Buddha Park, Rabong Monastery in Ravangla

DAY 7 –  GANGTOK – RAVANGLA – PELLING

After seeing Gurudongmar Lake, Zero Point and Rumtek Monastery, today’s plan was to reach Pelling. You can take the direct route to Pelling from Gangtok or take a detour via Ravangla or Namchi and then reach Pelling. In Ravangla you can see the Buddha Park and the Rabong Monastery whereas in Namchi you can see the replicas of Char Dham. We chose to go via Ravangla.

Rabong Monastery

We had already booked an Innova through our hotel (for Rs 4,000) from Gangtok to Pelling. We were supposed to leave at 8:30 am but left at 10:00 am. The driver was late as he had returned from North Sikkim today morning itself. It made sense to let me sleep and start late from Gangtok and as Pramod said, “We can’t put our family at risk”.

Can you see the small statues of Buddha?

Pelling is in west Sikkim and is around 140 kms from Gangtok making it approx 5 hours drive. As we had decided to take a longer route and see Ravangla on our way to Pelling we took around 8 hours to reach Pelling. The driver charged us Rs 1500 extra for the detour to Ravangla.

The Buddha Park, Ravangla

The Buddha Park also known as the Tathagata Tsal houses a 130 ft high statue of Buddha and is located near the Rabong monastery. You need to buy an entry ticket of Rs 50 per person to this beautiful park. Everything about the park is grand. The red coloured gate of the park is adorned with intricate Sikkimese design. Numerous stairs takes you down to the main park.  

Buddha Park, Ravangla

Buddha Park Entrance

In the park, there are speakers playing the soothing chant of Om Mani Padme Hum, the chant immediately relaxes you and takes you in a trance. Again a no of stairs will take you up to the main prayer hall.

Buddha Park, Ravangla

Under the giant statute of Buddha there is a prayer hall. In the middle of the prayer room a statue of Buddha is kept. All around this room there are numerous colourful statues of Buddha of the same size. There is a spiral pathway which take you up so that you can have a view of the Buddha from above. All around the spiral pathway you can see the entire life of Buddha depicted through paintings. All around this pathway white colour silk cloth was tied up.

Huge Cup of water at Buddha Park, Ravangla

Next, we walked around the main building. Prayer flags were put up around the walkaways which were fluterring with the wind. Around the giant Buddha on the walkway, seven huge golden colour cups of water are kept. How can there be no prayer wheels? Just behind the prayer room you will find prayer wheels in golden colour.

Golden Prayer Wheels at Buddha Park, Ravangla

Buddha Park, Ravangla

The Buddha Park is beautifully maintained. Manicured gardens, flowers, and fountains - everything is perfect. The Park has a shop where you can have maggi and aloo chiwda. There are two shops from where you can buy souvenirs for your loved ones.

Rabong Monastery

Rabong Monastery is located just behind the Buddha Park. When we went to the monastery it was closed. So we could see it only from outside. Since the monastery was closed, there was hardly any tourist. We had the entire place to ourselves. The monastery is simple but beautiful.

Prayer Wheels at Rabong Monastery

Rabong Monastery, Ravangla

There are a line of red coloured prayer wheels when you enter the monastery premises. On your left you will find the monastery. Few steps up and you are at the beautiful monastery.

Line of prayer wheels at Rabong Monastery

View from Rabong Monastery, Ravangla

We took around two hours to see the Rabong monastery and the Buddha Park. After the Buddha Park, we went to another monastery located in Ravangla – Bon Monastery. It is a very small and simple monastery.

Beautiful Rabong Monastery, Ravangla

Rabong Monastery, Ravangla

Continuing our journey, we reached Pelling around 6:00 pm. Our Hotel was located at upper Pelling - two mins walk from the new helipad. We had pre booked two rooms in this hotel on the top floor so that we can enjoy the majestic Himalayan range from our rooms.

Since we were hungry we ordered for tea and pakodas. Around 8:00 pm we went downstairs for dinner. Post dinner, we arranged for a car through the hotel reception for tomorrow’s sightseeing in Pelling.

