Sikkim

Population: 490,000
Capital: Gangtok
Area: 7200 sq km
Best Time to Visit: March to August
Literacy Rate: 55%
Main Language: Nepali

Sikkim has breathtaking mountain terrain and interesting Buddhist monasteries. It is bordered by Nepal in the east, Tibet-China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the southeast, and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim rises from 300m above sea level in the plains to Mt Kanchenjunga at 8586m. This mountain is the third highest mountain in the world.

Sikkim is the second smallest state in India, only 112km long and 65km wide. It is home to over 600 species of orchids.

Sikkim is historically a Buddhist kingdom, and has over 250 Buddhist monasteries, most belonging to the Nyingma-pa sect. Because of its remoteness, it is fairly difficult to visit. Foreigners require special permits, which are easy to obtain. The trek to the base of Kanchenjunga (now called Kangchendzonga) must be organized by a recognized travel agent. Foreigners are not permitted to visit the eastern part of Sikkim, near the Tibet border.

Sikkim became a semi-independent protectorate when India achieved Independence in 1947. During the 1970s, the Nepalese in Sikkim moved to have Sikkim become part of India. The chogyal (king) finally allowed a vote. After 97% of the population voted in favor of Sikkim becoming part of Indian, Sikkim became India’s 22nd state in 1975.

The best time to visit is between the end of March to June and mid-September to November. During April and May, the orchids and rhododendrons are blooming, and in October and November, the sky is clear and it is not too cold. During the monsoon season from July until the beginning of September, the heavy rains make the roads impassable. Between December and mid-March, the weather is very cold.

The Pang Lhabsol Festival is held in Aug-Sept.

History
The Lepchas were Sikkim’s early inhabitants. In the 13th century, Tibetans first established Buddhism. In the 17th century three Tibetan monks belonging to the Nyingma-pa order came to Yuksom in western Sikkim because of friction in Tibet between the Gelug-pa (“Yellow Hats”) and Nyingma-pa (“Red Hats”). After consulting an oracle, they crowned the first chogyal (king) of Sikkim, Phuntsog Namgyal, in 1642. The Nyingma-pa Buddhists stayed mainly in Sikkim, and the Gelug-pa sect mainly moved to North India.

Sikkim became a British protectorate in 1861, at which time the British began to bring Nepalese to Sikkim to work on the tea plantations. The Nepalese now outnumber both the original Lepchas and the Tibetans, making up 75% of the population. The original Lepchas now make up about 18% of the population. They are peaceful and helpful people. The Dzongu area in north and central Sikkim is reserved for the Lepchas.

Sikkim Permits
Foreigners must have a permit to enter Sikkim. A permit allows a fifteen-day stay in Sikkim, and visitors can obtain a fifteen-day extension at the Home Office (Tashiding Secretariat) in Gangtok. After this period, foreigners are not permitted to enter Sikkim again for three months. The standard permit allows trips to Gangtok, Rumtek, Pemayangtse, and Phodang, but requires foreigners to stay on the National Highway. By getting a special endorsement through the Permit Office in Gangtok you can visit places around Pemayangtse such as Tashiding Gompa and Khecheopari Lake. Permits are checked when entering and departing Sikkim, at Legship, and at Yuksom.

You can get permits from:
Indian embassy overseas (you ask for the permit when applying for an Indian visa)

Resident Commissioner
Government of Sikkim
14 Panchsheel Marg, Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi (011 301 5346)
Foreigners’ Registration Offices in Delhi, Calcutta, Darjeeling or Mumbai
Sikkim Tourism Center
SNT Bus Compound, Tenzing Norgay Rd,  
Siliguri (0353 432-646)
Deputy Commissioner, below the Gymkhana Club, Darjeeling
Sikkim Tourism Center
4C Poonam, 5 Russell St, Calcutta (033 297-516)

Permits are usually issued within a few hours. You need to have your passport, a photo, and a photocopy of the passport information pages and the page containing your Indian visa. The date of entry must be stated on the permit application. There is no charge.

