I have written about my visit to Kaluk earlier, but I thought of collating all the details in one place, as a reference. Hope this helps.
Facts and Figures
Kaluk is situated at an altitude of 5600 feet in West Sikkim. You can see the town of Geyzing on the opposite hillock and even Pelling. The place offers a near 180 degrees view of the snow peaks on a clear day, including all the named peaks of the Kanchenjunga Range. The twin city of Rinchenpong is a few miles away and so is the Rinchenpong monastery. In my personal experience, Kaluk offers much better views as compared to Rinchenpong.
Rinchenpong Monastery grounds
How to Reach Kaluk
I have given an outline on how to reach the Himalayas. If you need more details about trains to New Jalpaiguri then you can visit the Indian Railways portal and if you need any flight info/make bookings, you can try makemytrip.com or yatra.com. Once you reach any of the two places here are the options:
- Shared Jeep - INR 200 to 350 per person.
- Full Vehicle Book - INR 2500 to 4000 depending on the vehicle you choose.
It is very difficult to find a direct ride, if you plan on going shared. You have to go via Jorethang.
Tip: If you have travel sickness, and want to have a comfortable ride, choose a bigger vehicle, if possible with 4 wheel drive. The roads are quite steep, especially if you take the route through Zoom.
Some useful information about Sikkim transportation can be found in the official Sikkim Tourism site.
Distance Chart from Kaluk
The distances and travel times from nearby important destinations are approximate.
Best Seasons to Visit
April to Mid-June and Mid-September to November. If you want to enjoy the beauty of Rhododendrons and the orchids, you might want to plan the visit during March/April but the downside is that the view of the snow peaks will be very hard to come by.
Best Season for mountain views
Mid September to Mid December.
Clothing Recommended
Light woolens/normal in Summer (Sometimes umbrellas/raincoats are useful) and Heavy woolen clothing in the winters.
Adventure Activities
Trekking, Mountaineering, Rafting.
Places to see near Kaluk
There are a lot of places to visit near Kaluk. The main ones are Temi tea garden, Rinchenpong Monastery, Singshore Bridge, which is Asia's second highest bridge, are some of the main attractions. You can also plan to visit the Varsey Rhododendron Sanctuary during the season.
Singshore bridge
Hotels
A little background about the Hotels and resorts first. In my opinion, Kaluk is a better place to stay than Rinchenpong solely because of the awesome view. There are some hotels along the Kaluk Village road, the resorts are scattered on the slopes of the hill. The two resorts listed below should be the choices. There are other options also, but these are the more popular ones with good view of the snow peaks.
- Mandarin Village Resort - Its a nice resort with a fantastic view of the mountains. The tariff ranges anywhere from Rs 1400 to Rs. 8800 depending upon the room/suite or meal plans.
- Ghonday Village Resort - Charges range anywhere from Rs 1500 to Rs 5600.