For a girl from North Bengal, Sikkim is just a few feet away destination. But now that I live in Kolkata, I miss every bit of our yearly tours to Sikkim. So to reminisce the beauty of clean & plastic free Sikkim, me and my friends, a group of 8 people took a tour to North Sikkim on 16th of May 2022. We started from NJP, it was a 6 days 5 nights trip.

Day 1-

NJP to Gangtok. Ride- Bolero(Clean & Plastic free)

The road is amazing with Teesta by your side. Our car dropped us at the Gangtok Siliguri stand. We took small rental hatchbacks as no big cars are allowed in the main town roads after 7am. We stayed at Hotel Yalung Retreat- very good hotel at a walking distance from the Mall road. The staff was very courteous and the foods healthy.  We visited mall road at evening. Don’t forget to get smoothies from the shop at the end of the Mall road. We were supposed to dine at Baker’s cafe but unfortunately every restaurants there closes by 8pm.

We got some souvenirs from the shops, relaxed, got some pictures- though it gets a bit crowdy in tourist seasons. Lastly if you are going through an agent, make sure he arranges all your required permissions on the first day itself or if you are travelling by yourself ask the hotel or your car rental to arrange them. Currently an ID proof (except Adhaar card), vaccination certificate and 4 copies of photo is required. 

Day 2-

Gangtok to Lachen. Ride- Bollero.

We again took small rental hatchbacks to reach Vajara Taxi Stand. Our journey was delayed because of some sort of troubles in permission procedure. We started at 12 o clock. On the way there are two waterfalls- Seven Sister Waterfalls and Naga Waterfalls. The road was a bit rough in few places and had to stop for almost 45 mins for clearance of a landslide in middle but otherwise the journey was wonderful. There are three check posts. We reached very late so missed visiting Lachen Monastery.

The major problem of Lachen is that most of the time there is no electricity here so try to reserve a 3 star hotel- they have generators and secondly there is no cell signal. We stayed at Hill Hotel- I would suggest to avoid this hotel, as the staff were a bit rude, charged us for a minor damage to their candle stand because of the melting candle they provided us with. There was heavy rainfall all through the night and we were afraid that maybe we will not be able to go to Gurudongmar. Remember no plastic packets and bottles are allowed here, if found you can be fined upto 20,000 rs. Be careful. 

Day 3 –

Lachen to Gurudongmar to Lachung(Clean and plastic free Sikkim)

Next morning, surprisingly we witnessed a wonderful weather. We started at 6:30am. Try to start as early as possible. We first visited Kalapatthar- heaven on earth- my goodness the ice capped hills in May was unbelievable. We even had a little snow fall and it was mesmerizing. Get yourself boots from the local shops and save your shoes from getting wet and toes from getting dead frozen. Kalapatthar is like a valley- on one side there is snow and black hills and on the other side there is naked rocky mountains with no trees. From there we went to Gurudongmar lake.

The road is not pukka and a lot of jerkings but watching the clear blue sky and ice capped mountains will resolve every trouble you are having. The lake is supposed the highest lake in Eastern India- crystal blue water and surprisingly not at all cold. There was strong wind and breathing was becoming really difficult unless your nose is covered. Carry enough water, food, camphor(in case you are feeling dizzy) and a oxygen can if possible as once you reach Gurudongmar there is only one Army medical centre 11 kms away. Please dont work yourself up in excitement if your body is not permitting.

While returning many of us got a bit sick and nauseous so we stopped near Chopta valley. During May we saw nothing but I heard that during October this place looks awesome with all sorts of flowers. We came down to Lachen around 2:30 pm had our lunch and then started for Lachung. We reached Lachung at 7 pm and stayed at Hill Hotel. Here we had electriciry till 9pm. Hotels provide with candles but for safety carry candles or emergency lights and a power bank is a must. 

Day 4 –

Lachung to Yamthung Valley to Gangtok(Reminisce the Beauty)

We started early around 6. First stop Zero point- didn’t get any snow but the scenic beauty is hypnotising. There is no civilian road after this spot. Then we came down to Yamthung valley or Sikkim valley of flowers. There is a tributary of Teesta river flowing and a hot spring. Best time to visit is either during March- April for snow or October-November for the famous Rhododendron. We came back to Lachung for Lunch and started for Gangtok which took another 4 hours. 

Must Read – Unknown-facts-about-sikkim-you-should-know

Day 5 –

Gangtok to Nathula Pass(Plastic free Sikkim)

We reached Nathula Taxi stand around 8am. Try to start early as there is a long queue in the toll and check post. We were supposed to visit Nathula Pass first however, but the check post has tagged a smaller car with our Bolero and the Police told us to wait for that car. So we decided to visit Baba Mandir first. Don’t forget to visit the Shiv mandir just along the hills near Baba Mandir and obviously make your wishes in Baba Mandir. Again finding your car is a troublesome job in these spots so clearly take note where the driver is saying he will park. And then the ultimate problem began for us.

Firstly, the police mentioned us that unless we take the passengers of that small car with us they will not allow us to go up to Nathula and we had no news of that car. We waited for almost 1 and half hour in this mess. And ultimately when we took those two passengers with us they kept complaining that they were waiting for us for 2 and half hours. How is that possible? This system is very chaotic because this was happening to many cars over there and this is miscommunication between check posts and police.

However, after reaching Nathula Pass we saw everything was completely wrapped up in fog. We couldn’t see anything. Remember the army personnels are very strict and no photography is allowed over there. Next we came to Tsongmo lake. Beware of the yaks, one of my friend was hurt while clicking pictures with an yak. As it started raining we quickly started our journey back to Gangtok. We reached by 4pm. Then took rest and went to Taste of Tibet for some authentic Tibetian cuisines. Pork momos and Deep Fried Beef Sausages are a must try. 

One thing I would like to thank, Sikkim : Clean and plastic free environment. 

Experienced shared by Dr. progyanika IG – www.instagram.com/aweirdohead