To visit Tsongo Lake (a one-day permit) and Yumthang in North Sikkim (five days and four nights), visitors require a special permit, which is issued at the permit office in Gangtok. These places must be visited through an authorized travel agency (with a minimum of four people), so it is best to have the travel agency arrange the permit.
To trek in the Dzongri area of West Sikkim (the only area allowed in Sikkim), visitors require a special permit, available at the permit office in Gangtok or from the Sikkim Tourist Information Centre in New Delhi. Two mountains in the Dzongri area, Jopunob and Thingchen Khang (both around 6000m), can be climbed without having to pay the usual fee required for a mountaineering peak, as long as the climbs are combined with a trek.

Kanchenjunga National Park
Usually only those on a mountaineering expedition or trek organized by an authorized travel agency are permitted to enter the park. The travel agencies in Gangtok are the most experienced.
Those wishing to climb a peak over 6000m must obtain permission at the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) (011 671-211; fax 688-3412), Benito Juarez Rd, Anand Niketan, New Delhi 110021.

Rumtek
Rumtek, 24km from Gangtok at an altitude of 1500m, is the main place for the Kargyu-pa order (“Black Hat”) of Tibetan Buddhism. The Rumtek Monastery was founded in 1740, and was rebuilt after an earthquake destroyed it in the 1960s. It is designed in the traditional style after the principal Kargyu-pa monastery in Chhofuk, Tibet, with detailed woodwork and paintings. There are impressive golden statues of the 16th Gwalpa, who left Tibet when China invaded and came here. They are in a back room. There are paintings and thangkas on the walls.

The entrance is in the rear of the monastery. If it is locked, you have to look for someone to open it. Open 10 am to 5 pm in the winter and 8 am to 5 pm in the summer. Prayers are held around 5 am and 6 pm.

Behind the main temple is the Institute for Buddhist Studies, where the monks study. The main hall on the third floor has excellent wall paintings and statues of Shakyamuni Buddha (the historical Buddha) and one of Karmapa Rimpoche. His remains are in a chorten, across from the institute.

The interesting Old Monastery is a forty-five-minute walk down the hill. A monk at the Rumtek Monastery can show you the path.

Rumtek is the site of chaam dances, held two days before the Tibetan New Year in Feb and on the tenth day of the fifth month of the Tibetan calendar (July). At this time, monks dance to the playing of drums, horns, and cymbals. You can come a few days early to watch the rehearsals.

Where to Stay and Eat
Sangay Hotel, 100m down the road from the monastery, has basic, clean rooms with common bath for Rs 90/120. They have cheap meals.
Kunga Delek Hotel, across from the monastery, has rooms for Rs 125/250.
Martam Resort (03592 23314), in the village of Martam, 5km from Rumtek, has rooms for Rs 1800/2300, which includes all meals. It is in a scenic location. Treks and horse riding can be arranged.
Shambhala Mountain Resort (03592 50766; fax 50765), about half a km from the gompa, has comfortable rooms and traditionally designed cottages. Many of the rooms have balconies with good views. It has a good veg restaurant.

Travel
From Gangtok, buses and shared jeeps come here. The SNT bus departs Gangtok (1 hr) to here at 4 pm and then returns the next morning around 8 am. From where the bus lets you off, it is a half-hour walk to the monastery. A city-tour arranged by the tourist office comes here for an hour, which is not enough time for most people.

Tsongo Lake (Changu Lake)
To visit this lake, 35km northeast of Gangtok, you require a permit and must go on a tour arranged by an authorized travel agency. The travel agency can arrange the permit, which is valid for only one day. From the ridge next to the lake there are some good views.

North Sikkim
To visit Yumthang Valley, north of Gangtok, you must arrange your trip with a travel agency with a minimum of four people.

