Sikkim

If you're feeling jaded by the heat and hassles of India, Sikkim is the perfect antidote. It's clean (plastic bags are banned) and the mountain air is fresh. Best of all the people are among India's most friendly, with a charming manner that's unobtrusive and slightly shy. To really savor some true Sikkimese atmosphere, visit a village tongba-bar for some local millet beer: it's a bit like warm Japanese sake. Plunging mountain valleys are lushly forested, interspersed occasionally with rice terraces and groves of flowering rhododendrons. Tibetan-style Buddhist monasteries (gompas) add splashes of vermilion to the green ridge tops and are approached through atmospheric avenues of colorful prayer flags set on long bamboo poles.

Straddling the Sikkim-Nepal border is Khangchendzonga (Kanchenjunga; 8598m), the world's third-highest mountains. Khangchendzonga's guardian spirit is worshiped in a series of spectacular autumn festivals and its magnificent multiple white peaks can be spied from many points around the state.

An independent kingdom until 1975, Sikkim has long been considered one of the last Himalayan Shangri Las. But hurry. In the last few years a tourist boom has seen ever multiplying numbers of visitors, mostly middle-class Bengali's escaping the Kolkata heat. Every year more concrete hotels protrude from once-idyllic villages capes and most towns are already architecturally lackluster huddles of multistory box-homes.

Fortunately, although Sikkim is tiny, its crazy contours make road construction very tough. So far now, finding the 'real' Sikkim is just a matter of hiking away from the metaled roads. Just watch out for those infamous leeches.

Highlights of Sikkim

Rumtek : One of Sikkim's most venerated monasteries, Rumtek is home to the Black Hat sect, and hosts a spectacular festival in February.

Meenam mountain : A day-trek through an ancient forest to the summit of the mountain; you may be lucky enough to spot deer and red panda.

Pemayangtse : A wonderful seventeenth century monastery perched on a high ridge facing Darjeeling.

Pelling : This sleepy town has gentle walks to nearby monasteries, and stunning views of Kanchenjunga.

Dzongri Trail : Trek through rhododendrons and across high alpine meadows close to Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world.

Tashiding : A monastic complex on a conical hill with marvelous views.

Accommodation in Sikkim

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Budget Hotels

How to reach Sikkim

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