How to reach Gangtok — Bagdogra, New Jalpaiguri and the road up
How to reach Gangtok, Sikkim: Bagdogra and Pakyong airports, New Jalpaiguri station, road times from Siliguri and Darjeeling, and the monsoon landslide risk.
ArticleVerified 2026-10-14
Best time to visit Gangtok — month by month, from the rain figures
The best time to visit Gangtok, month by month from IMD normals: mild spring and autumn, a very wet monsoon, a cool winter and a frozen lake.
Gangtok has a mild climate all year because of its height, about 1,650 m, and a monsoon that makes the difference between a good visit and a stuck one. The figures below are the India Meteorological Department normals for 1991–2020, as Wikipedia prints them.
Month by month
- January and February. Cool: January averages a high of 12.4 °C and a low of 5.5 °C, February 14.3 °C and 7.3 °C. Dry, at 26.2 mm and 53.6 mm of rain, but fog is common.
- March and April. Warmer, with highs of 17.7 °C and 20.4 °C. Rain climbs steeply to 133.2 mm and 333.3 mm. The weather is generally sunny and mild.
- May. A high of 21.4 °C and a low of 14.9 °C, with 496.1 mm of rain as the monsoon builds.
- June to September. The monsoon: 647.0 mm, 655.2 mm, 547.5 mm and 427.7 mm, with highs between 21.5 °C and 22.1 °C. Wikipedia says the rain often brings landslides that close the roads into the town.
- October and November. Autumn: highs of 20.4 °C and 17.2 °C, and rain falling to 174.3 mm and then 36.9 mm. Wikipedia says flowers bloom in November and December.
- December. A high of 14.1 °C and a low of 7.2 °C, with only 16.0 mm of rain.
What it means for a trip
October to early December, and March to May, are the sensible months for the monasteries and the ridge views: the weather is mild, and the rain is lighter than in the summer months. The Tsomgo Lake and Nathu La day is best planned for those same windows, because Wikipedia says Tsomgo Lake freezes in winter, sometimes into May, and snow can close the high road. The lowest temperature on record is 2.2 degrees below freezing, and the highest 29.9 °C.
Next reads
Read things to do in Gangtok and how to reach Gangtok, and copy the one-day plan or the two days with Rumtek. The Enchey Monastery is the first stop on the clearest morning.
Places around Gangtok
The Gangtok guide →
Tsuklakhang Monastery, Gangtok — the royal chapel of the Chogyals
Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, Gangtok — the Tibet museum and library
Enchey Monastery, Gangtok — the "solitary monastery" on the ridge
Do-drul Chorten, Gangtok — the white stupa with 108 prayer wheels
Hanuman Tok, Gangtok — the army-kept temple on the ridge
Banjhakri Falls and Energy Park, Gangtok — a waterfall and the forest healer
Kabi Lungchok — the stones of the Lepcha–Bhutia blood brotherhood
Rumtek Monastery — the Dharma Chakra Centre near Gangtok
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Questions people ask
What is the best time to visit Gangtok?
Spring and autumn. Wikipedia describes both as generally sunny and mild. Autumn is drier: the monthly rain falls from 174.3 mm in October to 36.9 mm in November and 16.0 mm in December. The monsoon, June to September, is intense and often causes landslides that block the roads, and winter brings fog.
How cold is Gangtok in winter?
Not very. The India Meteorological Department normals give an average high of 12.4 °C and a low of 5.5 °C in January, with December at 14.1 °C and 7.2 °C. Snow in the town is rare; Wikipedia lists snowfall only in 1990, 2004, 2005 and 2020. Tsomgo Lake, much higher, freezes through the winter.
When does it rain most in Gangtok?
In the monsoon. The normals give 647.0 mm in June and 655.2 mm in July, with 547.5 mm in August and 427.7 mm in September, against an annual total of 3,574 mm. Wikipedia notes that landslides from the rain often cut the town off from the plains by road.