Darjeeling, Sikkim and the Himalayas - Private Tour

The order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions or for operational purposes. The schedules of the domestic airlines in country are subject to frequent changes. For this reason, we have indicated approximate times only. Your local guide will inform you of any schedule changes as they are informed of them. The driving times listed are point to point and do not include the duration of excursions or stops en route. Some road construction and/or weather conditions may lengthen the driving times. Our intention is to adhere to the day-to-day itinerary as printed; however, order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions.

If booking more than 12 weeks before departure a deposit of €342.20pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 12 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 12 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.

India visa requirements

A visa is required for entry into India. British Citizen Passport Holders will need to obtain a tourist visa. You can apply for an E-visa no more than 30 days in advance. Your E-visa must be valid for your whole trip so please ensure the expiry date is for the whole duration of your stay. Alternatively you can visit The Indian Visa Application Centre in London: 142-148 Goswell Road, London, EC1B 7DU. We also work closely with The Travel Visa Company who will be able to arrange your visa on your behalf. Please call them on 01270 250 590 and quote 'Mercury Holidays'. Additionally, you will need to complete an e-Arrival Card within 72 hours before your arrival. This can be done on the Indian visa website: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival/. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months before you enter India. Visa requirements are subject to change and obtaining a visa is the responsibility of the traveller and not Mercury Holidays. We recommend you check with your destinations' Tourist Board or Embassy prior to departure for the most up to date guidelines regarding visas and passport validity.

Sikkim visa requirements

For Sikkim, an ILP (Inner Line Permit) is required which is available for no additional cost: simply mention the visit to Sikkim at the time of applying for your India visa. Or, if you already have a valid Indian visa and do not have an ILP, our tour escort can organise this for you (on arrival at the entry points).

To complete the permit online, you must visit https://www.sikkimtourism.gov.in/Public/Index/mandatorytourist and fill in the form. You will need to print the form and keep it with you and your other travel documents. On arrival with this form, you will receive the ILP from the Sikkim Tourism office at Delhi, Kolkata, Bagdogra Airport, Rongpoo & Melli Checkpost. Your photograph will be taken at these checkpoints and all documents (passport, visas) will be scanned by Indian Customs officials. The ILP is then issued. We strongly recommend that you bring a photocopy of the following documents, together with the original. Namely 06 copies of your photograph, 6 photocopies of your passport, and copies of your valid Indian Visa.

We strongly advise you to check with your destinations’ Tourist Board or Embassy for the most up-to-date guidelines regarding required passport validity.

We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras, including up to a 20% discount, which is given to all Mercury Holidays customers. To arrange your insurance with Holiday Extras, please visit https://www.mercuryholidays.co.uk/info/insurance for more details. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24 hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.

Altitude sickness is a fairly common condition that can occur when you ascend to a high altitude (generally higher than 2,500 metres above sea level) quickly. The decrease in atmospheric pressure can make breathing more difficult as the body is not able to take in as much oxygen. Most cases are mild with symptoms that can include: headache, nausea, dizziness and exhaustion. Several of the places on your trekking holiday are located at high altitude. Therefore, you may find you experience some symptoms at this altitude. It is advised that at these high altitudes, you keep hydrated and avoid alcohol. If you do experience symptoms of altitude sickness during your tour, ensure you tell your guide immediately who will be able to advise the best thing for you to do.

It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, www.travelhealthpro.org.uk, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.

All our tours feature a “Tour Pace” to help find the right holiday for you. To travel on any of our tours requires unaided mobility and the ability to stroll around the sights, climb stairs and get on and off coaches and boats. The tour pace of Darjeeling Sikkim and the Himalayas is rated Active due to the tour being packed with activities and experiences. A good level of fitness is required as you may be on your feet for approximately four hours in a day, though this will be interspersed with regular breaks and will vary from day to day. You will be walking around the sights, and you will be getting on and off coaches, trains and boats and climbing steps which may be irregular. You will stay in variety of hotels throughout the tour. Our guides will always endeavour to provide the highest level of service and assistance; however, they cannot be expected to cater for customers who are unfit to complete the itinerary.

The currency in India is the Rupee. The Rupee is a closed currency and officially you are not allowed to take any cash out of India. US Dollars and GBP are also widely accepted in India should you wish to keep an alternative currency on you. There are restrictions on taking Indian rupees into India. Visitors, including tourists, are not permitted to take any amount of Indian currency into the country. You can take cash or travellers' cheques (in pounds sterling or another foreign currency) and/or a bank card with you and exchange or withdraw rupees once in India. Please note that in smaller villages and towns, credit and debit cards may not be widely accepted, so it is advisable to carry cash for purchases. Cash machines will also be available in larger towns in order to withdraw money in your local currency. It is important that you budget carefully and ensure you have the right form of currency before you arrive in the country.

