Enchey Monastery stands on a ridge above Gangtok, on a site blessed, according to tradition, by a tantric master who could fly. The present pagoda-style building dates from 1909 and belongs to the Nyingma order. It holds images of the Buddha, Loketeswara and Guru Padmasambhava. Masked chaam dances are performed here each winter.

Rumtek Monastery, 24 km from Gangtok, is the largest monastery in Sikkim and the seat in exile of the Karmapa, head of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. Rebuilt in the 1960s by the 16th Karmapa on the model of Tsurphu in Tibet, it has a richly painted main temple, a golden stupa holding his relics and a monastic college.

Lingdum Monastery at Ranka, about 20 km from Gangtok, is a large modern monastery of the Zurmang Kagyu lineage, completed in 1999. Its main temple faces a wide courtyard ringed by monks' quarters, with forested hills behind. Inside is a tall statue of the Buddha. Young monks can often be seen chanting or debating in the afternoon.

Phodong Monastery, about 38 km north of Gangtok, was founded in the early 18th century and is one of the six major monasteries of Sikkim, belonging to the Kagyu order. Rebuilt after an earthquake, it has fine old murals and houses around 260 monks. The older Labrang monastery stands a little further up the hill.

Ralang Monastery, near Ravangla, belongs to the Kagyu order. The old monastery dates from the 18th century, and the large new Palchen Choeling was completed in 1995 in Tibetan style. It has an extensive collection of paintings and thangkas. The Pang Lhabsol festival and the masked Kagyed dances are held here.

Buddha Park, or Tathagata Tsal, at Ravangla was opened in 2013 to mark the 2,550th birth anniversary of the Buddha. A seated statue of Shakyamuni about 40 metres high rises above landscaped gardens, with a museum and meditation hall inside its base. The park faces the snow peaks of the Kangchenjunga range.

Samdruptse, the 'wish-fulfilling hill', stands above Namchi at about 2,130 metres. On its summit sits a statue of Guru Padmasambhava, patron saint of Sikkim, about 36 metres high and painted in shimmering copper and gold. Completed in 2004, it can be seen from far across the valley. The site looks out to Kangchenjunga and Darjeeling.

Pemayangtse, founded in 1705, is one of the oldest and most important monasteries in Sikkim, head of the Nyingma order in the state. Its monks were traditionally of pure Tibetan lineage and performed the royal rites. The top floor holds a seven-tiered painted wooden model of Guru Rinpoche's heavenly palace. It stands on a hilltop just outside Pelling.

Tashiding Monastery, founded in 1717, stands on a heart-shaped hill between the Rathong and Rangit rivers. It is considered the holiest monastery in Sikkim; merely seeing it is said to cleanse sin. The compound has many chortens and stones carved with mantras. The Bumchu festival each spring, when a sealed pot of holy water is opened, draws pilgrims from across the region.