Old Silk Route — Zuluk & Kupup
5 nights / 6 days · Gangtok · Zuluk · Kupup · Nathang Valley
Package code
TUR-DS05
Duration
5N / 6D
Starting from
19,900/ person
Trip overview
Before Nathula opened to trade, mule caravans moved along this old Silk Route through Zuluk's stacked hairpin bends. This itinerary follows the same road to Kupup, Menmecho Lake and the Nathang Valley, staying in homestays run by the border villages themselves.
Zuluk's 32-hairpin zigzag road viewed from Lungthung
Thambi View Point sunrise over the Kanchenjunga range
Kupup's Elephant Lake and Old Baba Mandir
Nathang Valley's cold desert landscape
Day-wise routine
Day 1 — Arrival in Gangtok
Transfer from NJP / Bagdogra, evening on MG Marg while your Protected Area Permit for the Silk Route is processed.
Day 2 — Gangtok to Zuluk
Drive via Rongli and Padamchen into the hills, watching the Zuluk zigzag road unfold below Thambi View Point. Overnight in a village homestay.
Day 3 — Zuluk sunrise and Nathang Valley
Pre-dawn walk up to Thambi View Point for a Kanchenjunga sunrise, then drive higher to the cold-desert landscape of Nathang Valley and the old army camp at Kupup.
Day 4 — Kupup, Menmecho Lake, back to Gangtok
Old Baba Mandir, Elephant Lake at Kupup and Menmecho Lake before descending back to Gangtok for the night.
Day 5 — Gangtok sightseeing
Rumtek Monastery, Do Drul Chorten, the Institute of Tibetology and Tashi Viewpoint.
Day 6 — Departure
Transfer to NJP / Bagdogra.
Inclusions
- Accommodation on twin-sharing basis
- Daily breakfast (and dinner on most itineraries)
- Private air-conditioned vehicle for all transfers and sightseeing
- All applicable permits and entry formalities
- Experienced local driver-cum-guide
- 24x7 on-trip assistance from the Turopia team
Exclusions
- Airfare and train tickets to the base city
- Lunch, personal expenses and tips
- Monument entry fees and optional joyrides
- Anything not mentioned under inclusions
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