Points to remember:

• As the sun sets early here start your day early.
• Book an Innova, bolero or a Xylo for a comfortable travel. As the roads are bad and travel in Sumo or Maxx can be cumbersome.
• Although the distance between places is not far because of the rough terrain it takes a considerable time to go from one place to another. So plan accordingly.
• Please carry warm clothes including sweater, jacket, cap, mufflers, socks and gloves. Wear shoes and not sandals or chappals.
• While going to Pelling from Gangtok take a diversion to Ravangla and see the Buddha Park and Rolong Monastery.
• Sikkim is plastic free zone. Please don’t litter and maintain the beauty of nature.
• Please remain quiet, maintain the discipline and follow the rules at Monasteries and other religious places. 

Back to Gangtok - After Zero Point it's Rumtek Monastery!!

DAY 6 – LACHUNG MONASTERY, RUMTEK MONASTERY, HANUMAN TOK AND GANESH TOK

Rumtek Monastery was our mission today. If we wanted to see Gangtok, today was the only day. After having our breakfast at the hotel, we started our way back to Gangtok at 7:00 am sharp. We had already spoken to Sher Khan (our driver) to show us three points in Gangtok – Rumtek Monastery, Hanuman Tok and Ganesh Tok. Though we wanted to see Enchey Monastery, Banjhakari waterfall, Lingdum Monastery and Dro Dul Chorten also but due to time constraints we had to be satisfied with three points.

Rumtek Monastery

Lachung Monastery

It has been 5 days that we have been in Sikkim but we had not been to a single monastery till now. So the first thing we did was to drive to Lachung Monastery. When we entered the monastery we were in for a delight. Today was a special day as per Buddhist calendar and we were lucky to see a group of monks praying, reading from their spiritual books in perfect harmony. It sounds as if they are reading shloks together.

Monks praying at Lachung Monastery

Lachung Monastery

Lachung monastery was small but beautiful. Just when you enter the main building of the monastery you will find two huge prayer wheels on either side. The Prayer wheels are huge and beautifully painted in red and golden.  We were not allowed to take pictures inside the monastery.

Prayer Wheel at Lachung Monastery

Being a special day today we got an opportunity to light few wax lamps in the monastery. 

Lightning of wax lamps

On our way from Lachung to Gangtok we stopped en route to see Beema waterfall.

Bhima Waterfall

While heading back to Gangtok you will see numerous waterfalls, cross beautiful prayer flags decorated bridges, drive through the curvy roads; drive through water streams and on rough terrains.

Enroute Gangtok

We again stopped over at the same place for lunch at 11:00 where we had lunch enroute our way from Gangtok to Lachen.

HIT - Sikkim Local Beer

The drive from Mangan to Rumtek was charming and peaceful.

Rumtek Monastery

Around 4:00 pm we reached Rumtek Monastery which is around an hour drive from Gangtok. Rumtek monastery is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Gangtok. The monastery is a 1 km steep walk from the parking lot. Inside the monastery you will find numerous books and manuscripts, few drums, big and small statues of Buddha, beautifully decorated interior and a huge red coloured door.

Rumtek Monastery - Entrance

Rumtek Monastery

In the courtyard, you will find the dormitories for the monks and various monks in their red clothes doing their usual work. 

Monk at Rumtek Monastery

Prayer wheels at Rumtek Monastery

Hanuman Tok & Ganesh Tok

After the Rumtek Monastery we were on our way to Hanuman Tok. It is on the same route which we take for Nathula Pass. Located on the top of a mountain, is a temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman. The place is very simple and extremely neat and tidy. Inside the temple there is a separate temple of Lord Hanuman depicted very elaborately. Another temple here has Lord Krishna, Lord Ram, Lord Laxman, Godess Sita, Lord Ganesh, Lord Shiva and Sai Baba.

Fog has set in by the time we reached here and the temperature has dropped suddenly. The view from here would have been magnificent if there was no fog.

