Yumthang Valley, (North Sikkim) . A Place I Would Love to go Back to Someday

    Early morning,6.30 ,we had hit the road already.We head for the Yumthang valley and Zero

Point.The morning mist slowly reveals the beautiful scenery around.My eyes look around for the

bright red in the landscape through the morning haze.With just a few blooms appearing occasionally,I

explain to myself  repeatedly that I have yet not reached that place where the rhododendrons bloom

en masses .Red,purple and violet,I relay my  latest gained knowledge of the varied colours  of the

rhododendrons to the people in the car.We were driving through the Shingba Rhododendron

Sanctuary of North Sikkim.I soon realize that I am a bit early for the bloom.The correct time for

them is actually a month later when the entire valley turns to a red plethora of the state flower.

 





   I gaze steadfast outside the window of the car as the harsh chill outside reminds me that we are

ascending to an altitude of about 12000 feet. Zig zag roads with rough edged  boulders lie on either

side.I look around with a little wonder, that there could be beauty in such chaos.Nothing seems to be

in order except the serpentine road,that we are driving on .In spite of the elements being the same ,every

place could be so different,I perceive.The road to Rohtang was so unlike this and Kinnaur had a

totally different character.We  drive through a flat land with sharp peaks rising all over the place.



   The purple primulas vie for attention in the otherwise brown landscape,with the pine trees

growing in isolation dotting the landscape.Piles of hard snow lay under the trees in patches.

With absolutely no trace of habitation,we drive on to what seems like eternity.Till a place comes

where we see many cars parked in rows alongside. We see many warm clothing and knick-knacks

were being sold.We had reached the the market place of the Yumthang valley.The river Yumthang(a

 tributary to the renowned river Tista of North Bengal.) meanders through the ranges carving out the

valley bathed in shades of green.
     
 It is time for some quick breakfast in the asbestos roofed rooms in the Yumthang market place and

get ourselves ready for the snow at Zero Point. Zero Point is the place after which the civilian road

ends,before the Chinese border.

 Maggie,momos or bread omlette,the choice is very obvious,at such a remote place.

 READ HERE-  My experiences at the Gurudongmar Lake,North Sikkim

 



  Meanwhile, the bells ,chimes and the  items of feng shui at the stalls remind me of

Mcleodgang.,but every moment my thoughts get disrupted by the commotion of the tourists

around.Local Sikkimese girls pull out jackets and gum boots of the correct size from sacks ,as they

rent them out for the snow at Zero point.

In the intervening time ,I hastily click some memories of the valley

quite apprehensive of the weather on the way back. An array of prayer flags flutter in the breeze

along the river bank creating the best ever frames for me.


 

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   With this short break ,the journey continues.The landscape turns to white as we ascend further.The

snow seems to be quite clean ,probably there was snowfall last night.Kids,and adults run out of their

vehicles on impulse to play in the snow.








It had been only fifteen to twenty minutes on the snow,when my kids run back to the car.They had

frostbite,in spite of the gum boots,little breathlessness is felt too. However the coffee sold there helps

to get back things in place.

We board the car,and get ready to descend,though there is a long queue of cars.It is practically a

traffic jam on the mountains.However there are lots of goodies sold right beside the road to keep

ourselves busy.The quintessential Maggie or the boiled chana made the Sikkimese way,with

steaming hot coffee.

   

We had risked an overcast sky all morning ,and and experienced light snowfall while returning from

Zero point.Under such circumstances we assumed it be more suitable to come down soon.I returned

with a heavy heart at not having a good sight of the rhododendrons.Though I had a memorable time

at Zero Point ,on the snow. The kids had enjoyed playing in the snow too.The rhododendrons would

bloom a month later,somewhere in the beginning or mid May,but the snow at Zero point might reduce by then.

You can't have the cake and eat it too.Can you?

A plant found above the tree line,having  very good smelling leaves,used for incense usage by the local people.Our driver picks up some branches to carry back home.

