Pelling
A ridge town facing Kanchenjunga head-on, with a glass skywalk and a seventeenth-century monastery.
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Pelling sits at about 2,150 metres in west Sikkim with an unobstructed line to Kanchenjunga, close enough that on clear mornings the whole massif fills the northern view from hotel balconies. Pemayangtse, founded in 1705, is one of the oldest monasteries in Sikkim and holds a seven-tiered wooden model of the Guru Rinpoche heavenly palace built by a single monk over five years. Rabdentse, the ruined second capital of Sikkim, stands on a ridge nearby. A glass-floored skywalk opened in 2018 projects from a hillside beneath a large Chenrezig statue, giving a view down and out toward the peaks.
What you actually see
- Kanchenjunga - the massif filling the northern view on clear mornings.
- Pemayangtse - a 1705 monastery with a carved seven-tiered palace model.
- Rabdentse ruins - the second capital of Sikkim on a forested ridge.
- The skywalk - a glass-floored platform beneath the Chenrezig statue.
When to go
October to December for the clearest mountain views and March to May for rhododendron; the monsoon closes the peaks in cloud for weeks and brings landslides.
Honest expectations
Kanchenjunga is often hidden and views fail entirely on cloudy days. Rooms facing the peak cost considerably more. Roads in west Sikkim are rough and landslide-prone.
Nearby
Yuksom lies north; Gangtok is east.
What to pack for Pelling
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
