It was total unplanned tour. My husband arranged ticket in Tatkal. It was 28th Dec. We reached NJP around 11 a.m. We took jeep to Gangtok, the capital of the state of Sikkim which is nestled between China (Tibet), Bhutan and Nepal. Through the chaos of the town NJP,we started our drive up hill. On the foot hills of the Shivalik ranges, Gangtok welcomes you with it’s pleasant weather,peaceful roads and drool worthy chicken momos.
By the time we arrived in Gangtok at around 4 pm, the temperature was around 10-12 degrees. We checked into our rooms at Hotel POTALA. It is pure vegetarian hotel. After taking lunch and taking some rest we moved towards Mahatma Gandhi Road, the main hub of Gangtok, for scrolling. It is the main attraction of Gangtok for evenings the days you are in Sikkim.
The Gangtok is a clean and environmental friendly city with no traffic on M.G. road and is reserved only for tourist scrolling. The entire stretch is dotted with quaint little eateries, sweetmeat shops, gift stores and shops selling woolen clothes. It is a great place to spend an evening, enjoying the cool weather.
As it was unplanned tour, so we have to plan everything in a day. So planned Tsomgu, Baba Mandir for 29th Dec. Nathula is closed between Sunday to Wednesday. One important thing to remember, you need a permit to visit the Tsomgo lake as the lake is very near to China Border and is in a restricted area. There are couple of places on the way where photography is prohibited because of Army camp. Your guide or driver will make you aware of the same.
Next day morning, we took a shared jeep for Tsomgu and Baba Mandir. The roads are mostly bad and there is a lot of construction going on all through the way. Add to this the complications of fallen boulders, landslides etc and it was a slow journey.There were military establishments on the way..
As our car snaked its way to higher regions, the temperature dropped, an influx of picturesque sceneries appeared at regular intervals.
On the way, we saw energetic view of snow clad view and a small beautiful market place where we borrowed ice shoes. We finally completed the tiresome 35 km ride in approx 3.5 hours and arrived at Changu Lake. This lake is situated at a height of 12,000 ft & we were awestruck seeing the lake. Heaven on Earth!
The driver suggested we visit Baba Mandir first & then come back and visit Changu lake, as the Mandir was further uphill and road repairs were going on in that area. We agreed and without getting down from the cab proceeded further to Baba Mandir, which was 15 kms from Changu lake.
Way from Tsomgu to Baba mandir was covered with snow on either side & it was a pleasant drive all through and took about an hour. On the way, we saw lots of beautiful lakes, some of which were frozen.We had finally drove through the Himalayas.
Baba Mandir is situated at a height of 13,500 ft. This Mandir is built by army in memory of Baba Harbajan Singh who went missing from this place. At this place there were many water bottles & accessories of other soldiers also.
Everything Around Baba Mandir are completely covered in snow. It was my 1st time to see snow. So I was too much excited.
I was feel slightly exhausting because of the low oxygen. To get over I was eat Popcorn.After spending some time there, we headed back towards Changu Lake.
OOhh!!! it's just amazing. I was waiting for that moment for a long time. I remembered the song
As Changu Lake was not totally frozen, driver halted near another frozen lake. Lake was looked like crystal. Snow is too deep around the lake.After playing in snow & taking numerous snaps, we had to leave the place.
We then drove to Tsomgo Lake, which is at 10,500 ft.The weather was sunny but cold wind blew through out. TSO means lake and MGO means head in Nepali language. Upon arriving at the lake and getting out of the jeep. As it has less high than Baba Mandir, so we feel the freezing weather.
Yaks were available for riding here. The lake is quite scenic. After some more photos, we went down to the very tiny Market of Tsomgo to see what the lunch options were. Momo was so yummy at there!!!
We then proceeded to return back to Gangtok. The return journey almost took the same time & by this time the clouds had begun to engulf us.
Next day we wake up late morning. We took a car to see Gangtok City. First we went out for a ride on the ropeway. As the weather was too clear we catch a glimpse of the mighty Kanchenjunga...
