West Sikkim
One of the beautiful town in North Sikkim, located near the border with Tibet at an altitude of 9,600 feet, Lachung is a perfect tourist destination. The Word Lachung means “Small Pass”. It is around 125 kms from Gangtok. ITBP (Indo – Tibetan Border Police) has a forward base in this town. Before the annexation of Tibet in 1950 Lachung was a trade point for between Sikkim & Tibet. Tourists come from all over the world to visit the town between October and May, mostly on their way to the Yumthang Valley and the Lachung Monastery. The metal cantilever bridge across the wild Yumthang River. Around 1.5km uphill there is Lachung (Sarchok) Gompa (established 1880). Great view of long ribbons of waterfalls surround the scattered village of Lachung can be seen from this place. Hotels are very few in Lachung. Most of them are simple family-run budget accommodations.
Kanchenjunga Waterfalls:
Kanchenjunga falls is situated around an hour drive from Pelling towards Yuksom at a sharp curve on the road side. This tourist spot is not easily seen from the road because it is hidden. One has to climb a series of steep stairs to reach the base of the fall. Locals say it is fed by streams originating from the glaciers near the base of Mount Kanchenjunga. Before 90s, this fall was not well known to the tourist and even the locals who passed by it. Today this spot is being developed with needed infrastructure for the comfort of the tourist and has become one of the leading tourist spots in west Sikkim.
Sewaro rock Garden:
This Rock Garden has been developed by the tourism department of Sikkim where rocks, gardens, pools, zigzag foot paths and interesting recreation amenities like swimming yard and viewpoints are highly maintained. The garden is lush green with a lot of flora growth and vegetation. The Rimbi River flows alongside the garden. There are well designed pathways along the garden. This has now come up as one of the popular picnic spot for the locals in Sikkim where many local picnic parties arrive in winter.
Pemayangtse Monastery:
Pemayangtse Monastery is a Buddhist monastery and is very close to Mount Pandim with a steep approach. Literally translated as ‘Perfect Sublime Lotus’, the Pemayangtse Monastery is one of Sikkim’s oldest and most significant Nyingmapa Monastery. It was mainly built for ta-sang lamas or the purest monks, but it eventually grew in size and started serving all communities. The Monastery has some very old relics and life like statues of The Buddha and other prominent personalities in Buddhism. There are 3 stories floors in this monastery. The first floor is for holy writings and top floor is museum contains ancient hand written books, pots, crockery, cloths, sculptures which were used in this monastery since ancient time. The last one having a huge prayer wheel for worship. The atmosphere is serene and quiet with lots of lamps burning with yak butter. This is an ancient monastery which is sure worth to visit.
Khecheopalri Lake:
Located at 1950m, this placid natural reservoir – pronounced ‘ketchup-perry’ – is highly revered by both Buddhists and Hindus and is believed to be a wish fulfilling lake. Khecheopalri Lake, originally known as Kha-Chot-Palri means the heaven of Padmasambhava. The local name for the lake is Sho Dzo Sho, which means “Oh Lady, Sit Here”. It is located near Khecheopalri village, 147 kilometres west of Gangtok and 34 kilometers to the northwest of Pelling. The Lake remains hidden under the rich forest cover. Locals believe its shape to be akin to the footprint of the goddess Tara. An interesting feature of the lake is that leaves are not allowed to float on the lake, which is ensured by the birds which industriously pick them up as soon as they drop into the lake surface. During Khecheopalri Mela (March/April), butter lamps are floated out across the lake.
Sewaro rock Garden:
This Rock Garden has been developed by the tourism department of Sikkim where rocks, gardens, pools, zigzag foot paths and interesting recreation amenities like swimming yard and viewpoints are highly maintained. The garden is lush green with a lot of flora growth and vegetation. The Rimbi River flows alongside the garden. There are well designed pathways along the garden. This has now come up as one of the popular picnic spot for the locals in Sikkim where many local picnic parties arrive in winter.