Shadows

Our last stop of the day was Ganesh Tok, which is not very far from Hanuman Tok. As the name suggests it is a temple dedicated to Lord Ganesh. Nothing fancy, this is again a temple which is very neat and tidy. You can find few stalls at the base of the temple selling pretty looking crafts at reasonable rates. There are also shops where you can wear traditional sikkimese dress and get yourself clicked. By now the sun had set bringing along with it a wave of chilliness.

Post this we headed to our hotel Nettle & Fern located at the Development Area of Gangtok. We had booked two deluxe rooms here, but the hotel was kind enough to upgrade us to a family suite. The family suite was on the 5^th floor (top floor) with a million dollar view. The room was warm and cozy, with beautiful polished wooden interiors.

Souvenir Shop

The whole mountain landscape of Gangtok is filled with lights during the night. After resting in the room for an hour and sipping in tea we headed to M.G. Road. The walk to M.G. Road was of 15 mins. Shopping at M.G. Road is fun and you can easily buy warm clothes at throw away prices.

After strolling for some time we took a cab and headed to our hotel for dinner. The dinner at the hotel was delicious and the restaurant was very warm.

Points to remember:

• As the sun sets early here start your day early.
• You can take a Gangtok sightseeing trip which includes Rumtek Monastery, Enchey Monastry, Ganesh Tok, Hanuman Tok etc. depending on the time you have at your disposal.
• For sightseeing in Gangtok, SUVs are not compulsory.
• Although the distance between places is not far because of the rough terrain it takes a considerable time to go from one place to another. So plan accordingly.
• Gangtok is not very cold but still carry warm clothes including sweater, jacket, cap, mufflers, socks and gloves. It gets windy at Hanuman Tok and Ganesh Tok as they are located at the top of a mountain. Wear shoes and not sandals or chappals.
• Be easy on steps and avoid brisk walk or running at high altitudes.
• Sikkim is plastic free zone. Please don’t litter and maintain the beauty of nature.
• Please remain quiet, maintain the discipline and follow the rules at Monasteries and other religious places.

On our way to Untouched North Sikkim

DAY 3 – GANGTOK TO LACHEN

Not the ones to be confined to malls and markets we dedicated three days of our trip to North Sikkim. The attraction of tough terrain, Leh – like plateaus, sacred lake and enormous heights seemed very exciting and thrilling.

One of the many bridges that we crossed

Bridge with beautiful prayer flags

We had already booked our North Sikkim Package through Tibet Tours & Travels. A 3 nights & 4 days package for Rs 37,800 (Rs. 9,450 per person) included travel in Bolero, stay and food for four people (and a 3 year old child). Gurudongmar Lake which is some 65 kms from Lachen is off limits for foreigners and Indians need to take permits to visit the Lake which will be arranged by your travel agent. For the permit you need to provide 2 passport size photographs and copy of valid photo ID. Foreigners can now visit till Thanggu village on Lachen route and till Zero Point on Lachung route (Earlier they could visit only till Chungthang).

Road to North Sikkim

We wanted to start early around 8:00 am but the travel agent told that he has to take the permit and will be able to leave at 10:00 am. At 9:50 am I received a call from him saying that he has procured the permits and is on his way to pick us up.

Sherpa (I call him Sher Khan Sahab) - our Bolero driver – was the best thing that happened to us. Knowledgeable, polite, a local Sherpa and a very careful driver – Sherpa provided us the true essence and insights on Sikkim. 

Sherpa - Our Sher Khan Saab

Our first destination was Lachen, 180 kms from Gangtok, where we are going to spend our night. We started from Gangtok at 10:00 am with the required permits in place. Just on the outskirts of Gangtok we saw our first point – Tashi View Point.

 

Tashi View Point

After driving on the curvy road for an hour or so we saw Seven Sister Waterfall.  The seven sister waterfall is not seven waterfalls as the name suggests. It is a waterfall which falls on seven steps. The same cannot be seen from the road. One has to climb up through the stairs near the waterfall to witness the same.

