How to reach Yuksom

From the airport

Bagdogra Airport (IXB), about 14 km west of Siliguri, is the airport for Yuksom: about 155 to 160 km and 6 to 8 hours by road. No bus or shared jeep runs from the airport to Yuksom, so the simplest way is a taxi from the terminal straight through; many travellers prefer a Sikkim-registered taxi, whose drivers know these roads. On your own, take a taxi, or walk about five minutes out to the highway for a bus or shared vehicle, into Siliguri (about 16 km, 20 to 40 minutes), and get off at the SNT bus stand on Hill Cart Road, beside the Sikkim taxi stand. To reach Yuksom the same day by shared jeep, you need an early-morning flight. Pakyong airport near Gangtok has no scheduled flights at present and is no nearer by road.

From the railway station

New Jalpaiguri Junction (NJP) is the railhead, about 145 to 150 km and 6 to 8 hours by road from Yuksom. Nothing runs direct from the station to Yuksom: hire a taxi for the whole way, or take a taxi, auto-rickshaw or town bus into Siliguri (20 to 30 minutes) to the Tenzing Norgay bus terminus on Hill Cart Road, where the SNT bus stand and the Sikkim taxi stand, with jeeps for Jorethang and Yuksom, are opposite. A few long-distance trains, such as the Kanchan Kanya Express from Kolkata, stop at Siliguri Junction, right beside the bus terminus, which saves the transfer. An overnight train that arrives early in the morning lets you reach Yuksom in daylight the same day. The Sevoke to Rangpo railway, with a station planned at Melli, is still under construction, so NJP remains the practical railhead.

By road

Yuksom, in Gyalshing district (formerly West Sikkim), is the roadhead for the Dzongri and Goecha La trails into Khangchendzonga National Park. From Siliguri the road leaves the plains at Sevoke and follows NH10 up the Teesta valley to Melli, where you enter Sikkim. Carry photo ID; foreign nationals also need a Sikkim Restricted Area Permit, which since January 2026 is issued only online, through the e-FRRO portal, and must be approved before you reach Melli. From Melli the road heads west to Jorethang, the hub town for the west, on the Rangeet river. It follows the Rangeet on to Legship, then climbs through Tashiding to Yuksom.

• Siliguri to Melli: about 58 km along the Teesta
• Melli to Jorethang: about 25 km; Siliguri to Jorethang takes 2.5 to 3 hours in all
• Jorethang to Legship: about 25 km along the Rangeet
• Legship to Yuksom via Tashiding: about 35 km of winding hill road; Jorethang to Yuksom takes about 3 to 4 hours

Door to door it is about 145 to 150 km, or 6 to 7 hours from Siliguri with a meal stop. NH10 along the Teesta is prone to landslides, above all from June to September; when it is blocked, the alternative is the slower hill road through Darjeeling and down to Jorethang.

By bus

No bus runs to Yuksom. Sikkim Nationalised Transport (SNT) buses leave Siliguri for Jorethang at 10:30 am and 1:30 pm and for Pelling at 10:30 am on the Sikkim Transport Department's published timetable, but they reach Jorethang around or after the time the last Yuksom jeeps leave, so going by bus usually means a night in Jorethang or Pelling. Shared jeeps are the practical public transport. One direct jeep a day has run from Siliguri to Yuksom, leaving the Sikkim taxi stand beside the SNT bus stand at about 11 am to noon and returning from Yuksom early the next morning, and jeeps to Jorethang leave through the morning. Timings change, so check at the stand a day ahead.

Local transfers

By public transport the last leg is a shared jeep from the Jorethang taxi stand, where only a few leave for Yuksom each day, all by early afternoon; jeeps also come in from Gyalshing, Pelling and Tashiding, mostly in the morning. Yuksom is small and easily walked. The trail starts at the forest check post at the edge of the village, where Khangchendzonga National Park entry permits are issued; foreign trekkers also need a Protected Area Permit, arranged through a registered operator for a group of at least two. Arrive the day before you start walking.

Distances from major points

• Siliguri to Yuksom (5.5 hours, few vehicles only)
• Siliguri to Jorethang (2.5 hours, readily available)
• Jorethang to Yuksom (3 hours, few vehicles)
• Jorethang to Legship (2 hours, available till evening)
• Legship to Yuksom (1 hour, might be lucky to get one in the evening)

Good to know

Self hired vehicle is the best suggestion to reach Yuksom. Reserved vehicles can pick you from the airport or New Jalpaiguri Railway Station. Else, you may come to Siliguri and hire a cab from there.

If you aren't in a group you may come by shared vehicles. Shared vehicles are available from Siliguri, but if you want to reach Yuksom on the same day, you have to be in Siliguri before 11 AM, or by about 10 AM if you have to change at Jorethang.

If you do not get a direct shared jeep, break your journey at Jorethang. From Jorethang you get jeeps till Yuksom but very few and irregular. Usually after about 2 PM, you do not get any jeeps to Yuksom from Jorethang. Then go to Legship and wait for a jeep going to Yuksom.

Safety

Treat the journey as a full day and arrive in daylight: the road to Yuksom is poorly lit and not one to drive after dark. From June to September landslides on NH10 and the west Sikkim roads can cost hours or a day, so keep a spare day before your flight or train home and ask drivers at Jorethang about the road that morning. The drive out takes most of a morning; book onward travel for late afternoon or later. Yuksom is at about 1,700 to 1,800 m; the trek reaches nearly 3,000 m at Tshoka within two walking days.

Travel tips

• Plan buffer time for road delays, especially in monsoon and winter.
• Start early for long drives to avoid night stretches on mountain roads.
• Keep offline maps and cash as backup in low-network zones.
• If you are continuing to high altitude areas, acclimatize and hydrate well.