thomascook.in

Sikkim and Darjeeling tour

I had booked an eight days and seven nights tour of Sikkim and Darjeeling from 14-02-2026 to 21-02-2026 through Thomas Cook India for myself, my wife, my son, and my daughter-in-law.Mr. Ritik Mathur from Thomas Cook contacted me and provided details about the tour. I paid the advance amount and sent the ID proofs of all four of us. I had clearly informed him that my son and daughter-in-law are Canadian citizens.Two days before the start of the tour, we came to know through Google that foreign nationals are required to obtain an Inner Line Permit to enter Sikkim.When we asked Mr. Ritik Mathur about this, he said that no such permit was required. After verifying again from other sources, we found that no foreign national can enter Sikkim without an Inner Line Permit. When we contacted Mr. Mathur again, he admitted that he had forgotten to inform us about this requirement. Even then, he did not provide any satisfactory solution and kept diverting us by saying he would connect us with a specialist, while only one day was left before the journey.My son and daughter-in-law then lodged a complaint via email with the Thomas Cook complaint desk. Ms. Gautami and Ms. Sweta spoke with us and initially said that no Inner Line Permit was required for foreign nationals, and that permits were needed only for Tsomgo Lake (for both Indian and foreign nationals) and Nathula Pass (only for Indian nationals). When my son and daughter-in-law informed them that an Inner Line Permit is mandatory for entry into Sikkim, they said they would confirm and revert.After some time, Ms. Gautami and Ms. Sweta admitted that yes, foreign nationals do require an Inner Line Permit to enter Sikkim, and assured us that their staff at Bagdogra Airport would arrange the permit for us.Ms. Gautami also assured us that we could contact her in case of any difficulty.After this assurance, we felt relieved and proceeded with our journey.However, at Bagdogra Airport, the Thomas Cook representative who received us had no knowledge about the Inner Line Permit. When we contacted the local tour manager of Thomas Cook, he assigned the responsibility to the car driver, who was also unaware of the process.We went to the Sikkim Tourism office at Bagdogra Airport, but no one was present there. There was only a notice stating that the Inner Line Permit must be applied for online.The Sikkim Tourism website was very complicated and was not functioning properly.We were in great distress. No one was helping us. Neither the car driver nor the Thomas Cook staff had any information.My son and daughter-in-law tried calling Ms. Gautami multiple times, but she did not answer. Later, she blocked our number—each time we called, the phone disconnected immediately. At one point, we even considered taking a flight back from Bagdogra Airport.After prolonged confusion, the local tour manager, Mr. Abhinav Roy, advised us to proceed by car towards Gangtok and apply for the permit at the Sikkim check post en route.Later, Ms. Sweta also called and gave the same suggestion.It is extremely disappointing and regrettable that such an old and reputed travel agency employs such irresponsible staff.Eventually, we left Bagdogra Airport for Gangtok. On the way, our car broke down, and we had to wait for one and a half hours before another vehicle was arranged.At the Sikkim check post, after facing some difficulties, my son and daughter-in-law were finally granted the Inner Line Permit.Thomas Cook, which we had always considered the best travel agency, proved to be a complete failure this time.The behavior of their executives was extremely disappointing.Instead of assisting their customers, leaving them stranded in the middle of their journey is beyond understanding.The Ginger Hotel in Gangtok was satisfactory in every respect, but the hotels in Pelling and Darjeeling (Yashshree Hotel) were of very poor standard. Despite the extremely cold weather, there was no proper arrangement for hot water. There was lack of cleanliness, water leakage in the bathroom, and the food quality was also poor.However, I would like to clearly mention that the service provided by the local tour manager, Mr. Abhinav Roy, was very good.We will never forget this experience.In the future, neither we nor our family and friends will ever book a tour package with Thomas Cook again, and we will also warn others about our experience.

Date of experience: Feb 14, 2026