Seven Sister Waterfall

Taashi next to a road sign at Seven Sister Waterfall - Lunch after 37 Kms & Tea after 65 Kms

The road to Lachen is full of lush green landscape and numerous waterfalls and bridges.  We stopped over for lunch at 1:00 pm at a small village called Mangan. The place for lunch was pre decided by the travel agent and was a part of the package. After a delicious meal and a well deserved break from the car we were again on our way to Lachen.

Welcome to 'North Sikkim'

En route Lachen

En route Lachen

From Mangan to Chungthang the road is really rocky. Debris and loose rocks all around. We took a tea break at Chungthang from where the road splits – left for Lachen and right for Lachung. Please be aware that you mobile network will work only till Chungthang. Post this only BSNL networks work.

Isn't the tree beautiful?

We reached Lachen around 6 pm and it was pitch dark. It is a small town at an altitude of around 9,000 feet. The town was silent and there was no soul on the road.

Scenery while driving

View from road

The travel agent had made our one night stay arrangement in Hotel View Point. Our room was view facing and on the second floor. The room was huge (spacious 1 room kitchen by Mumbai standard) with wall to wall carpet, TV and geyser. (Pls note getting a geyser and a TV is a luxury in this part of the country). It was very cold here. All of us changed in our warmest clothes and ordered for hot tea. It was so cold here that the tea has to be consumed as soon it is poured in the cup or else the tea will be ice cold.

The narrow roads

Lachen is a simple small village with simple people. It is one of the most idyllic hilly villages I have ever visited. It’s simplicity was its charm.

Hotel View Point, Lachen

The dinner was served at 8:30 pm on the fourth floor restaurant. Please note that packaged water is banned in Lachen. Even after wearing so many warm clothes we all were feeling cold. Post our dinner we called it a day as we were all very exhausted after eight hours of bumpy ride.

We all were very excited for tomorrow as this will be the day when we will scale to an altitude of 17000+  ft above sea level to the sacred Gurudongmar Lake. And to reach the lake we have to start our drive early… very early…

Points to remember:

1. As the sun sets early in this part of the world, start your day early.

2. Only SUVs are allowed for excursion to North Sikkim.

3. Book an Innova or a Xylo for a comfortable travel. As the roads are bad, travel in Sumo or Maxx can be cumbersome.

4. Although the distance between places is not far because of the rough terrain it takes a considerable time to go from one place to another. So plan accordingly.

5. You require one full day to reach Lachen. There are travel agents who might suggest to start late from Gangtok. It is recommended to start early and enjoy the beauty of the terrain and keep taking breaks and do justice to them and your health.

6. Only Indians can visit Gurudongmar Lake. A permit is required for the same which will be arranged by your travel agent. You need to provide 2 passport size photographs and copy of photo ID for the permits.

7. Please carry warm clothes including sweater, jacket, cap, mufflers, socks and gloves. Wear shoes and not sandals or chappals.

8. Be easy on steps and while walking. Avoid brisk walk or running at high altitudes as the oxygen level is low.

9. If you are feeling mountain sickness have chocolate of popcorn. It helps.

10. Please remember that most of the day will go in travelling in the car. Make regular stops en route to exercise those weary limbs and to enjoy the magnificent views.

11. Your constant companion, your mobile network will work only till Chungthang. In Lachen only BSNL network works that too occassionally.

12.  Sikkim is plastic free zone. Please don’t litter and maintain the beauty of nature.

13. Expense of the day:

We had booked the North Sikkim Tour with Tibet Tours & Travels for Rs. 9,450 per person. This covers the cost of travel in Bolero (Zero Point and Mt. Katao in Lachen is not covered in this package), 1 night stay in Lachung, 2 night stay in Lachen and food.

Therefore, today except spending a little on mineral water and snacks there was no expense other than already paid to the travel agent.

Excursion from Gangtok

DAY 2 – NATHULA PASS, BABA MANDIR, TSONGMO LAKE AND TUKLA VALLEY

In the morning, I woke up to the majestic view of the Himalayas. The sun was out and it was a perfect day for excursion to Nathula Pass, Baba Mandir, Tsongmo Lake and Tukla Valley.

