Travel style · Sikkim
Photography in Sikkim
Light, height and the right hour
Trips built around light: first sun on Khangchendzonga from Pelling, star skies over Chandratal and Hanle, prayer halls at dawn, apricot blossom in April. With notes on where photography is not allowed.
Photo: Original: Yoghya Derivative work: UnpetitproleX · CC BY-SA 4.0 · CommonsMountain light changes fast. The best of it is the first and last hour, which means early starts and evenings without a long drive.
Sikkim is India's second-smallest state, a steep wedge between Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan that climbs from 300 m on the Teesta to Kangchenjunga at 8,586 m. Come for Gangtok, the monasteries of Pelling and Yuksom, and the permit-only high lakes of the north and east. Go March to May or October to December; plan seven to ten nights.
Trips
Photography trips in Sikkim
Photo: IamBumba · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Comfort
Sikkim monasteries and ridges, 6 nights
Private car with driver
Photo: IamBumba · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Comfort
North Sikkim: Lachen, Lachung, Gurudongmar
Private SUV with driver
Photo: IamBumba · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Saver
North Sikkim on a budget, 5 nights
Seats on shared permit-tour vehicles
Photo: IamBumba · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Signature
Sikkim heritage hotels, 6 nights
Private SUV with driver and local guide
Photo: IamBumba · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Signature
Sikkim signature: Gangtok and the north
Private SUV with driver and local guide
6 places
Where to go
Photo: Original: Yoghya Derivative work: UnpetitproleX · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Gurudongmar Lake
A sacred lake above 5,100 m near the Tibetan plateau
Photo: Santanu Paul · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Pelling
Kangchenjunga views, Pemayangtse and the ruins of Rabdentse
Photo: Indrajit Das · CC BY 3.0 · Commons
Tsomgo Lake
A glacial lake at 3,750 m on the road to the Nathu La
Photo: Kothanda Srinivasan · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Yuksom
Sikkim's first capital and the trailhead for Goecha La
Photo: Joginder Pathak · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Yumthang Valley
Rhododendron meadows and a hot spring above Lachung
Photo: Tsen2006 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Zuluk
Hairpin loops on the old mule road from Kalimpong to Lhasa
Experiences
Days that fit the style
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…
Photo: Original: Yoghya Derivative work: UnpetitproleX · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
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 nigh…
Photo: Amitabha Gupta · CC BY 4.0 · Commons
Pemayangtse and its wooden heaven
Visit Pemayangtse, founded in 1705 by Lhatsun Chempo and one of Sikkim's most important monasteries. Climb to the top f…
Photo: Pankaj.biswas · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Walk to the ruins of Rabdentse
Walk about 2 km through forest to the ruins of Rabdentse, Sikkim's royal capital from 1670 to 1814. Low stone walls, ch…
Photo: Kothanda Srinivasan · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Khecheopalri, the wish-fulfilling lake
Drive about 25 km to Khecheopalri, a quiet lake in a forest bowl at around 1,700 m, held sacred by Buddhists and Hindus…
Photo: Indrajit Das · CC BY 3.0 · Commons
A slow walk around Tsomgo's shore
Walk the shore path at Tsomgo while the light is low and the stalls are still opening. In winter you see a frozen lake …
Photo: shankar s. · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Nathu La, the pass on the Lhasa road
Continue past Tsomgo to the Nathu La at 4,310 m, the pass on the old Kalimpong–Lhasa trade route and today a border pos…
Where to sleep
Stays in these places
Photo: Kothanda Srinivasan · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Budget
Yuksom village homestays
Small family homestays and lodges around Yuksom's bazaar and on the village edges offer simple rooms, home-cooked …
Photo: Tsen2006 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Budget
Zuluk village homestays
Zuluk has no hotels; family homestays in the village and nearby hamlets host Silk Route travellers with simple roo…
Photo: Santanu Paul · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Mid
The Chumbi Mountain Retreat
A mid-range resort in upper Pelling with rooms facing Kangchenjunga, a restaurant and gardens. A comfortable base …
Photo: flowcomm · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Luxury
The Elgin Mount Pandim
A heritage hotel on the ridge just below Pemayangtse monastery, facing Kangchenjunga and Mount Pandim. Gardens, pe…