Phodong
The Phodong Gompa, 37km north of Gangtok, belongs to the Kagyu-pa order, the same order as the monastery in Rumtek. It is located high above the main road and there are good views of the area. The monastery was founded in 1740, but the present building is fairly recent. It is not as interesting as the gompa in Rumtek. There are chaam dances in December. About fifty friendly monks live here. Across from the gompa is a community of nuns who also belong to the Kagyu-pa order.

The Labrang Gompa, 2km away, belongs to the Nyingma-pa order. The leeches can be bad walking to this place.

Practicalities
These places are in the village of Phodang, about one km from the gompa.

Northway Lodge has rooms with common bath for Rs 150. Some rooms have a view. Yak and Yeti Lodge has clean rooms with common bath for Rs 100/140 and with bath for Rs 200. It is a good value.

A bus departs Gangtok to here at 8 am and returns around 2 pm.

Yumthang Valley
This valley, 140km north of Gangtok, is at an elevation of 3600m. The valley can be visited, but trekking is not allowed. There are Hot Springs here located a few minutes walk from the road. The best time to visit the valley is in April and May, when the rhododendrons are in bloom. To come here, you require a permit and must arrange your trip through an authorized travel agency with at least four other people.

Western Sikkim
This is where one is most likely to see the real Sikkim. Yuksom, in Northwest Sikkim, was the first capital. The main activities to do here are the trek to Dzongri at the base of Kanchenjunga, trekking in the area of Pemayangtse, and visiting the monasteries of Tashiding and Pemayangtse. The land is beautiful and it is a pleasant place to trek.

Foreigners are required to have a permit to visit Western Sikkim. You mainly travel on foot here and the views are excellent.

Jorethang and Naya Bazaar
Jorethang is just 30km north of Darjeeling. You may travel through here while going to somewhere else.

Hotel Rangeet Valley (03595 57263), across from the bus stand, has rooms with bath for Rs 175/200. It has a restaurant.
Hotel Namgyal, near the bus stand going towards the bridge, has clean rooms with bath for Rs 300/450.
From Jorethang there are buses to Yuksom (3 hr, in the morning), Legship (1 hr) and Gezing (2½ hr). There are shared jeeps to Gangtok (3 hr), Darjeeling (3 hr), Gezing (2½ hr), Legship (1 hr) and Siliguri (3½ hr).

Gezing
You may travel through Gezing, 15km from Legship and 110km west of Gangtok. There is a busy Friday market. You can change travelers cheques at the Central Bank of India, near the town square.

Where to Stay
Hotel Mayalu has basic rooms for Rs 90.
Hotel Kanchanzonga, above the town square, has rooms with common bath for Rs 150.
Hotel Attri (03593 50602), above the town square, has rooms with bath and hot water for Rs 500/600. There are good views from the terrace.

Travel
There are SNT buses to Pelling (30 minutes, 8 am, 1 pm, 2.30 pm), Gangtok at 8 am and 1 pm (4½hr), Yuksom at 8 am and 1 pm (4 hr), Jorethang, Tashiding, Darjeeling and Siliguri. To get to Kalimpong you first take a bus to Teesta Bazaar or Meli Bazaar and then get another bus from there.

There are many shared jeeps to Pelling and to Gangtok (4½ hr) via Jorethang or Rablonga. There is one shared jeep daily to Yuksom or Tashiding (Rs 70).

Pelling
Area Code: 03593

Pelling is a nice town located 2km from Pemayangtse Gompa. When the weather is clear, there are good views of Kanchenjunga. There are good budget places to stay and places to leave luggage while trekking.

Sweaters, hats, and scarves are available at the Cottage Industries Training Center.

If you walk around in the forest here, you have to be careful of leeches.

Pemayangtse Gompa
This three-storey monastery, founded in 1705, is one of the oldest and most important gompas in Sikkim. It is the main gompa of the Nyingma-pa (“Red Hat”) order. The monastery has paintings and sculptures on the interior walls and a good collection of thangkas. It is 120km from Gangtok.