Tsongmo Lake

We had already booked a taxi for our excursion today through the hotel itself. For a visit to Nathula Pass one need to have a permit. The permit is easy to obtain. You need to provide two passport size photograph and one valid ID card (Voter ID or Passport. Pan Card and Aadhaar Card are not acceptable). Leave the hassle of taking the permit to the taxi operator.

We had our breakfast on the terrace restaurant of the hotel, soaking in the sun and the captivating view of the Himalayas. I was ready and looking forward to a day of exploring.

Gantok - Tsongmo Lake - Nathula Pass - Baba Mandir

The hotel had arranged for a taxi (Sumo for Rs 5000) for our excursion. We started from our hotel just after 8:00 am. After picking our permits we were on our way to Nathula Pass which is 56 Kms from Gangtok. Since I had already researched a lot, I asked the driver about Tukla Valley, Memencho Lake, Jelepa Pass.

The Winding Roads

The roads are mostly bad and there is lot of construction work going on. On top of that there are landslides and fallen boulders. The road are in shambles and are very narrow. It is a very slow journey. At some places the roads are very narrow. It is a class act to see how two trucks or jeeps that come face to face maneuver each other. The Border Road Organisation (BRO) is doing an amazing work of making the roads and we could see lovely stretches of road in some areas.

The "Good" Road

The "Bad" Road

And the "Ugly" Road

On our way we gave a lift to an army jawan – Mr. Ansaari who is from Varanasi. He was carrying a gas cylinder uphill. The same was required to make the white lining on the sides of the road. He told us that he has been stationed here for 3 years out of which he has already finished 2 years. He also said that Indian Army allows the jawans to go home after every three months.

Jawan waiting....

We first headed to Tukla Valley. Had to pay Rs 1,200 extra to the driver to visit Tukla Valley as it is not a part of the package. While heading to the Valley we crossed Tsomgo Lake but the driver said that we will halt here on our way back.

Tukla Valley

You get the best view of the Himalayan Range at Tukla Valley. The view from this point was mesmerizing. We could see the entire range of mountain covered in deep sheet of snow… fully white.. we were speechless.

View from Tukla Valley

It was very cold and windy. So make sure you have your warm clothes on and a good set of cap and gloves. 

While heading to Tukla Valley we crossed Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir – A memorial to the soldier Harbhajan Singh. This is the temple which has been made for the tourist as it is easily accessible. The original Mandir is post Tukla Valley. Our driver took us to the original temple. The temple is very small perched on top of a hill. You need to climb few steps to reach the temple. Be careful as the oxygen level is low. Take the steps slowly. Inside the temple there is a small room where a bed etc is placed. Inside the room there is another room which is the temple. There is a specific arti also for this temple.

Baba Harbhajan Mandir

Steps to Baba Mandir

Walk down the steps and on your left you will be given a prasaad of delicious halwa.

Flags hovering a midst clouds at Baba Mandir

Post Harbhajan Singh Temple we headed to Nathula Pass. We again crossed the newly constructed Baba Harbhajan Mandir which we gave a miss. One of the boards on the way back read "Caution! You are under Chinese Observation!". The road is picturesque and inspiring.

Jawans working hard to build the road

We saw many beautiful lakes on the way. We got a glimpse of Memencho Lake and Biton Cho which is also known as Elephant Lake.

Elephant Lake

Momencho Lake

We then headed to Nathula Pass which is located at an altitude of 14,500 ft above sea level. Gangtok is around 5,000 ft above sea level. So in just 50 kms we have climbed 9,500 ft approx.

Nathula Pass is opened till 1:00 pm and is closed on Monday and Tuesday. We reached the place at 1:00 pm and had to coax a jawan a little in order to let us see the pass with the promise that we won’t take long. To reach to the top of the pass you need to climb few steps which can be very exhausting because of the low oxygen level. It was very windy here and it is absolutely must to cover your ear in order to avoid severe headache. The cold winds here were numbing.

Nathula Pass

It was a different feeling to see the border and see our National Flag flying in the wind. I also felt a deep sense of gratitude towards our Army and Soldiers who endure the tough weather and terrain of Sikkim every day to keep us safe.

