North Sikkim Tour Package 6 Nights 7 Days

Why This Day Matters: Tsomgo is worth seeing in its own right, but it is on the itinerary here mainly to get your body above 12,000 ft two days before Gurudongmar.

The Lake: Glacial, sacred to the Sikkimese, frozen in deeper winter. Yak rides run along the shore.

Baba Mandir: The shrine to Harbhajan Singh further up the road, maintained by the army and still carried on the regimental roll.

• Top Places to Cover: Tsomgo Lake, Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir, the yak point.
• Importance of Each Place: Acclimatisation is not optional on this route. Going straight from Gangtok to Lachen and then to 17,800 ft without a day at altitude is how people get into trouble.
• Things to Know: Drink far more water than feels necessary today and avoid alcohol tonight. Report any headache to your guide rather than waiting.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner | Overnight: Gangtok

The Drive: About 130 km north but allow six to seven hours. The road is single-lane past Chungthang and slow by necessity.

On the Way: Seven Sisters Falls and the Naga waterfall both drop directly beside the road. At Chungthang the Lachen and Lachung rivers meet to form the Teesta.

Lachen: A small village at 8,838 ft with basic guesthouses, no nightlife and an early curfew. Sleep - tomorrow starts at four.

• Top Places to Cover: Seven Sisters Falls, Naga falls, Chungthang confluence, Lachen village.
• Importance of Each Place: Lachen and Lachung are governed by the Dzumsa, a traditional village council system that still holds legal authority in North Sikkim - one of very few such systems recognised in India.
• Things to Know: Accommodation in Lachen is basic by design; there are no hotels in the usual sense. Power is limited and heating is minimal. Network drops beyond Chungthang.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner | Overnight: Lachen

The Early Start: Leave around four in the morning. The wind rises through the day and the army turns vehicles back if weather closes in, so the dawn run is not for the light - it is the only reliable window.

The Lake: Gurudongmar sits at roughly 17,800 ft near the Tibet border, one of the highest lakes in the world. It is sacred to Buddhists, Sikhs and Hindus alike, and a portion is said never to freeze after Guru Padmasambhava touched it.

Across to Lachung: Back to Lachen for breakfast, then the transfer to Lachung in the afternoon.

• Top Places to Cover: Gurudongmar Lake, Thangu valley, Chopta valley, Lachung village.
• Importance of Each Place: At 17,800 ft this is among the highest accessible lakes anywhere and the altitude is genuine. The surrounding plateau is high-altitude desert, entirely unlike the forested valleys below.
• Things to Know: Foreign nationals are not permitted at Gurudongmar under any circumstances. Time at the lake is deliberately short - twenty minutes is normal and pushing for longer at that altitude is unwise.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner | Overnight: Lachung

Yumthang: At 11,800 ft, a broad valley floor with the Lachung river running through it, hemmed by snow peaks. In late April and May the Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary around it flowers in two dozen species.

Hot Springs: A small sulphur spring sits across the river, reached by a footbridge.

Zero Point: Yumesamdong at roughly 15,300 ft, the last civilian road head before the border. It is an extra local charge and closes under snow.

Return: Long drive back to Gangtok in the evening.

• Top Places to Cover: Yumthang Valley, Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary, the hot spring, Zero Point (Yumesamdong).
• Importance of Each Place: Yumthang is called the Valley of Flowers of Sikkim, and unlike its Uttarakhand namesake it is reachable by road. Zero Point is where the civilian road simply ends.
• Things to Know: Zero Point is not included and is paid locally. It is often shut for snow. The return drive to Gangtok is long - expect a late arrival.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner | Overnight: Gangtok

A Gentler Day: After three days of altitude and long drives, this one is deliberately slow.

Rumtek: The seat of the Karma Kagyu lineage, built in the 1960s as a replica of Tsurphu in Tibet.

In Town: Do Drul Chorten with its 108 prayer wheels, the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, and Tashi Viewpoint for the Kanchenjunga line.

• Top Places to Cover: Rumtek Monastery, Do Drul Chorten, Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, Tashi Viewpoint, MG Marg.
• Importance of Each Place: The Tibetology institute holds one of the largest collections of Tibetan manuscripts outside Tibet, gathered largely after 1959.
• Things to Know: Carry ID for the Rumtek security check. Shoes off in all prayer halls.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner | Overnight: Gangtok

Down the Valley: Breakfast, then the drive down, around five hours.

• Top Places to Cover: Teesta valley, Bagdogra, NJP.
• Things to Know: Keep flights after 2 pm. The Teesta road is prone to delay and there is no alternative.

Meals: Breakfast | Overnight: Journey ends