How to reach Pelling — Bagdogra, New Jalpaiguri and the roads from Sikkim and Bengal
How to reach Pelling, West Sikkim: Bagdogra airport, New Jalpaiguri station, road times from Siliguri, Gangtok and Darjeeling, and the distance from Delhi.
ArticleVerified 2026-10-14
Best time to visit Pelling — what we can say without a weather table
When to visit Pelling, West Sikkim: with no weather table for the town, we use nearby Darjeeling's normals to show how rain, snow and clear views vary.
Pelling has no weather table of its own on Wikipedia, and we would rather say so than invent monthly figures. What the article does say is that the Himalayas and Kanchenjunga can be seen at close quarters from the town, and that snow now and then settles over the town in the winter months.
Using a neighbour's figures
Darjeeling is about 66 km away by road on our routing, at a station height of 2,128 m, close to Pelling's 2,150 m. Wikipedia gives its India Meteorological Department normals for 1991–2020. January has a high of 11.1 °C and a low of 1.7 °C. Rain totals 78.8 mm in October, 160.3 mm in May, 648.5 mm in July and just 2.8 mm in December. Wikipedia adds that only about 3 per cent of Darjeeling's rain falls from December to March. A neighbouring station is not Pelling, so use this for the pattern only: a dry, cold winter and a very wet summer.
Seasons
Wikipedia names September to November and April to May as Darjeeling's two peak tourist seasons, and says the view from the Mall there is clearest in October and November. Those are our guess for Pelling too: clear mornings are the whole point of the town. The monsoon, from June to September in the Darjeeling table, brings cloud and rain that can hide the range for days and make the forest paths at Rabdentse and Sanga Choeling slippery. Winter is cold, and snow is possible.
Festivals
Two festivals are tied to the Tibetan calendar and move each year. Wikipedia places the Cham dance at Pemayangtse in February, and the Bumchu holy-water festival at Tashiding in the first Tibetan month, around February or March. Confirm the dates locally.
Next reads
Read things to do in Pelling and how to reach Pelling. Then copy the one-day ridge plan or the two days with Khecheopalri.
Places around Pelling
The Pelling guide →
Pemayangtse Monastery, Pelling — the old Nyingma seat on the ridge
Rabdentse Ruins, Pelling — the second capital of Sikkim's kings
Sanga Choeling Monastery, Pelling — a ridge-top gompa of 1697
Chenrezig Statue and Skywalk, Pelling — a 42 m statue, a glass walkway
Khecheopalri Lake — the wish-fulfilling lake north of Pelling
Tashiding Monastery — the holiest hilltop monastery in Sikkim
Norbugang Chorten, Yuksom — where Sikkim's first king was crowned
Dubdi Monastery, Yuksom — the first monastery of Sikkim, on a hill
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Things to do in Pelling — monasteries, a lost capital, a skywalk and a sacred lake
Things to do in Pelling, West Sikkim: Pemayangtse Monastery, the Rabdentse ruins, the Chenrezig statue and skywalk, Khecheopalri Lake, Tashiding and Yuksom.
Cafés in Kullu and Bhuntar — eggless bakeries, Italian and coffee on the highway
Cafés and bakeries in Kullu and Bhuntar: Valentino's, Sapna Bakers, Belle Vie and Valley Brew, with menus, hours, eggless and veg options and what they cost.
Manali in October — the month we would send a first visit
Manali in October: the year's clearest skies, days around 22 °C, the pass open until mid-November, the poplars turning, the treks' last clear weeks, no crowd.
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Kasol by overnight bus from Delhi to Bhuntar, 494 km; by car from Chandigarh, 245 km; by air to Bhuntar, 32 km away; from Manali in two hours. Compared.
How to reach Munsiyari — the long road from Almora, Kausani and Pithoragarh
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Questions people ask
What is the best time to visit Pelling?
We have no weather table for Pelling itself. Darjeeling, about 66 km away by road and at a similar height, names September to November and April to May as its two peak seasons in Wikipedia's account, so spring and autumn are our best guess for clear days. Check the forecast for the day.
Does it rain a lot in Pelling?
Probably, in summer. Darjeeling's normals give 648.5 mm of rain in July and only 2.8 mm in December, so the monsoon months are wet and winter is dry. That is a neighbour's figure, not Pelling's, so treat it as a guide to the pattern and not a forecast.
Does it snow in Pelling?
Sometimes. Wikipedia says snow now and then settles over Pelling in the winter months. It gives no dates or depths, so we have none. Darjeeling's January normals run from 1.7 to 11.1 °C, which suggests cold days and near-freezing nights, but again that is a neighbouring station.