitude: Zuluk is about 10,000 ft and the road climbs to 13,500 ft. Descend if a headache gets worse.
- Kupup: a heavily restricted zone near the border. Stay where your driver stops.
Late October is the pick: clear skies, Kanchenjunga at sunrise, roads open, and cheaper than the April rhododendron season.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit for Zuluk?
Yes. Indian citizens need a Protected Area Permit, collected at the SDPO office in Rongli with two passport photos and an ID photocopy (Aadhaar, Voter ID or passport, not PAN). The office shuts around 2 pm on weekdays, 11 am on Saturdays, and is closed on Sundays.
Can foreigners visit Zuluk?
Not currently. Foreign nationals are not allowed on Zuluk or the Silk Route high road, even with a Sikkim Restricted Area Permit.
How much does a Zuluk trip cost?
About ₹4,600 per person for two nights from Gangtok on a shoestring, if four people share the taxi, and about ₹6,800 mid-range. Homestays start at about ₹1,200 a night, usually with meals.
Can I take my own car to Zuluk?
No. Only Sikkim-registered taxis with local drivers may go up. Outside vehicles are turned back.
What is the best time to visit Zuluk?
October and November for the clearest Kanchenjunga views. March to May is second best, with rhododendrons. Avoid July and August, and expect snow and blocked roads from January.
Sources and how we priced this
- Permit rules, documents, fees, Rongli office hours, the taxi rule, distances, homestays, food budget, months, altitudes, signal and ATMs: a Zuluk travel guide updated 13 October 2026 and its Sikkim permits guide, with foreigner rules cross-checked against a second permits guide. The official Sikkim Tourism permit page could not be loaded.
- Rongli permit fee, Siliguri and Kalimpong taxi fares, stall food prices and the Gangtok taxi share are reported or estimated, not confirmed. Check before you go.
- Daily rates: Trip Under's Zuluk page, built on our cost model.
Keep reading
Plan your own Silk Route trip
Set your dates and group on the Zuluk page and see the taxi, homestays and food add up for you.
Open the Zuluk page →Costs come from Trip Under's place data and our cost model (see methodology). They are indicative ballparks for budget travel and move with season and demand. Check live bus, train and room prices before you book. Trip Under is reader-planned, not an agency, and takes no commission on any booking.