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Tour To Lachung

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Must Visit City
Gangtok
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Lachung, Yumthang Zero Point Tour from Gangtok You should plan your visit to Lachung and onward to Yumthang Valley and Zero Point from Gangtok. From Gangtok, after 66kms drive you will reach the small . .
Country: India
City: Gangtok
Duration: 9 Hour(s) - 0 Minute(s)
Tour Category: Full Day Tours
Package Itinerary

Lachung, Yumthang & Zero Point Tour from Gangtok

You should plan your visit to Lachung and onward to Yumthang Valley and Zero Point from Gangtok.

From Gangtok, after 66kms drive you will reach the small township of Mangan, and then Chungthang which is only 22kms before Lachung and is the nearest town. Along the way the river Teesta will be by your side and you can see a number of waterfalls and mountain springs.

You should take a halt at Chungthang and watch the lovely confluence of the rivers Lachung Chhu and Lachen Chhu which then join the river Teesta. Nearby there is a sacred stone (Naydo) having footprints of guru Padmasambhava. Visit the Chungthang Monastery surrounded by stone houses and large edifices. The monastery has rich collection of rare Buddhist paintings. Other things to see here are the many waterfalls coming down the rock faces, lush forested landscapes and scenic views all around.

About 11kms ahead of Chungthang and towards Lachung (30 minutes drive) you will come across a wonderful waterfall along the way known as Bhim Nala (also known as Amitabh Bachchan Waterfalls because a scene of the film 'Ankhen' was shot here with Amitabh in it). Take a break here for 10 minutes and enjoy the lovely view of the fall roaring down from high above and splashing into the ground near you.

Lachung

Lachung means the 'Small Pass' (so there must be a 'Big Pass' as well? Yes, it's another place called Lachen. From Chunthang a road bifurcates and leads towards Lachen). Lachung is a small mountain village at an altitude of 8,610ft and located about 118kms from Gangtok. Although the distance looks easy, it takes about 6 hours by car to reach Lachung from Gangtok, and the road although very scenic, is often not in good condition. Lachung is part of North Sikkim.

The residents of Lachung who are mostly Bhutias call themselves Lachungpas. They have their own self governing body known as 'Dzumsa' to settle all social and other disputes through consensus.

One of the nice places to visit here is the Lachung Monsatery (or gompa). It has wonderful wall murals and also several ancient statues. The monastery holds religious dance on 28th and 29th day of 10th Buddhist month (December). You should also visit the Carpet Weaving Center where you can see the local ladies weaving exquisite woolen carpets. The center is open on weekdays between 8am to 4pm.

Yumthang valley is about 25kms from Lachung located at an altitude of 11,800ft and takes about 1.5 hours of drive

The name Yumthang Valley means 'Valley of Flowers'. So you know what to expect. But the name would have been more appropriate if it said 'Valley of Rhododendrons'. Because here as the tree line ends, the vast stretch of flowering valley exposes a dense bed of rhododendron flowers for miles and in many different colors like purple, blue, red, pink etc.

The rhododendrons bloom between March to May. Visit the Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary which spans across 34 square kilometers area here near Lachung and has over 38 different varieties of rhododendrons. The sanctuary beats out its competitors like Dzongro, Barsey, Zema in Lachen because of its sheer variety and spread of colors.

Nearby there are couple of rivers - Yumthang chu and Puniya chu where you can do fishing if you have time. But for that you need to plan a longer stay at Lachung. About 7kms further north of the hot spring, there is a Shiva Temple.

Zero Point

Further up and about 23kms from Yumthang at an altitude of over 15,000 ft is the place Zero Point (also known as Yumesamdong). It takes another 1.5 hours from Yumthang by vehicle (about 3 to 3.5 hours from Lachung). This is where the civilian road ends and you can't drive any further and hence the name Zero Point. A short distance away from here is the border with China and tourists are not allowed to go any further shortly after Zero Point.

Zero Point or Yume Samdong is the place where three rivers meet with surrounding snow-clad mountains and offering marvelous scenic views. You can often see yaks grazing in the snow. There is hardly any vegetation in Zero point other than some stretches of grassy land which becomes visible when the snow melts.

Zero Point is the place which remains snow covered for most part of the year. So if you want to see and enjoy snow, then visit Zero Point and you won't likely be disappointed. There are also Hot Springs in Yume Samdong at the river called Sebu chhu. Donkia-La pass is also located here (at an altitude of 18,400ft which connects Lachung Valley with Lachen Valley)

At Zero Point you will find a few temporary stalls where locals sell snacks Magi noodles, eggs, chana masala etc. You can get tea/coffee (and surprisingly even alcohol). There are no toilet facilities here though.

Note that due to the high altitude of Zero Point, oxygen in the air is low and there can be breathing problems for few. So you should avoid visiting the place with an asthmatic or an infant.

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