YUMTHANG VALLEY
AT
NORTH SIKKIM
Yumthang Valley is a beautiful valley situated in north
Sikkim. It sits at an elevation of 3,500 metres above sea-level, so naturally
home to many beautiful Himalayan flowers.
Yumthang valley is
about 25kms from Lachung located at an altitude of 11,800ft and takes about 1.5
hours of drive. The name Yumthang Valley means 'Valley of Flowers'. So you know
what to expect.
Yumthang Valley is extremely picturesque, with green
slopes covered with trees, yaks grazing in the flower-spangled grassy plains
below, and a river flowing right through the valley. The serene and tranquil
air of the Valley cannot be described in words. A single visit there can leave
the visitor in an enchanted state for weeks.
But the name would have been more appropriate if it said
'Valley of Rhododendrons'. Because here as the tree line ends and the vast
stretch of flowering valley exposes a dense bed of rhododendron flowers for
miles and in many different colors like purple, blue, red, pink etc.
The Valley has an astounding, over 24 species of
Rhododendrons which paint the Valley red in spring. Rhododendrons are shrubs or
trees, and different species of Rhododendron cover different large stretches of
the Valley.
the wonderful views of vast
valley of flowers, Yumthang also offers lovely views of the mountain peaks such
as Pauhunri and Shundu Tsenpa forming the backdrop of the river Teesta. Before entering the
Yumthang Valley, a pedestrian pathway goes over a small bridge and reaches Yumthang
Hot Spring. You will need to walk for few thousand yards to reach the hot
spring.
In such a cold climate,
this surprisingly natural warm water comes as a pleasant surprise. The water is
rich with sulfur and said to have good healing and medicinal value. The spring
water here is directed to a hut and couple of pools inside so that one can take
a healing bath here.
Nearby there are couple
of rivers - Yumthang chu and Puniya chu where you can do fishing if you have
time. But for that you need to plan a longer stay at Lachung. About 7kms
further north of the hot spring, there is a Shiva Temple.
It also happens to be situated at what is called
"the tree-line", the altitude above which there are no trees. This
makes the Yumthang Valley unique in that it has trees and Rhododendrons, and
yet abounds in tiny, low-growing Himalayan flowers.
There is no accommodation
available at the valley. Visitors stay at Lachung from where the valley is
about an hour’s drive. Over the last few years several hotels and resorts have
come up in Lachung. Facilities are clean and descent, but cannot be compared to
other more upmarket destinations. This is primarily due to the inaccessibility
of the destination. Your accommodation and food will be arranged as part of a
package tour to Yumthang.
The road to Yumthang
from Gangtok follows
the Teesta River, crossing a spectacular gorge over the Rang Rang suspension
bridge. The last major town is Chungthang about from where Lachung is an hours
drive where tourists stay overnight.
Even now Yumthang is reached mostly as part of a tour
group. Individual and independent travel can be organised on demand.
These packages typically includes all transport,
accommodation, sight seeing and food. The package tours are for one or two
nights from Gangtok to Gangtok basis.Each vehicle carries maximum 7 - 8
tourists. All our tours are exclusive so that you dont have to share the
vehicle with others.
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