As normal practice you may be asked for your credit card details on check-in at the hotel in order to cover any extras incurred during your stay. If you do not have a credit card, you may be asked for a cash deposit. MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted in hotels as well as American Express.

You will need to take money with you to cover any personal purchases such as souvenirs, laundry, any meals not included in the itinerary as well as drinks and any additional snacks; Approximately £400- £450 per person will be sufficient for the duration of the tour. It is a good idea to try and maintain a supply of small notes and change in the local currency for tipping or small purchases.

Tipping

It is customary to tip your guide and driver. This is at your discretion, but we recommend you allow approximately £4-£5 for each guide and £2-£3 for each driver per person per day. It is asked that you tip in pounds and not local currency, please do not give coins as these are difficult to exchange. Your guide will also ask you for £1 or £2 a day to add to a kitty this is for the porters, waiters etc throughout your tour.

This is a fully escorted tour. A national guide will meet you on arrival and accompany you throughout your trip. In certain cities, local guides will join you to provide expert insight based on the sites visited.

For private tours, you will travel with either a Driver Guide or a Driver plus local guides. They will accompany all sightseeing. Private tours can depart any day of the week, subject to transport schedules and attraction opening times. These tours follow the brochure itinerary unless otherwise advised and include all listed meals, sightseeing, and excursions.

Vehicles appropriate to the size of your group will be used on this tour. In Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Gangtok this may include 7-seater Innova Vans which due to the small roads and local conditions are the most comfortable way to travel. In some cases, there will be no more than four guests to one vehicle.

Your accommodation is selected for convenience, location, comfort or character. Hotel accommodation is generally rated as local three to four-star standard, but please note there is no international classification system for hotels, and differences in facilities and quality do exist between the UK and India. All group tours hotels have private bathroom facilities and air-conditioning, where needed. Rest assured that all accommodation used by Mercury Holidays is regularly inspected by our staff and partners to ensure that standards meet your needs. A triple room is available but please note that this will be a twin room with a fold away bed for the 3rd passenger.

Breakfast is always a combination of Indian and western style and served in the hotel each morning (sometimes a packed breakfast depending on train journey). Lunch and dinner where applicable will be taken in hotel/wayside restaurants. A variety of restaurants are visited giving you the chance to experience a range of dishes and flavours.

Please contact Customer Experience for questions about other dietary requirements or allergy information. Vegan, vegetarian and non-spicy meal options are available, all meal requests need to be sent over to our suppliers before travel.

It is not recommended to drink the tap water, even in developed countries water may contain unfamiliar elements that can cause upset stomachs. In less developed countries water is not filtered in the same way. 2 bottles of water are supplied per person per day on your tour.

Alcoholic Drinks

There are some dry hotels in India, and some hotels where alcohol can be consumed on the premise but must be brought in from outside. Your guide will pre-warn you of this and if anyone in the group would like to purchase drinks before getting to the hotel then we will arrange for you to visit a local shop and get what you need wherever possible.

Dry days are when the sale of alcohol is not allowed. Most of the Indian states observe these days on major national festivals/occasions such as Republic Day in January, Independence Day in August and Gandhi Jayanti in October. Dry days are also observed during elections in India.

During visits to Churches/Temples please note long trousers or skirts should be worn to cover knees, Long sleeved tops should be worn to cover shoulders and ladies should bring a scarf to cover your head.

On your arrival in Kolkata you will be met by a representative from our local agent, Jayasree Travels & Tours, holding a sign displaying: “Mercury Holidays”. The Mercury Holidays/Jayasree representative will show you to your transfer vehicle. Your guide will be able to answer any queries you may have.

If you need to contact Jayasree Travels and Tours, during your stay the details are: Jayasree Travels and Tours: F 341-Ground Floor Lado Sarai New Delhi 110030 Contact number: +0091 9526188860 / +0091 995 898 8719

Emergency contact information

Telephone number 24 hr: Biju Unnikrishnan +0091 952 618 8860, Ms Jayasree Vikraman +0091 974 700 5888, Mrs Samitha Azhar +0091 974 471 3380, Mrs Rekha Anil 0091 9744813380 , Mr Amit Bhardwaj +0091 995 898 8719

E-mail: biju@jayasreetravels.com

• Insect repellent and sun cream
• Comfortable walking shoes
• Waterproof, lightweight jacket
• Sunglasses and hat
• Ruck sack
• Binoculars
• Camera and charger
• Loo paper for public WCs
• Long sleeve shirt and long trousers
• Swimwear
• Anti-bacterial hand sanitiser
• Personal toiletries
• Personal first aid kit containing travel pills, rehydration powder, plasters, stomach settlers, antiseptic creams, aspirin etc
• An electric plug converter - The voltage in India is 220 volts with plugs and sockets having either grounded 3 pin connections or ungrounded 2 pin connections. Should you plan to use your own hairdryer, travel iron, video camera, battery charger, electric shaver etc, it is advisable to bring a multi-adaptor