Kanchenjunga from Sikkim The State of Sikkim
is divided into 3 areas based on travel restrictions. Some
part of the state requires Inner Line Permit, some parts require
Protected Area Permit and some other part require Restricted
Area Permit. The entire state of Sikkim falls under one of
the three categories. Commonly the permits required are referred
to as Inner Line Permit.
To simplify the legalities, Indian tourists
may visit major tourist destinations in Sikkim without obtaining
any special permit. All foreigners have to obtain a special
permit for Sikkim which they could
get from a number of sources. Foreigners can avail only 15
days permit to visit Sikkim which can be extended for a further
period of 30 days in two spells of 15 days each. This extention
is given from Sikkim government home department in Gangtok.
The permit can be arranged very easily at several places including
at Siliguri, Darjeeling
or at Rongpo and Malli on the Bengal - Sikkim boarder. The
permits can also be obtained from Indian Embassy at different
places. International travellers need to carry two copies
of photograph and passport. The process barely takes 15 minutes
for an individual, if you are travelling in a group, the time
required for the formality would proportionately increase.
If you have already come to the region without
obtaining proper permits, naturebeyond
will assist you in arranging the same. The permits are issued
on official working days, so if your date of arrival is an
official holiday, please double check the issue of permit
with naturebeyond representative.
The restriction for visiting Dzongri
- Yuksom is slightly more strict.
You should be part of a group of minimum 4 persons in order
to visit Dzongri (in West Sikkim)
for the purpose of trekking, you should also be travelling
with a recognised Indian travel agency.
There are further restrictions on visiting
several places deeper inside Sikkim. Both domestic and foreign
visitors require special permits to visit Tsongo,
Nathula area which is a day tour
from Gangtok. Foreigners can only
visit Tsongo and not Nathula. Similarly special permits are
required visiting North Sikkim
where foreigners are not allowed to visit the Gurudongma
lake area, although permits for trek to Green lake in the
same area can be arranged.
All the permits can be collected from the
Indian Missions in different countries. It can also be collected
from Foreigners' Regional Registration Offices in Calcutta,
Delhi, Madras & Bombay or the Office of the Assistant
Resident Commissioner, Govt. of Sikkim, Calcutta or the office
of the Deputy Director (Tourism), Govt. of sikkim, New Delhi.
Exception: visitors from
Pakistan, Bangladesh, China and Myanmar can be given inner
line permits only after approval from Ministry of Home Affairs,
government of India at New Delhi. For Bhutan
nationals there is no restriction on entering Sikkim. Foreign
diplomats, United Nations officials and members of International
organisations needs to obtain their permit from the Ministry
of External Affairs at New Delhi. |
