A Road trip To North Sikkim - Gurudongmar, Lachung, Yumthang #himalayas #roadtrip

Journey to the destination

I started my adventure from Madurai, Tamil Nadu. There are no direct flights to Sikkim. I had booked a flight to Bagdogra, West Bengal. I reached around 8:30 am in the morning and hired a taxi to pick up my bike from Siliguri which is 10 km from the Airport. The distance between Siliguri and Gangtok is around 120 km. You can hire or share a direct taxi from Bagdogra airport to Gangtok or take a bus from Siliguri to Gangtok.

Morning 10 am, I started my two-wheeler journey to the heart of the Himalayas. I had seen snow mountains in the past but from a distance. It was my first break to go in the lap of Himalayas. I was very excited and full of energy.

Where to rent a bike in Sikkim

There are many places you can find on Google to rent bikes in Gangtok, Sikkim or Siliguri. I wanted to explore my full journey on the bike and hired from Darjeeling bikes, Siliguri. You can ask bike provider to arrange permits for your journey to North Sikkim and Nathula Pass.

Stations of the Quest

I had traveled for the past 5 hours in the wonderful weather on a cruiser bike next to the river Teesta. I made a stop to enjoy the Teesta river bridge view.

On the way after entering in the Sikkim state, I enjoyed the yummy lunch. The food menu was healthy, very simple and flavorful.

Journey to North Sikkim - Lachung, Lachen, Gurudongmar Lake, and Yumthang Valley

Starting the "real " Adventure

It was a sunny morning and I had left my hotel early in the morning to collect the Permit.

How to get a Permit for North Sikkim

You need a permit to visit North Sikkim - Lachung, Lachen and Nathula pass. You can get a permit by visiting "Home Department" at Manan Bhavan or can be easily obtained by contacting the licensed tourist companies in the Sikkim

NOTE: Keep at least 5-6 copies of your permit to submit at check posts.

After waiting for 2 hours finally I got the permit and started my journey to the first destination - Lachen. The roads were empty and the views were beautiful.

The first viewpoint I stopped was the Kanchenjunga Mountain range viewpoint. The glimpse of white snow on the rocky mountain makes your eyes shine. There is a small cafe on the road. You can enjoy a warm cup of tea sitting on the terrace and adoring the mountain view.

Make sure you get your vehicle tank filled at the last Petrol pump at Mangan in the North Sikkim. Keep an extra tank or few bottles filled if you wish to stay longer in the North Sikkim. There are no further petrol pumps available.

I stopped at Mangan for lunch at one in the afternoon. The wind had started and it was getting a little colder. I could see the white snowy Himalayas from the backside of my restaurant. They were shining bright and calling me.

There were patches of rough roads on the way due to frequent landslides that slowed down my journey but made it more adventurous and memorable!

I came across a few wonderful waterfalls on the way and made a stop at Naga Falls to enjoy lovely tea.

After crossing the first check post to the North Sikkim, drizzling had started and I had to wear a rain jacket and pants to keep myself dry. People were astounded to see me as I was traveling solo on a bike. They greeted me with respect. Most of the bikers visit in groups. On the way to Lachen, road patching was going on and all the vehicles were stalled. I was able to make my way on the two-wheeler. The roads from there were mostly lonely and kept going on for hours.

Freezing cold rain!

As the sun started to come down, heavy rain had started and there was no sign of ending of it. I kept going further to the North. The altitude was rising and the temperature was decreasing. I was wearing biker gloves which got fully wet and were unable to hold the freezing raindrops. My hands got swollen and I couldn't even find a place to stop in between. At last, I was able to make it to Lachen at 5 pm in the evening. I had a warm comfortable homestay for the night. The rain did not stop later in the night and I was afraid if it was going to stop by the morning.

An Early Morning start to the Gurudongmar Lake

Finally, the rain had stopped in the middle of the night. The sun came out at 4:30 am. I had a good night sleep and felt very fresh the next morning.

