North By Northeast

Nature in North Sikkim is raw and rugged. Each bend of the treacherously narrow and winding roads here presents stunning views of the towering Himalaya unlike anywhere else.

- Sugato Tripathy

Travel is a carousel of new, exciting, unknown and sometimes invigorating experiences. Falling in love with the scenery is one thing. Being in awe of it, another. Staring slack-jawed at the soaring snowcapped mountains bedecked with ubiquitous ribbons of waterfalls will make all pleasure and pain, all sense of failure and success, even the sense of self, disappear. The remote high altitude villages of Lachen and Lachung form the perfect base to explore the hidden gems of North Sikkim.

The Journey

Most of the travel time in North Sikkim will be spent on the road. Though the distance from Gangtok to both Lachen and Lachung is just over 100 km respectively, the time taken is more than six hours for each. The Lachen Tsu River originates from Gurudongmar Lake (17100 ft) and the Lachung Tsu River springs from Zero Point (15300 ft). Both these rivers meet at Chumthang, one of the largest towns of North Sikkim. Legend has it that Guru Padmasambhava (founder of the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism) blessed this place when he stopped here on his way to Tibet. The common road forks here to Lachen and Lachung respectively. The arduous journey is ameliorated by a few worthwhile stoppages—the sacred Kabi Longtsok and the slender Seven Sisters Waterfall on the way to Chumthang and the spectacular Bhim Nala Falls on the way to Lachung.

Kabi Longtsok is an open place of worship with sacred stones flanked by colourful prayer flags. This is the place where two indigenous powerful tribes of Bhutia and Lepcha swore to live in peace until the Rangeet River ceased to flow or until the famous mountain Kanchendzonga remained upright.