Buddhist Monastery in Lachung
Lachung Monastery
Lachung (Sarchok) Gompa's small but colourful monastery prayer hall is a two-storey affair with twin metal dragons above the porch, which contains a pair of extra-heavy prayer wheels. Walking here is a great way to …
Meadow in Lachung
Yumthang Meadow
Not a village, Yumthang is just a short strip of tourist-centric shack-shops and cafes, after which the valley opens out into a rare open meadow area. Strolling here gives a fuller sense of the valley's considerable…
Hot Springs in Lachung
Yumthang Hot Springs
In a log cottage across the river from Km21.9 is a naturally heated communal hot pool. The attraction here is not joining a half-dozen Indian gents in their underwear in the questionably clean bath, but taking the f…
Picnic Area in Lachung
Zero Point
If you're visiting North Sikkim for just two days, you probably won't have time to wiggle up the endless hairpins that take you on from Yumthang, but the rewards are a complete change in flora, a wobbly river footbr…
Nature Reserve in Lachung
Singba Rhododendron Sanctuary
The Lachung Valley has 24 species of rhododendrons, which burst forth in riotous blossom between March and early May. While you'll see many more further up the valley, this protected (though unfenced) patch offers a…
Noodles in Lachung
Sema Inn
It's worth having a drink or snack in Sema Inn's adorable little 'restaurant' if only to get a sense of a traditional-style Sikkimese dining room, replete with cabinets, pots and crockery (though the dangling Champa…
Tibetan in Lachung
Taste of Lachung
The name might evoke images of an experimental foodie discovery, but all you'll get here is a very good masala tea (₹15) and, from 3pm till they're gone, home-made vegetarian momo (Tibetan dumplings). It's a single …
Viewpoint in Lachung
Shakathang Stupa
Like a tower that fell off a monastery, this distinctive, tapered building is set in a raised open meadow and makes one of the best, easily accessible points from which to appreciate Lachung's stupendous setting. Fr…
Waterfall in Lachung
Waterfall View
Around 15km north of Lachung, the road bumps across a large landslide that has dammed the river, creating a surreal, opal-blue lake with sandy 'beaches'. Around a kilometre further, Waterfall View is just that, with…
Bar in Lachung
Gravity Lounge
The bar at the Yarlam Resort is unpretentiously pleasant and faces out onto the patio, where you can sit and enjoy clear-day views towards the mountaintops across the valley.