Mesmerizing North Sikkim -Lachen And Lachung

When the mindset on a journey to capture the minute things left, nature bestows our mind to work more and create some beautiful blogs where nature leaves behind sweet memories. In order to capture such sweet moments and imbibe the beautiful moments in Mesmerizing North Sikkim-Lachen and Lachung. I started my journey from Gangtok early in the morning to get enough time to write down each and every beautiful spot of North Sikkim in detail. Tour to North Sikkim is like a dream and a wonder for a traveler. There are two main hill stations in North Sikkim, mainly Lachen and Lachung. Lachen forms the base point for Gurudongmar lake, and Kala Patthar and Lachung form the base point for Yumthang valley, Mt. Katao, and zero point. Top 10 North Sikkim Tourist Places

Gangtok to Lachen-Road trip in mesmerizing North Sikkim-Lachen and Lachung

Rivulets of Teesta River, waterfalls and iron bridges with prayer flags decorate the road trip towards Lachen in North Sikkim. All along the way, we witnessed several waterfalls, and the gushing sound of those made the trip even more natural. The waterfalls created streams of water that, on the downstream side, meet the Teesta river. Such enormous and beautiful colors of nature refreshed my mind on this trip. All the hustle and bustle of city life was vanquished by this stunning road trip to North Sikkim.

Soon we reached the seven sisters’ waterfalls. In order to reach the top of the waterfall, one has to climb several stairs, which I avoided. From below, the waterfall looked scintillating for an ideal location for portrait photography. The waterfalls lie 32 km from Gangtok towards Lachen highway. The serene beauty of the waterfall will blow your mind away, and the gushing sound will lure you into dipping into the water, although it is not advisable as the water is dangerously cold.

On the way, I came across an unnamed huge, wide waterfall. Perhaps due to the rain yesterday, this waterfall looked huge. The volume of the water and the speed at which it gushes down creates a mist in front of it. On going near the waterfall, you can feel the mist and droplets of the waterfall. Visiting this waterfall is like a dream come true as both the crystal clear color, mammoth size, and gushing sound made the start of this trip a paradise road trip.

lachen to lachung

Next, I came across Naga falls. This exquisite waterfall falls from a great height and forms a pattern like a snake’s body, and that’s why the locals call this waterfall by this name. It falls after Mangan, which is the midway town between Gangtok and Lachen. Mangan is a beautiful quiet town nestled in the Himalayas of North Sikkim at an altitude of 6000 ft. Mangan has google restaurants and roadside eateries from where you can have your lunch. It takes about two and a half hours time to reach Mangan from Gangtok. After Naga falls which gave me an ideal moment of photography, I moved on further towards Chungthang. Chungthang is situated at the height of 7000 ft and is mainly famous as the junction point to go towards Lachen and Lachung. Chungthang is also famous for its beautiful views of the mountain gorges of the Teesta river. A powerhouse of Nhpc serving the nation with its electricity generation is situated in Chungthang.

After Chungthang, the road towards Lachen really opened up. The road was all along the Teesta river banks and mesmerizing waterfalls. The white color stones on the river banks, followed by the rifts of the flowing river water, made the journey scintillating. I came across a waterfall called the Chu Phunapu waterfall. It is just amazing to look at. It falls from a great height at a distance but then forms a huge gushing water stream on the road. It is by far the best waterfall I have seen in my entire trip to mesmerizing North Sikkim-Lachen and Lachung.

I checked into hotel Tsho Lahmo which is a tiny hotel like a guest house offering cozy and clean rooms with astounding views of the mountains. Most importantly, the restaurant of this hotel is so beautifully decorated with lights. The food they provide is quite delectable, and the tiny little bar makes the stay even nicer. Although there are many options in Lachen to stay in, I chose this hotel because of the restaurant ambiance, good behavior of the hotel staff, and that it’s cheap, charging only 1800 rs per night. I rested for the remaining day and prepared myself for the next day to explore the nearest points of Lachen.

Places to visit in Lachen.

The next day I headed towards Kala Patthar. It is a newly discovered tourist destination at 14500 feet altitude, covered with snow. From here, several snow-capped peaks are visible. This place is a paradise on earth. Even in the month of April, this place was covered with a huge amount of snow, and it looked like a white blanket. One has to go towards Gurudongmar lake from Lachen and take a detour. It will take 2.5 hours to reach this place from Lachen. On the way, there were plenty of snow-melt waterfalls and streams of rapids of tributaries of the Teesta river. Wild horses can be seen grazing on green valleys covered with wild pink flowers. We were totally mesmerized by the scenery all around.

