Travelstick Sikkim Gangtok India
Gangtok Sikkim
Gangtok Sikkim India
Information Gangtok
Gangtok is the main city and the capital of Sikkim. It is a cosmopolitan place with views of snow-covered mountains, botanical gardens and monasteries. Gangtok is also an ideal base for visiting the southern parts of the state where most of the tourist sites are located.
Kanchenjunga National Park
Permits Kanchenjunga
Usually only those on a mountaineering expedition or trek organized by an authorized travel agency are permitted to enter the park. Treks can be arranged in Gangtok. Those wishing to climb a peak over 6000 m must obtain permission at the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF).
Phodong Sikkim India
Information Phodong
The Phodong Gompa, 37km north of Gangtok, belongs to the Kagyu-pa order, the same order as the monastery in Rumtek. It is located high above the main road offering good views of the area. The monastery was founded in 1740 but the building that stands there at present is fairly recent. About fifty monks live here and across from the gompa is a community of nuns who also belong to the Kagyu-pa order.
Rumtek Sikkim India
Black Hat Rumtek
Rumtek, 24km from Gangtok at an altitude of 1500m, is the headquarters for the Kargyu-pa (“Black Hat”) order of Tibetan Buddhism. The Rumtek Monastery was founded in 1740 and was rebuilt after an earthquake destroyed it in the 1960s. It is designed in the traditional style after the principal Kargyu-pa monastery in Chhofuk, Tibet, with detailed woodwork and paintings. In a back room are impressive golden statues of the 16th Gwalpa, who left Tibet after the Chinese invasion.
Tsongo Lake Sikkim India
Information Tsongo Lake
To visit the Tsongo Lake, 35km northeast of Gangtok, you will need a permit and must go on a tour arranged by an authorized travel agency. The travel agency can arrange the permit which is valid for only one day.