Pemayangtse means “Perfect Sublime Lotus.” There is a statue of Guru Rimpoche and Lhatsum Chempo, who founded this monastery and was one of the lamas who came to Yuksom from Tibet in the 17th century. It has a great location at 2085m, with mountains on two sides. Upstairs is an excellent wooden model depicting heavenly paradise.

In February during the Tibetan New Year there are chaam dances, performed by the monks on the 28th and 29th days of the twelfth lunar month. It is a 45-minute walk from Pelling to here. You can take the bus between Gezing (7km) and Pelling to the turnoff for Pemayangtse, and then it is a 15-minute walk.

Other Places to See
Sangacholing Gompa is a 45-minute walk west of Pelling (3km). It has nice paintings on its inside walls. It is the second oldest gompa in Sikkim, founded in 1697.

Sangay Waterfalls is 10km from Pelling, on the road to Dentam.

Where to Stay and Eat
Kabur Hotel (50685), in Upper Pelling, has rooms with bath for Rs 600/750 and dorm beds for Rs 60. It has a restaurant.
View Point (50638) has basic rooms with common bath for Rs 300 and rooms with bath for Rs 500.
Garuda Hotel (50614), near where the bus stops, is a popular place with travelers that has clean rooms with common bath (bucket hot water) for Rs 150/200, a double with bath for Rs 450 and a deluxe double with hot water for Rs 550. It has a good, cheap restaurant. It is a helpful, well-managed place where you can safely leave your things while trekking. It has a trekking log worth looking at. Recommended.
Mt Pandim Hotel (50756), 2km from Pelling, in a peaceful location near the road leading to Pemayangtse Gompa, has rooms with bath for Rs 600/700 and a deluxe room with a view of Kanchenjunga for Rs 800/900 with an added 10% service charge. It has a restaurant. It could be better maintained.

Sikkim Tourist Centre (50855) has rooms with bath and hot water for Rs 850 and Rs 900 with a view, which includes meals. Can be reserved at a Sikkim tourist office.

T ravel
There are buses to Gezing (1 hr), Khecheopari Lake, Yuksom, Jorethang, Rimbi and Dentam. There is a daily shared jeep to Gangtok at 6 am. You should book a ticket in advance at the pan shop near the Hotel Garuda. There are shared jeeps to Gezing on Friday market day.
You can walk downhill to Gezing in an hour.

Khecheopari Lake
This lake, sacred to the Lepchas, is a popular place to which to trek. It is 26km from Pelling by road, and much shorter and steeper by foot (5 hr). Next to the lake is the village of Tsojo. The Khecheopari Gompa is about 1½ km from the lake. You can rent beds in the pilgrim hut for Rs 50, or at the trekkers’ hut. Both places are really basic. You can also stay in a room in a villager’s house. It can be very cold here, so you should bring proper bedding.

It takes about 3½ hr to walk from Khecheopari to Yuksom. The path is not always clear, so you should ask for assistance.

There is a daily bus from Khecheopari to Pelling at 7 am; returning at 3 pm.

Tashiding
This nice little town, 40km west of Gezing, may be visited while trekking. You are supposed to have your permits endorsed in Gangtok to visit here. It is possible to trek to Pemayangtse or Legship from here.

Tashiding Gompa
This monastery, established in 1716, is considered the second most important gompa in Sikkim, next to the Pemayangtse Gompa. It is a 45-minute walk from the village of Tashiding. There are chortens and mani walls surrounding the temple. The Bhumchu Festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month (March).

Where to Stay and Eat
Siniolchu Guest House has good rooms for Rs 100. It serves meals.
Hotel Laxmi has rooms for Rs 70/120. It has a restaurant.
Blue Bird Hotel has rooms for Rs 80. It has good, basic food.

Travel
There is one bus a day in the morning to Legship and Gezing and a bus in the afternoon to Yuksom (2 hr). Tashiding is a one-day walk from Pemayangtse.