Rhodendron flowers bloom in plenty during this month, and so various colors of the flowers can be seen. We clicked numerous pictures of the flowers but made sure not to pluck any of them that kept this place so beautiful. Drivers will charge rs 3500 extra for a visit to Kala Patthar, so be sure of your budget. You are also required to hire gumboots at rs 100 per pair of boots due to the heavy streams of cold water and a thick blanket of snow. The oxygen saturation level is a bit on the lower side in this place, so make sure to carry a portable cylinder in case of emergency.

After spending an hour, we headed back to Gurudongmar road to reach our second destination, Gurudongmar lake. Gurudongmar lake is the most sacred lake of Sikkim and is also one of the highest lakes in India, situated at an altitude of 17500 feet. The crystal blue water surrounded by snow-capped peaks creates an out-of-this-world experience. According to the folklore, Guru Padmasambhava or Guru Rinpoche visited this lake on his way to Tibet in 8th century and then placed his hand on one part of the lake to unfreeze it in order to provide drinking water to the villagers.

Since then, the lake has been named after this holy guru of the Sikkimese people. A gurudwara has also been constructed by the Sikhs of the army regiment on this tourist spot, who believe that this lake was visited by the great Guru Nanak. Apart from such mythological stories, this lake, together with Tsholamu lake forms the origin of the Teesta river. This lake truly is a natural wonder with so many colors, especially the road from Lachen to Gurudongmar is itself an experience of a lifetime. There are various colors of nature, and also wild yaks, horses, and blue sheep are common sights.

Lachen to Lachung- Scenic road trip in mesmerizing North Sikkim-Lachen and Lachung.

Our next destination was Lachung, to explore other beautiful destinations in North Sikkim. On the way, we confronted numerous streams and rapids of the Teesta river. There were wooden and iron bridges with prayer flags intersecting the waterfall streams of the Teesta river. Of many such waterfalls, Chu Phunpu and Bhim Nala or Amitabh Bachan waterfalls are famous. In fact, these waterfalls are perennial throughout the year. Chu Phunpu waterfalls fall from a great height and form a thin line of white cascading stream of water from the mountains. There is greenery all around that makes it even more beautiful. The Bhim Nala waterfall is one of the highest in Sikkim. It falls just on the road, 12 km before Lachung.

Places to visit in Lachung-concluding the mesmerizing north sikkim trip-lachen and lachung

Yumthang Valley:-

I started the next day by exploring North Sikkim with Bumthang Valley. Yumthang Valley is a marvelous destination for nature lovers. This valley lies close to the china border, further north of Lachung. It offers magnificent views of the snow-capped Himalayan mountains. Teesta river flows directly in this spot, so this acts as a catalyst for enchanting views. Mountain rivers, snow-capped peaks, and green grasslands with wild yaks together make this destination a paradise on earth. This location is situated at an altitude of 11700 feet above sea level. So one must visit and return back to Lachung before 13::00 hours in the afternoon to avoid changes in deteriorating weather conditions. On the way to Bumthang Valley, I saw a rhododendron sanctuary. There were different types of flowers blooming in the spring season that enthralled our trip. Beautiful colorful flowers with snow-capped peaks and the Teesta river in the backdrop made this road trip a moment not to forget in our entire life.

Zero point:-

Further north, I went close to the border of China to a place called zero point. This place is covered with snow all year round. So it is an exciting place for all tourists and snow lovers. This place is also known as Yumesamdong, situated at a height of 15,300 feet above sea level. So tourists coming here must be aware of the oxygen deficiency conditions. Teesta river bisects this place, but here the width of the river is very narrow, but the colors of the water are crystal blue and transparent.

Snowflakes can be seen floating on rivers. It takes around 1.5 hours from Yumthang Valley to reach this place through some extremely treacherous roads. At this point, the road ends, and the China border starts.

After having lunch back in Yumthang Valley, I started my journey towards Gangtok and bid adieu to a marvelous trip in North Sikkim. The iron bridges, prayer flags, gurgling Teesta river, and stunning waterfalls accompanied me with some sweetest memories of mesmerizing North Sikkim-Lachen and Lachung.

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