Zero Point

Loved this in the cold

How to reach
 We started for Yumthang valley after a night halt at Lachung.Yumthang valley is about 25 km from

Lachung and takes about 1.5 hours by road.Yumthang valley is at an altitude of 11800 feet and is

home to the Singba Rhododendron Sanctuary,also called the Valley of flowers.Towards mid May the

entire valley bursts in a riot of colours for the rhododendrons. Since we could not get snow in

Yumthang,we had to proceed till Zero Point which is another 1.5 hours drive from Yumthang,with an

additional rupees 300 per person.Zero point is at an altitude of 1500 feet and 23 km from Yumthang.

It   is the place after which the civilian road ends and hence the name.

The air gets rare there and it is not advisable for kids below 5 years or elderly people to go there.

When in Zero point keep your activities to the low to restrict breathing difficulties.

FEW TIPS

Tourists are not permitted to North Sikkim without a permit by the Tourism Department of Sikkim.It

can be issued by submitting 3 passport sized photographs and photocopies of  photo identity cards a

day before.You can get it done through any travel agent.In our case it was done by our hotel manager.

Since the roads thee can be very challenging,only Sikkim government registered vehicles are allowed

though private vehicles are also allowed..

The North Sikkim trip
 
Start from Gangtok - night stay at Lachen - visit Gurudongmar Lake-back to Lachen - lunch at  

Lachen- leave for Lachung - night stay at Lachung -visit Yumthang Valley and Zero point -lunch

at Lachung - back to Gangtok.



MORE ABOUT THE PACKAGE

This is a 2 night and 3 days package and is charged per person,at the rate of Rupees 3000 per

head(rates vary slightly between travel operators).This includes food and lodging and vehicle

charges. Vehicles leave from Gangtok on a sharing basis.One can even book the vehicle for yourself

if you are traveling in a bigger group.If you wish to visit Kalapathar on the way to Gurudongmar

Lake (we did not opt for this considering weather conditions) or Zero Point after visiting Yumthang

valley,(as we did), you shall have to make an additional payment of Rupees 300 to the driver at the

spot.The trip is undoubtedly little hectic,moreover children below 5 years and adults above the age 
  
of 60 are not allowed to the Gurudongmar lake.

My experiences at the Gurudongmar Lake,North Sikkim

My experiences at the Gurudongmar Lake

 





   The rising sun and its golden hue on the snow capped peaks  did not hold any promises for the day.So we had started early , to return before the weather got bad.It was cloudy the evening before and Sikkim was under a spell of pre-monsoons.
The darkness slowly cleared out as the queues of cars moved in only one direction,we were all heading for the Gurudongmar lake. The misty cloud alongside was slowly clearing out,but the drivers were reluctant to stop for some photographs, for they anticipated unfavorable weather.





        One moment we rolled down the windows ,in an attempt to click some pics,and the next moment the weather outside compelled us to roll them up.
    Our driver was an efficient young local fellow,who did his  his job well but did not believe in communicating with his passengers.So we had no clue as to where we were exactly,and how much more time it would take to reach the lake.

 Small purple flowers had carpeted the scenery around us with occasional splashes of the crimson rhododendrons.A new set of leaves had just sprouted out of the dry branches with the advent of spring.

   After about 2 hours of a very jarring ride we reached our  place for breakfast.It was a very small house with a small door as it seemed from outside.From the exterior it did not seem that the place can accommodate about 25 people inside.The place served very basic breakfast like bread jam ,Maggi or bread omelette and tea.

   This was the coziest place I had ever seen,biting cold outside and comparatively warm inside.With a stove burning to one side ,people sitting huddled together and sipping hot tea.

  I was not in the mood to have anything,probably because though apparently I looked calm,I had carried my apprehensions about AMS (Acute mountain sickness)with me.I kept away from food and even discouraged my kids from eating ,since I felt that food can make it further nauseating for me up there.All four of us had taken our dosage of homeopathic medicine that we had carried with us and till now it seemed to be  a smooth run .

