Republic Day 2027 Long Weekend: 4-Day Trips from Bengaluru to the Hills

Short answer: Republic Day 2027 falls on Tuesday 26 January. Take leave on Monday 25 January and you have four days, from Saturday 23 to Tuesday 26 January. From Bengaluru, the two easiest hill trips in that window are Shillong with Sohra (Cherrapunji) in Meghalaya, and Darjeeling. Both are a non-stop flight of about three hours plus a drive of about three hours. Gangtok and Kaziranga also fit, with longer drives. Bhutan does not fit well in four days from Bengaluru; plan it for a longer break.

Option 1: Shillong and Sohra (Meghalaya)

This is the easiest of the four. Non-stop flights from Bengaluru to Guwahati take about 2.5 to 3 hours, and IndiGo, Air India Express and Akasa Air all fly the route. From Guwahati airport it is about 3 to 3.5 hours by road to Shillong. Take a morning flight on Saturday and you are in Shillong by the evening.

A plan that fits: Saturday, fly and drive to Shillong. Sunday, Sohra for the waterfalls and caves, back to Shillong or stay in Sohra. Monday, Dawki and Mawlynnong, where the Umngot river is at its clearest in winter. Tuesday, drive back to Guwahati for an afternoon or evening flight. January is dry, so the waterfalls are thinner than after the monsoon, and nights are cold. The Double Decker root bridge at Nongriat is a full day of steps on its own, so add a day if it is a must. Our guide to Meghalaya in winter has more on what to expect.

Option 2: Darjeeling

IndiGo flies non-stop from Bengaluru to Bagdogra in about 2 hours 40 minutes to 3 hours. Darjeeling is 2.5 to 3 hours from the airport by road. A plan that fits: Saturday, fly and drive up. Sunday, Tiger Hill at sunrise (jeeps leave around 4 am), the Batasia Loop and a toy train joyride to Ghum. Monday, the zoo and the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (both closed on Thursdays, so Monday is fine), the Mall and a tea garden walk. Tuesday, drive down for an afternoon flight.

In January Darjeeling is cold and usually clear in the mornings, which is when Kanchenjunga shows best. Snow in town is rare. Tea factories are closed for the winter until about late February, so you can walk the gardens but will not see tea being made. Check toy train joyride tickets on IRCTC early. Our guide to Darjeeling in winter has the details.

Option 3: Gangtok

Gangtok is 4 to 5 hours by road from Bagdogra, so most of Saturday and Tuesday go on the drive and you have two full days there. That leaves time for Gangtok itself and one trip towards Tsomgo Lake, which may be frozen in January. High-altitude roads in Sikkim need permits and close when snow is heavy, so treat Tsomgo, and especially Nathula, as possible rather than certain. Guides disagree on which weekdays Nathula is open, and most say it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, which rules it out for this long weekend. Our guide to Sikkim in December explains what is usually open in winter.

Option 4: Kaziranga

January is in Kaziranga's main season, and the park is busy. From Guwahati airport the Kohora gate is about 250 km, around 5 hours by road, so a Saturday morning flight gets you there by late afternoon. Book a jeep safari for Sunday morning on the official site, kazirangasafari.in, and a second safari on Monday morning if you like. Drive back on Monday afternoon, spend the night in Guwahati and fly on Tuesday. A jeep in the Central Range costs about ₹2,900 for 2 people at the official rates. Our Kaziranga safari booking guide has the fees and timings.

Why not Bhutan on this weekend?

There is no direct flight from Bengaluru to Paro; flights go via Kolkata, Delhi or Guwahati. The usual way in from South India is to fly to Bagdogra and go by road through Phuentsholing, where the drive to Thimphu alone is 5 to 6 hours, so most road trips are 6 nights. January is also Bhutan's quietest month: it had 4,751 tourists in January 2025, three quarters of them Indian (The Bhutanese). If you want Bhutan early in 2027, take a few more days off, or plan around the Punakha festival in mid-February or the Paro festival in March (see our Bhutan festivals 2027 guide).

Book these first

A long weekend means many people travel on the same days. Book in this order: flights (fares rise as the date gets close), then rooms, then your car and safari or toy train tickets. Ask your employer whether 26 January is a holiday for you: it is on the central government list, but private companies set their own. Take a late flight home on Tuesday only if you are sure of the road time, as hill roads can be slow, and keep Wednesday morning free if you can.

What we can't promise

Flight times and frequencies change by season, so check the airline's own site. Mountain roads can close for snow or landslides, permits for high places in Sikkim can be stopped on the day, and fog can hide the views. Leave some slack in a four-day plan rather than filling every hour.