By road
~102-118 km from Gangtok
Northeast India · Sikkim
Lachung & North Sikkim, Sikkim
Yumthang's valley of flowers and hot springs · ~102-118 km from Gangtok
Getting there
By rail
New Jalpaiguri (NJP), ~127-191 km
By air
Bagdogra Airport, ~125-195 km
Best time to visit
March to June for blooms; October-December for stark clarity
Don't miss
Yumthang Valley
Zero Point
Lachung monastery
Bhim Nala falls
Things to do
Yumthang Valley drives
Rhododendron sanctuary walks in bloom
Hot springs
Where to eat
Sources: wikimedia, Photo: Indrajit Das · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Serious warm layers, permits via Gangtok operators, cash
A quieter corner
Zero Point (Yume Samdong) at 15,300ft when the road allows
About Lachung & North Sikkim
- Mountains
Where it is
Lachung is a mountain village in Sikkim's Mangan district, formerly North Sikkim, on the Lachung River, a headstream of the Teesta, about 125 km by road north of Gangtok and below the Yumthang Valley.
History
Lachung and neighbouring Lachen grew as remote villages on old routes towards Tibet. The botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker explored these valleys in the 1840s and described Lachung as the most picturesque village in Sikkim.
People
Lachung's people are mostly of Lepcha and Tibetan descent and speak Bhutia, Lepcha and Nepali. Villagers farm, keep yaks and run homestays for travellers bound for the Yumthang Valley, and the village has its own Buddhist monastery.
Known for
- Yumthang Valley and its spring flowers
- The Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary
- Hot springs in the Yumthang Valley
- Snow at Zero Point (Yume Samdong)
- Gurudongmar Lake, reached via Lachen
Did you know?
Lachung and Lachen govern themselves through the Dzumsa, a traditional village council chaired by an elected headman called the Pipon, which settles disputes and runs village affairs.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.