Yuksom (Yuksam or Yoksum)
Yuksom, 38km north of Pemayangtse, is the furthest north you are permitted to go by road and is the trailhead for the trek to Dzongri. This is where the three Buddhist lamas arrived from Tibet to establish the Buddhist Nyingma-pa (“Red Hat”) order. It was the first capital of Sikkim, and the first chogyal, Phutsog Namgyal, was crowned here. Now it is a small village.

Above the town is the Dubdu Monastery, built in 1701. Before walking here from Yuksom, you should find a monk to let you know if it will be closed. It is worth a visit for the interesting view. It is an hour walk from Yuksom.

Where to Stay and Eat
Hotel Dzongrila has basic rooms for Rs 100/150. It has a good restaurant.
Demazong Hotel, opposite, has clean rooms with common bath for Rs 225 and rooms with hot water for Rs 450. Dorm beds Rs 70.
There is a Tourist Bungalow behind the Hotel Demazong that has beds for Rs 80. Another Tourist Bungalow is north of town and also has beds for Rs 70. You are supposed to reserve these places in Gangtok.
Arpun Restaurant has rooms for Rs 100/150. It has basic meals.
Hotel Wild Orchid has clean rooms for Rs 100/150.
Hotel Tashi Gang has comfortable rooms for Rs 600/800 and Rs 1400 for a suite. It is on a hill. Ithas a nice garden and a good restaurant.

Travel
There is a daily bus in the morning to Gezing via Tashiding and Legship. There is a shared jeep to Gezing. Yuksom is a 3-hour bus ride from Pelling and a 7-hour walk.

Treks in Sikkim
The facilities are not so developed for trekking in Sikkim. The best times to trek are March to May, and October to early December. The treks are not so difficult and do not go above 4000m.
During the rainy season, leeches can be a problem. They should not be pulled off, but you should use a match or salt to remove them.
Pelling to Legship via Khecheopari Trek

To do this trek, visitors must have their permits stamped in Gangtok, which allows them to go to Khecheopari Lake and Tashiling Gompa. From Pelling the trek goes to the Khecheopari Lake (4 hr), and from there to Yuksom (4 hr). From Yuksom you walk to Tashiling (7 hr), and from there, it is a one-hour walk to Legship.

Yuksom to Dzongri to Goecha La Trek
This is the most popular trek in Sikkim, and the scenery is excellent. From Dzongri and Goecha La there are great views of xe "Kanchenjunga" Kanchenjunga. Special permits are required for this trek, and trekkers are supposed to travel with at least four people and to have their trek arranged through an authorized travel agency in Gangtok. Travel agencies charge about $40 to 70 per day, which includes porters, yaks, and food. There are trekking huts along the route, but they are often full during the high season. Altitude sickness can sometimes be problem. May is a good time to make the trek, when the rhododendron are in bloom.

On Day 1, you go from Yuksom to Tsokha (2900m) in 8 hours, where there are some guesthouses to stay at. On Day 2, you pass some forest with beautiful rhododendron and then end at Phethang Meadows (3 hr) at 3760m. It is best to stay here for a day to acclimatize. On Day 4 you then proceed to Dzongri (4025m), where there are some trekkers’ huts to stay at. It could be a good idea to stay in Dzongri for a day to acclimatize and to see the beautiful views of Kanchenjunga at sunset and sunrise.

On Day 6, you make the four-hour walk to Dzongri La Pass (4500m), from where there are good views of Dome and Kabru. You then descend to Thangsing (3800m). On Day 7, you again ascend up to Samiti Lake (4 hr) at 4100m and can continue to Zemanthang where there is a trekkers’ hut. On Day 8, you make the hard walk up to Goecha La Pass (4940m) from where there are great views of Kanchenjunga. You then return back down to Thangsing (10 hr) or Samiti Lake. It then takes a couple of days to return to

Yuksom. There are trekkers’ huts at Thangsing and Samiti Lake. On Day 9, you go to Tsokha (8 hr, 23km), which brings you back to the path to Yuksom.
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Copyright ©2001 John Howley and Spiritual Guides