Humans of Himachal

No. of days : 7

No. of travellers: 5

Month of travel: May 2018

Places Covered: Gangtok, Nathula Pass, Tsongo Lake, Lachen, Gurudongmar Lake, Kala Pathar, Lachung, Yumthang Valley, Namchi

The prodigious peaks of the Himalayas, magical and some breathtaking views of the Mt. Kanchenjunga make Sikkim heaven on earth for travelers and backpackers. This tiny little Indian north eastern state serves a home to so many hidden and unexplored places

GANGTOK

Stroll on streets of Gangtok

MG Marg in Gangtok is the center town lined up with restaurants, souvenir shops, cafes, snacks corners, pharmacies everything and anything! It’s a pedestrian only no smoking zone and vehicles are not allowed on this road. The street is very clean and there are benches laid in the middle where tourists can sit relax and drench in the beauty

While there are plenty of food options on the streets, Bakers Cafe (known for pastries, coffees, momos and other food items) and Roll House attracts a lot of tourist attention. Roll House is a pure veg eatery serving varieties of momos and rolls in a narrow lane of MG Marg. Other pure veg resturants are Rasoi, Parivar, Agarwals on the street

Just as you walk steep down the street, there is another market Lal Bazaar also known for the local clothing, shoe shops, souveneirs etc. This market is extremely crowded at all time of the day

Visit the monastaries and do local sight seeing

Go to Ganesh Tok, Hanuman Tok, Rumtek Monastary, Tashi View point, Ban Jhakri Waterfalls, Enchey Monastary, Nehru Botanical Garden, Ropeway, Flower Exhibition Center

EAST SIKKIM

Visit the India China border at Nathula Pass, go to Tsongo Lake and Baba Mandir

Nathula Pass is a complete army cantonment area and once you walk upto the top of fenced Indo-China border you can see both Indian and Chinese soldiers guarding the border. The soldiers are very friendly and you can have conversations with them about anything and everything you are curious to know!

On our way back, we took a visit to the Tsongo Lake / Changu Lake situated at an altitude of approx 12500 ft. Tsongo in Bhutia language means “Source of water”. This lake remains frozen during the winter and hence it is also called as the glacial lake. Tsongo Lake is considered to be a holy lake and is worshipped by the Sikkemese

There is another tourist attraction which is usually visited with the above two places is Baba Mandir. Baba Harbhajan Singh who was an Indian soldier is known to be the “Hero of Nathula” by soldiers of the Indian army, who built a shrine in his honour

Visiting the above 3 places requires permission from the Sikkim Government which is taken care by your car agent.

NORTH SIKKIM

Amidst the scenic Himalayas, enjoy the breath taking views of Lachen and Lachung hill stations

Lachen: Lachen is a hill station and a popular base town for travelling to Gurudongmar Lake. On the way, we visited the Bhim Nala Waterfalls and Tashi View Point where you see the water streams gushing down from scenic valleys are some of the sights to look out for.

Visit the natural beauty at the highest altitude – Gurudongmar Lake and enjoy snow at Kala Pathar.

The sight of lake is a visual retreat for the eyes that attracts every tourist to go through the struggles of getting here and yet manages to please every visitor. The lake is surrounded by snow capped and barren mountains and is emerald blue in colour so much that you can see the reflection of mountains in the lake

On our way back, we went to Kala Pathar which is a snow covered mountain and tourists visit this place to play and enjoy the snow at the top. (P.S. you can either do Zero Point which is near Lachung or Kala Pathar which is near Lachen. Both the places are known for attracting tourists to enjoy the snow)

Lachung: Nestled in the lap of Himalayan mountains, Lachung is another hill station in North Sikkim and is located at an elevation of approx. 9800 ft. and temperature ranging from 0 to 10 degrees. This town is slightly bigger than Lachen and it serves as a base for tourists visiting Yumthang Valley and Zero Point.

Enjoy the natural beauty at Yumthang Valley and enjoy the snow at Zero Point

Yumthang Valley or Sikkim Valley of Flowers sanctuary is 25 kms from Lachung and is situated at an elevation of approx. 12000 ft. This valley is popularly known as Valley of flowers since the whole valley is layered with a blanket of countless colourful flowers adding to the scenic attractiveness even more. The valley is covered with flowers only from February to April.

Zero Point is around 30 kms uphill from Yumthang Valley and is another snow covered himalayan peak in North Sikkim situated at an altitute of approx. 15000 ft.

SOUTH SIKKIM

Spend some time at Temi Tea Estate and Namchi

One of the most attractive tourist places in South Sikkim is the Temi Tea Garden located in the attractive mountain side valley and sumptuous green ferns. Temi Tea Estate is only about 18-20 kms from Ravangla and Namchi so you can choose to go to either of the places.

The statue is giant and 45m tall structure of Sikkim’s patron saint Guru Padmasambhava located 7 kms from Namchi town. In the local language Bhutia, the word ‘Samdruptse’ means ‘The Wish Fulfilling Hill’ and the awestruck view from the top will keep you speechless

Char Dham / Siddheshwar Dham located approx. 5 kms from Namchi town and uphill at Solophok hill. The four Dhams of the Hindus – Dwarika, Badrinath, Jaganath and Rameshawaram has been replicated in this complex to benefit the devotees who visit this place

RIVER RAFTING

Do River Rafting in Teesta River

River Rafting in the Teesta river can be the most thrilling adventure. Teesta river originating from Himalayas flows through Sikkim to West Bengal and Bangladesh. The rafting expedition in the icy, vibrant blue splendid Teesta River is a extortionate experience

Blog by Pooja Shah – Hashtagontrip