Gurudongmar lake, located at the northernmost part of the Sikkim, visible from China border has an altitude of 16,500 ft (5000 meters). Air gets thinner there and one can feel a lack of Oxygen.

To visit Gurudongmar lake, you need to start around 5 am from Lachen. It is 80 km from Lachen and takes about 5 hours to reach there. You are not allowed to visit the lake afternoon due to the heavy storms.

I started my journey at 5:30 am. I could hear the sound of all taxis going up North since 4 am. It was a beautiful morning. The sun was up in the east and snow at the tip of the mountains making me keep staring at them.

I started moving and following the taxis. As I kept going towards the North, the altitude was rising, the mountains were getting whiter. First the greener mountains with snow at the tip of them then the forest mountains fully covered with snow.

After riding for about one and half hour I reached a cafe in the heart of the snowy mountains. It was like a wish came true in that cold. I literally had three cups of tea before further starting my ride.

With the time, the day was getting brighter, forest mountains were now gone and rocky mountains packed with snow had started. My eyes were glittering and I was enjoying my ride. The route was tough. It was wet and slippery due to snow melting down from the mountains. My average speed was 10 km per hour.

I reached Thangu Valley check post. Wet mud of height up to 10 inches had covered a small area due to broken road and melting snow. I could not save my shoes in that and got all covered in mud. I made a stop there to take some beautiful photos.

After getting my permit checked at Thangu valley, I grabbed some Popcorns. It is advisable to grab something to chew and keep yourself hydrated when going on higher altitudes. It keeps your systems running! It was all army area on the way and we were not allowed to take pictures due to security reasons.

I reached to the final check post at 10:30 am in the morning. Army soldiers at the check post were very welcoming and helpful. They have opened a Cafe near the check post. You can have unlimited tea and biscuits free of cost!

My travel partner did not want to go further!

The lake is 15 km away from the final checkpoint. The road is good. I had covered 14 km smoothly with the bike. There is a steep hill climb of 1 km to reach near the lake. My bike broke down due to lack of Oxygen and the engine did not start. I tried pulling it to the lake but it was hard for me as well. I decided to leave my bike at the same place and hitched a ride on a taxi going towards the lake. Finally, I made it! Yay!! I didn't want to go back after reaching so close! Due to the rough roads and bad weather, it took 6 hours for me to reach there.

Gurudongmar Lake View!

It was freezing cold with a temperature of -(negative) 15 degrees Celsius. The wind was blowing and the lake was frozen! Yes, it was frozen! I was shivering and at the same time, I was enjoying that proud moment. I tried to capture a video but due to extreme cold, I was not able to speak properly.

Take a look at the lake below and describe it by yourself! I just don't have words. This the most beautiful scenery I had seen in my entire life.

Watch the video below for 360 degrees view of Frozen Lake!

The storm had started making the surroundings colder. I decided to head back. By the time I reached to the check post, it started snowing! I stopped at the Cafe for a while and enjoyed hot tea sitting next to a Kiln. After struggling with low Oxygen, cold temperature, and wet roads I made back to the Lachen at 5 pm in the evening. I had plans to go Lachung on the same day but I was tired and decided to stay in Lachen for the night.

Yumthang and Lachung - Thank God I did not skip them!

After sleeping for almost 11 hours, I woke up at 7 am in the morning and planned to visit Yumthang valley and reach back to Gangtok on the same evening. The morning was very beautiful, warm and the sky was clear. My shoes were wet due to the mud and rain. I tried to dry them but there was very less time. I packed my stuff, had a good cup of morning tea and left the stay. The roads were empty but rough. The route to Lachung diverts from Chungthang. I kept moving and did not stop anywhere on the way.

Yumthang Valley

I had reached to Yumthang Valley at 10 am. Earlier, I was planning to skip it as I had already lost a day but few of the locals encouraged me to must-visit. I was hapPy I listened to them and came here.