  Call it my will power ,or a  very strong desire to witness this creation of nature so fueled by all the pictures ,I had seen long before the trip ,that I had almost started considering my eight nights tour of Sikkim futile ,if I could not make it.

YOU MIGHT LIKE TO READ

A guide to the mesmerizing Kalpa

Valparai (The Hidden Gem in the Annamalai Ranges,Tamil Nadu )

Lachen

 

 

   We had left behind the green cover long back,dried out grassy vegetation surrounded us now .The effects of the snow cover which had melted about a couple of weeks ago was visible.We had for sure crossed the tree line were amidst alpine vegetation.  We were riding a very bumpy ride in a Bolero on practically non existent roads.

However all our discomfort was compensated by the the natural beauty around us.The  distant snow covered peaks had come close now,assuring and reassuring us in every turn  that something grander was yet to come.

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  In the last leg of the journey ,we were lucky to get proper pitched roads,thanks to the  Indian army for maintaining it.

After a night's halt at Lachen(a village in North Sikkim) at 8500 feet, we were  finally reaching Gurudongmar lake at 17800 feet,in about 4 hours.Extreme weather conditions  and a very sparse in-habitation.The only humans who could be seen at regular intervals are the army men at the many army camps all along the way.

  Legend has it that Guru Nanak Dev Ji had blessed the lake on his way back from Tibet,to make water available all year round for the people of Gurudongmar village.He had announced that no mater how cold it would be ,one part of the lake will always remain unfrozen for the people there.This lake is thus a holy place for the Sikhs. On the other hand,Guru Padmasambhava,also known as Guru Rinpoche by the Buddhists,is said to have passed by lake Gurudongmar,when he placed his hand in the lake and it miraculously stopped freezing.The guru is said to have recognized this place as a holy site .Locals also believe that by offering prayers to this lake they are   blessed with children.

Hence this place is holy and is indeed blessed ,as we could see it. Alighting from the car,I looked around and gaped in awe at the scene before me.Much in contrary to the ruggedness of the surroundings,it stood calm and unruffled  even with the very strong winds blowing there,in pristine glory,reflecting the blue sky on its tranquil waters. The snowy peaks at its edges stood majestically as if fortifying the lake and helping it retain its placidity.

Now that was a picture I could relate to.The snow capped peaks and the lake was exactly similar to what I had been seeing  in the pictures .However I was not mentally prepared for all the activity that was happening beside the lake.  A big lineup of cars was already there.Families clicking photographs,people selling coffee and young men even taking off their shirts in the subzero temperature to click their best ever pics with the partially frozen lake and the snow covered peaks in the background.All this and more happening while more serious photographers concentrated on their gadgets quite undisturbed  of the chaos around.

The prayer flags beside the lake were almost blown away in the very strong biting cold winds and my kids returned  to the car unable to handle it.Short bouts of breathlessness had already begun to set in for my kids.I kept close watch on my breath,and moved at a very slow pace to seat myself at one of the benches nearby. All the cautions reeled in my mind recurrently ,of not exerting oneself too much and of not spending much time beside the lake.

I sat on the bench gaping at  the lake and the surrounding , trying to get an eyeful of this unspoiled  ethereal beauty.After all I knew that this was a once in a lifetime experience for me.

Me beside the lake

A place of worship beside the lake

                                                                                                         
In about 20 minutes we were back in the car ,set to make our return journey.We had just made it in time as it started snowing on our way back.

Facts

A permit is mandatory for visiting the lake .

It can be obtained from the tourism department one day in advance.

Since the percentage of oxygen drops considerably as we near the lake,children below five years and senior citizens are not granted permits for the lake

It is advisable to spend a night at Lachen ,before embarking on the journey for the lake,to acclimatize well.There are many hotels available at Lachen

The vehicles on the way to the lake take a few breaks ,where one should get out of the vehicle,and walk around for few minutes in order to acclimatize.

In case of any query, please feel free to drop a comment in the comment-box.