By the time we arrived in Gangtok at around 4 pm, the temperature was around 10-12 degrees. We checked into our rooms at Hotel POTALA. It is pure vegetarian hotel. After taking lunch and taking some rest we moved towards Mahatma Gandhi Road, the main hub of Gangtok, for scrolling. It is the main attraction of Gangtok for evenings the days you are in Sikkim.
The Gangtok is a clean and environmental friendly city with no traffic on M.G. road and is reserved only for tourist scrolling. The entire stretch is dotted with quaint little eateries, sweetmeat shops, gift stores and shops selling woolen clothes. It is a great place to spend an evening, enjoying the cool weather.
As it was unplanned tour, so we have to plan everything in a day. So planned Tsomgu, Baba Mandir for 29th Dec. Nathula is closed between Sunday to Wednesday. One important thing to remember, you need a permit to visit the Tsomgo lake as the lake is very near to China Border and is in a restricted area. There are couple of places on the way where photography is prohibited because of Army camp. Your guide or driver will make you aware of the same.
Next day morning, we took a shared jeep for Tsomgu and Baba Mandir. The roads are mostly bad and there is a lot of construction going on all through the way. Add to this the complications of fallen boulders, landslides etc and it was a slow journey.There were military establishments on the way..
As our car snaked its way to higher regions, the temperature dropped, an influx of picturesque sceneries appeared at regular intervals.
On the way, we saw energetic view of snow clad view and a small beautiful market place where we borrowed ice shoes. We finally completed the tiresome 35 km ride in approx 3.5 hours and arrived at Changu Lake. This lake is situated at a height of 12,000 ft & we were awestruck seeing the lake. Heaven on Earth!
The driver suggested we visit Baba Mandir first & then come back and visit Changu lake, as the Mandir was further uphill and road repairs were going on in that area. We agreed and without getting down from the cab proceeded further to Baba Mandir, which was 15 kms from Changu lake.
Way from Tsomgu to Baba mandir was covered with snow on either side & it was a pleasant drive all through and took about an hour. On the way, we saw lots of beautiful lakes, some of which were frozen.We had finally drove through the Himalayas.
Baba Mandir is situated at a height of 13,500 ft. This Mandir is built by army in memory of Baba Harbajan Singh who went missing from this place. At this place there were many water bottles & accessories of other soldiers also.
Everything Around Baba Mandir are completely covered in snow. It was my 1st time to see snow. So I was too much excited.
I was feel slightly exhausting because of the low oxygen. To get over I was eat Popcorn.After spending some time there, we headed back towards Changu Lake.
OOhh!!! it's just amazing. I was waiting for that moment for a long time. I remembered the song
Yeh Ishq Haaye Baithe Bithaye
Jannat Dikhaye Haan...
As Changu Lake was not totally frozen, driver halted near another frozen lake. Lake was looked like crystal. Snow is too deep around the lake.After playing in snow & taking numerous snaps, we had to leave the place.
We then drove to Tsomgo Lake, which is at 10,500 ft.The weather was sunny but cold wind blew through out. TSO means lake and MGO means head in Nepali language. Upon arriving at the lake and getting out of the jeep. As it has less high than Baba Mandir, so we feel the freezing weather.
Yaks were available for riding here. The lake is quite scenic. After some more photos, we went down to the very tiny Market of Tsomgo to see what the lunch options were. Momo was so yummy at there!!!
We then proceeded to return back to Gangtok. The return journey almost took the same time & by this time the clouds had begun to engulf us.
To be continued in next blog...
Very iinformative post and lovely pictures of Tsomgo Lake or Changu Lake. It is perched within mountains. Located near Gangtok , the Changu Lake is one of the most spectacular landscapes of Sikkim. The view is truly breathtaking.Do check Changu lake weather before planning a trip there.
ReplyDeleteThanks Debosmita for comments. Your comment seems that you know very well about Sikkim.
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