Yumthang Valley, an open area, surrounded by beautiful snowy mountains, water flowing in the river creating musical sounds and the warm weather. It was all very perfect! This view was astonishing and had impressed me a lot. What else I needed? Momos and a good Maggi! Well, I had both of them with ginger tea ;) I felt so fresh after visiting there. My mind was very clear and filled with satisfaction.

Check out 360 degrees video of the Yumthang Valley.

Due to lack of time and fuel, I could not make it to Zero Point and had to return back. In case of emergency, you can get bottles of Petrol 2 km further from the Lachung valley towards the road to Gangtok.

I had plans to visit Hanuman Tok in the evening in Gangtok. I started back around noon. While coming back I unwittingly made a wrong turn which turned out to be an alternative route to Gangtok via East Sikkim. The road was quiet and clean. I reached to the Hanuman Tok at 5 pm in the evening. I kept my riding speed and made a couple of stops for tea.

Hanuman Tok from Ramayana

A famous Lord Hanuman temple in Gangtok is known for an event from the Ramayana. It is said that when Lord Hanuman was returning with the Sanjivani medicine mountain, he made a stop there for rest. Temple is situated higher than the city on a hill. The top of the hill was very calm with the pleasing sounds of birds chirping.

Nathula Pass, East Sikkim or Namchi, West Sikkim

After visiting Hanuman Tok, I reached back to my hotel in Gangtok. I had only one day left of my trip and by the night I was in dilemma to visit Nathula Pass and Tsongo lake or explore few areas from the West Sikkim. After talking to my hotel manager, I got to know that Namchi was a good place to visit to see the temples and little of Sikkim culture. I was unsure till morning and finally decided to skip Nathula since I had already seen a lot of snow in my journey to North Sikkim.

I took a chance and headed towards the West. I wanted to make my journey more adventurous and use my remaining time of the trip wisely. I looked into the map for the route to Namchi and came across a non-famous route via Temi Tea Estate. I had visited Munnar in Kerala and was already a fan of Tea gardens. I grabbed this as an opportunity to visit the Sikkim tea gardens!

I took the diversion from the main route at Singtam and entered into the village roads. Actually, there were not any roads! My average speed was 5 to 8 km per hour. There was a lot of road construction work going on and had to face wet and hard mud throughout the journey.

Temi Tea Estate

After riding for non-stop 3 hours on the humps, I made it to the Temi tea gardens. These gardens were as beautiful as Munnar tea gardens. I had fresh tea and Maggi there. I purchased some freshly manufactured tea for home.

I had plans to visit Char Dham temple, Samdruptse, Ngadak Monastery in Namchi and reach back to Siliguri by the night. Suddenly, it started raining heavily and I had to cancel my plan to reach back on time. On the way, I made a stop to the beautiful temple of Sampdruptse, Namchi. The Lord Buddha temple is built on a mountain and gives you an amazing panoramic view of the nearby areas and the city.

Samdruptse

Heavy rain kept going on and off on the way. I stopped for lunch as my last meal of the Sikkim and reached back to Siliguri in the evening. My hotel in Siliguri was in front of the Toy Train track. I got a chance to see a train coming back from the Darjeeling.

An Evening at Bidhan Market, Siliguri

After completing a bike ride of 850 km in the last five days I returned my bike and decided to take a tour of the famous Bidhar Market in Siliguri and try some local food. I tried Pani Puri, Pakoras, Chana Zor Garam. They were all very delicious with an authentic taste of West Bengal. I purchased some Darjeeling tea for the home as well.

Goodbye to the incredible journey

The time had come to say goodbye to this unforgettable journey and return back to usual life. I boarded a return flight the next morning and came back to Madurai with lots of lasting memories with me. I will never miss a chance to go back there again and relive all those moments.

Tip: Make sure you to pack your stuff as per the weather forecast to shun any undesirable moments.

I hope you lived the moments with me. Let me know your thoughts! Read more travel stories on Travel With Jayant

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