Road trip to the beautiful Gangtok in Maruti Suzuki Dzire
A trip to the hills is always desirable, and thus we decided to have a short family vacation in Sikkim driving on our great Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire.
The plan was to drive down to Gangtok from our house in Siliguri and then hire a local car for the various hilltop sightseeing purposes. Gangtok is the beautiful and commercialized capital of the Himalayan state Sikkim, which is a neighboring state of West Bengal in which Siliguri is situated. Though an interstate journey, Gangtok is very close to Siliguri with a road distance of just 112 km.
Our tried and tested, very capable Maruti Swift Dzire compact sedan doesn’t only offer very comfortable and ample space for 5 people but also offers great boost space for luggage. Its K-Series, 1197cc petrol engine with VVT offers 85bhp of max power and 114Nm of peak power. The car’s impressive 19.1 km per liter mileage is also impressive. The high style quotient, reliability and great performance ensures Dzire to remain as the ruler of its segment. Thus, we were not afraid of travelling through the hilly roads in our superb Dzire.
Driving down the well maintained broad hilly roads, we reached Gangtok in just more than 2 hours. We saw that the roads are remarkably broad for a hill station and the route also has ample amounts of petrol pumps, ATM, pharmacies and food joints. We helped ourselves with some lovely snacks and masala tea at a dhaba on the way.
One thing about Gangtok is that outside vehicles are not allowed for local transportation. So once we reached Gangtok, we safely parked our Dzire at the hotel garage and hired a local car for sightseeing. As it is one needs a local car and a good driver for the many hill top sightseeing spots. The road from Tsangu Lake to the Ice-Point is particularly steep and tiresome as oxygen level drops considerably, so a local driver is a must.
We loved the friendly and rather fashionable people of Gangtok and enjoyed great Tibetan dishes on offer.
Pavan Kumar
The plan was to drive down to Gangtok from our house in Siliguri and then hire a local car for the various hilltop sightseeing purposes. Gangtok is the beautiful and commercialized capital of the Himalayan state Sikkim, which is a neighboring state of West Bengal in which Siliguri is situated. Though an interstate journey, Gangtok is very close to Siliguri with a road distance of just 112 km.
Our tried and tested, very capable Maruti Swift Dzire compact sedan doesn’t only offer very comfortable and ample space for 5 people but also offers great boost space for luggage. Its K-Series, 1197cc petrol engine with VVT offers 85bhp of max power and 114Nm of peak power. The car’s impressive 19.1 km per liter mileage is also impressive. The high style quotient, reliability and great performance ensures Dzire to remain as the ruler of its segment. Thus, we were not afraid of travelling through the hilly roads in our superb Dzire.
Driving down the well maintained broad hilly roads, we reached Gangtok in just more than 2 hours. We saw that the roads are remarkably broad for a hill station and the route also has ample amounts of petrol pumps, ATM, pharmacies and food joints. We helped ourselves with some lovely snacks and masala tea at a dhaba on the way.
One thing about Gangtok is that outside vehicles are not allowed for local transportation. So once we reached Gangtok, we safely parked our Dzire at the hotel garage and hired a local car for sightseeing. As it is one needs a local car and a good driver for the many hill top sightseeing spots. The road from Tsangu Lake to the Ice-Point is particularly steep and tiresome as oxygen level drops considerably, so a local driver is a must.
We loved the friendly and rather fashionable people of Gangtok and enjoyed great Tibetan dishes on offer.
Pavan Kumar
About the Guest Author:
This article is a Guest Post by Pavan Kumar. Pavan is an auto enthusiast who has been reviewing cars, bikes and trucks since last 5 years. He graduated from Delhi University with major in Arts. The journey has been quite adventurous and fantastic so far. He has traveled to and fro on his Royal Enfield and also to various auto events. Besides auto industry, Pavan likes capturing wild life with his Nikon D5100 camera.
This article is a Guest Post by Pavan Kumar. Pavan is an auto enthusiast who has been reviewing cars, bikes and trucks since last 5 years. He graduated from Delhi University with major in Arts. The journey has been quite adventurous and fantastic so far. He has traveled to and fro on his Royal Enfield and also to various auto events. Besides auto industry, Pavan likes capturing wild life with his Nikon D5100 camera.
Hyderabad Botanical Garden
Hyderabad Botanical Garden is situated along the Gachibowli-Miyapur road, some 2-3 kilometers from the IT hub of the city. It is a 120 acre land in the Kothaguda Reserve Forest. Though this is promoted by Tourism Department but as far as I see, this is a place which is mostly being visited by the local people during the weekend to get a feel of the greenery in the midst of the concrete jungle. The Garden opens at 9 AM in the morning and stays open till 8 PM.
There is an entrance fee of 10 Rupee and in case you are willing to do photography and have a SLR camera, it would be another 10 rupees. As soon as you enter the garden you can cute little rabbits munching carrots or leaves.
There is a beautiful Rose Garden and a Butterfly Park as well in the Garden. It is lovely to see the different colors of roses like red, orange, pink, white etc. People having interest in photography should take their cameras. Learnt from someone that to take beautiful pictures of butterfly once to visit the Garden early in the morning as soon as it opens.
A walkway is present in case you want to shed some kilos. You can purchase a monthly pass for Rs 150 for the walkway. Timings is from 6 AM to 8 AM.
A small shop which offers different types of bhajis, sweet corn, bhels etc. is also available in the garden. To have a Chai-pe-adda there is a tea shop as well.
I am the mown grass, dying at your feet,
Just opposite to the park, there is a huge parking lot so there is no worry for people who are coming by car or bike. Parking fees is 10 Rs for car and 5 Rs for two wheeler's.
Overall the fresh greenly environment can take away the toll of the entire week. I often visit this place with my family and would love to visit again and again.
There is an entrance fee of 10 Rupee and in case you are willing to do photography and have a SLR camera, it would be another 10 rupees. As soon as you enter the garden you can cute little rabbits munching carrots or leaves.
If you have small kids, there are various options for them to play including some adventure activities, zorbing, kids park etc. Horse Riding can also be done here. Double seated bicycle can be taken on rent per hour basis.
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There is a beautiful Rose Garden and a Butterfly Park as well in the Garden. It is lovely to see the different colors of roses like red, orange, pink, white etc. People having interest in photography should take their cameras. Learnt from someone that to take beautiful pictures of butterfly once to visit the Garden early in the morning as soon as it opens.
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| Rose Garden |
A walkway is present in case you want to shed some kilos. You can purchase a monthly pass for Rs 150 for the walkway. Timings is from 6 AM to 8 AM.
A small shop which offers different types of bhajis, sweet corn, bhels etc. is also available in the garden. To have a Chai-pe-adda there is a tea shop as well.
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| Snacks Stall |
I am the mown grass, dying at your feet,
The pale grass, gasping faintly in the sun.
I shall be dead, long, long ere day is done,
That you may say: "The air, to-day, was sweet."
I am the mown grass, dying at your feet.
- Margaret Gilman Davidson, Moritura
Just opposite to the park, there is a huge parking lot so there is no worry for people who are coming by car or bike. Parking fees is 10 Rs for car and 5 Rs for two wheeler's.
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| Parking Lot |
Overall the fresh greenly environment can take away the toll of the entire week. I often visit this place with my family and would love to visit again and again.
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