We were not allowed to take pictures here. There is a café where you can enjoy a hot cup of tea and coffee.  We again gave lift to three jawans who were headed to the check point where the inner line permits are checked. We were more than obliged to give them a lift.

After dropping the three jawans we again give a lift to a Sardar jawan who wanted a lift for few kms. Post that, we headed to Tsomgo Lake. We had earlier crossed this lake while heading uphill. This lake is at an altitude of 10,500 ft above sea level. The lake is quite scenic with lots of colourful player flags enhancing the beauty of the lake. Enjoy the beauty of the serene lake on the backdrop of mountains. You can take a ride on one of the many beautifully decorated yaks. Get yourself clicked wearing the traditional Sikkimese clothes. It will add to your collection of memories from Sikkim.

Tsongmo Lake

The weather throughout was good. Post the lake we headed downhill and stopped for lunch. It was very cold by now and we savored a hot cup of tea, a plate of magi, boiled eggs and omelette. 

On our way to Gangtok we had to park our car on the side of the road many times as there were big military trucks with big machinery and ancillary making their way up. We were back in our hotel by 6:00 pm.

Teesta River

In the evening we went to the famous upscale M.G. Road of Gangtok. It is a 15 mins walk from our hotel and is opened till 9:00 pm. It is lined with shops, branded showrooms, restaurants and clubs playing live music. A portion of the road is pedestrian only and this portion of road is cobble stoned with fountains in the middle and number of green painted benches to sit and relax. It is a nice place to spend the evening.

M.G. Road

M.G. Road in Gangtok

It is a perfect place to buy warm clothes and souvenirs like prayer wheels, lucky coin, statue of a monk, wind chimes etc. You can buy warm clothes at very economical rate here. The souvenirs are also reasonably priced. Just after M.G. Road, is Lal Bazaar which is said to be more economical as compared to M.G. Road. You can try it.

After a brief shopping spree and a fulfilling dinner, we went back to the hotel. The night was spent relaxing and sleep came quiet easily. 

Points to remember:

1. As the sun sets early in this part of the world, start your day early.

2. In order to see Nathula Pass you need to be an Indian Citizen and should obtain permit for the same. Ask your travel agent to arrange for the required permit. Also remember that Nathula Pass is closed on Monday and Tuesday. Also, it is opened till 1:00 pm only, so visit this first before Baba Mandir, Tsongmo Lake, Tukla Valley or any other point. 

Carry two passport size photographs and copy and original photo ID proof. (Voter ID or Passport)

3. Only SUVs are allowed for excursion to Nathula Pass, Baba Mandir and Tsongmo Lake.

4. Book an Innova or a Xylo for a comfortable travel. As the roads are bad travel in Sumo or Maxx can be cumbersome.

5. Although the distance between places is not far because of the rough terrain it takes a considerable time to go from one place to another. So plan accordingly.

6. To visit Tukla Valley you have to pay extra to the driver. I recommend a visit to this valley. The view from here is worth every penny.

7. You require one full day to see Nathula Pass, Baba Mandir, Tsongmo Lake and Tukla Valley. There are people who might suggest you to finish these points in half a day. It is recommended to take an entire day for these points and do justice to them and your health.

8. Please carry warm clothes including sweater, jacket, cap, mufflers, socks and gloves. Wear shoes and not sandals or chappals.

9. Be easy on steps and while walking. Avoid brisk walk or running at high altitudes as the oxygen level is low.

10. If you are feeling mountain sickness have chocolate of popcorn. It helps.

11. Sikkim is plastic free zone. Please don’t litter and maintain the beauty of nature.

12. Expense of the day:

	For 4 ppl	Per Person
Breakfast in the hotel	500	125
Taxi for Excursion to Nathula Pass, Baba Mandir, Tsongmo Lake & Tukla Valley	6,200	1,550
Lunch	350	88
Dinner at M.G. Road	540	135
One night stay at the Hotel	3,600	900
TOTAL	11,190	2,798