Wellness · Gurudongmar Lake, Sikkim
Preparing for 5,000 m the right way
Gurudongmar is not a casual outing. Plan the days before it so your body has time to adjust: a night in Gangtok, a night in Lachen, plenty of water, no alcohol and a clear plan to turn back if anyone feels unwell.
Photo: Original: Yoghya Derivative work: UnpetitproleX · CC BY-SA 4.0 · CommonsThe main risk at Gurudongmar is acute mountain sickness: headache, nausea, dizziness and tiredness caused by low oxygen at altitude. You go from about 2,750 m in Lachen to over 5,100 m in a single morning, so even fit people feel it. Severe forms are dangerous and require immediate descent.
Prepare by spending at least one night in Gangtok and one in Lachen, going to bed early, avoiding alcohol and smoking and drinking water steadily. Eat a light breakfast at Thangu and keep your movements slow at the lake. Some travellers carry a small oxygen canister bought in Gangtok; it can ease symptoms briefly but is not a substitute for descent.
Talk to your doctor before the trip, especially if you have heart, lung or blood pressure conditions, are pregnant, or plan to take children or seniors. Tell your driver at once if anyone in the group becomes confused, very breathless or unsteady; the right response is to turn around and go down.
Good for
Also in Gurudongmar Lake
More days here
Photo: Original: Yoghya Derivative work: UnpetitproleX · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
The pre-dawn drive to Gurudongmar
Leave Lachen in the dark at about 4 am, watch the light come up over Thangu, then cross the bare high plateau to the la…
Photo: Jeetpswiki · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Prayer flags and offerings at the lake shore
Stand at the shrines by the lake where Buddhist, Sikh and Hindu pilgrims leave offerings and carry home water. Learn th…
Questions
Before you book
Can children go to Gurudongmar Lake?
Older, healthy children often manage, but very young children and infants are at greater risk and cannot always tell you how they feel. Talk to your doctor before going, and consider stopping at Thangu instead.
Should I carry oxygen to Gurudongmar?
Small oxygen canisters can ease symptoms briefly, and many travellers carry one, but they do not treat altitude sickness. If someone feels seriously unwell, descend at once.
What are the signs of altitude sickness?
Headache, nausea, dizziness, unusual tiredness and breathlessness. Confusion, loss of balance or breathlessness at rest are danger signs; descend immediately and get medical help.