High in the Himalayas 15 Days in the Himalayan High Altitude Wilderness Long Trekking! Camping in the Wilderness! Monastery! Tea Garden! Toy Train!
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High In the Himalayas 15 days in The Himalayan high altitude wilderness Long Trekking! Camping in the wilderness! Monastery! Tea Garden! Toy Train! Introduction This 15 days tour is purely designed for the nature lovers who dare to walk for 6 to 8 hrs a day in the high altitude mountains. The challenging part of this tour is to reach Goechala Pass at 16700ft (5000mt) and take early morning photographs of Mt Kunchenjungha Peak – the third highest in the world. The 10 days trek takes you to the base of the Kunchenjungha Peak as you pass through some of the wonderful Himalayan landscape – dense moist forests, fiery Rhododendrons, deep river gorge, vast alpine meadow, snow fields, glaciers and lakes. You will have the opportunity to see several snow peaks of Greater Himalayas above 7000 ft from a very close distance. During the trek you can also witness the rare sight of Himalayan Blue Ships, Red Panda in their natural habitat along with rare wild orchid and birds. The tour also combines with few nights stay in Gangtok – the capital of Sikkim and also with couple of nights in Darjeeling where you can see some old and important monastery, take a ride in Toy train, visit tea gardens and just relax in the natural surroundings with the comfort of a hotel. Best season for this tour – Mid September to Mid November and Mid April to May Destination covered in 14 nights and 15 days: • Gangtok, • Yuksom, • Goechala Pass • Darjeeling, Route in Google Map: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=208396832193381866858.0004dfd1ef405a7642e84 Highlights Gangtok, The city in transition – Visit Monastery, try for Helicopter ride, great shopping and cultural experience, see colourful hill life Yuksom, the old capital of Sikkim – Just relax in the serenity and get prepared for the adventurous trek in the mountains next morning Goechala Pass, to the foot of Mt Kunchenjungha - Trek through rhododendron forests, meadow, snow fields and glaciers, camp by alpine lake or river side, view gorgeous mountain peaks, take stunning photographs, see remote village of yak herders, wild orchids, rare birds and wildlife Darjeeling, The Queen of Hills – Ride on a steam train on the UNESCO heritage rail track, take tea garden tour, visit the old city with great heritage and history Detailed Itinerary Day 1: Arrival at Bagdogra and drive to Gangtok – 135kms in 4hrs Fly in to Bagdogra – the only airport for North Bengal and Sikkim. Bagdogra has many direct flights from Delhi and Kolkata and it takes about 2hrs and 1hr respectively. (You can stay the previous night in Delhi or Kolkata as per your preference and based on International connectivity) A traditional welcome awaits you at the airport. After the airport formalities we take you to a nearby restaurant for little refreshment and meal and then start our journey to Gangtok. The journey of 4 hrs will cover a distance of 135kms and will pass through lower foothills of Himalayas cutting across the valleys, river gorges and forests. Feel the excitement of reaching your first Himalayan destination Gangtok. Wreathed in clouds, Gangtok, the capital city of Sikkim is located on a ridge at a height of 5500 feet. With a spectacular view of the Khanchendzonga, the town provides the perfect base for travel through the state. Once an important transit point for traders travelling between Tibet and India, it is today a busy administrative and business centre and presents an interesting mix of cultures and communities. On arrival we assist you check in at your hotel. Today you will be free from any activities as you may be tired after a long flight and a hill drive. Just relax at your hotel and take an early dinner. Day 2: Gangtok full day tour Today we will take a day long tour in Gangtok city and explore the most important points and attractions. The day will start with a visit to Enchey Monastery - An important seat of the Nyingmapa order, the Enchey Monastery is built on the site blessed by Lama Druptok Karpo, a tantric master known for his power of flying. This 200 years old monastery has in its premises images of gods, goddesses and other religious objects. We will take you to the Himalayan Zoological Park, home to a number of high altitude animals living in open enclosures in their natural habitat. If you are lucky you might see the Red Panda, Sikkim’s state animal, the Barking Deer, Tibetan Wolves, Panthers, Civet Cats or even the Himalayan Black Bear. The Park also has ‘Kush’ and ‘Urbashi’, a snow leopard pair living in captivity. It is a wonderful experience to take a walk along the wooded hills to get a glimpse of the rare animals. Visit Ganesh Tok view point. From this spot one can get bird’s eye view of sprawling Gangtok town, while across the hills Mt. Khang-chen-Dzonga and Mt. Siniolchu loom over the horizon. A cafeteria serves hot tea, coffee and snacks. The view from here is truly breathtaking with snow peaks providing the perfect backdrop for a panoramic view of Gangtok town. From here we come down to Government Institute of Cottage Industry [GICI], a centre for both preservation and development of the traditional arts and crafts of Sikkim. You can witness the rare Sikkimese art and crafts on display and for sale in this center and also can see the students taking class and creating the handicrafts in the training center. After lunch go for a visit to The Ridge, a small stretch of flat land above Gangtok town is one of the most attractive places here and is a favourite haunt for both tourists and locals. It stretches from the gates of the Palace of the erstwhile Namgyal kings to the White Hall building built in the memory of the first Political Officer of Sikkim, Claude White. Also visit Flower Festival. A special glass house, opposite the White Hall displays the rich floral heritage of Sikkim, beginning with the Orchid Show in March and continuing all year round with display of many varieties of flowers. Now we take you to the Namgyal Research Institute of Tibetology - the most prestigious research institute of its kind in the world; NIT is a treasure of vast collection of rare Lepcha, Tibetan and Sanskrit manuscripts, statues and rare Thankas (colourful tapestries used in Buddhist liturgy). From here you can take a Rope Way Ride down to the opposite side and then walk down to the M G Marg – the heart of the city. The country’s first litter and spit free zone, no vehicular traffic is allowed into the marg. You can sit at the Titanic Park or at the various benches stretched across the mall and take in the carnival like atmosphere, especially during the tourist season. The Mall is lined with shops on both sides of the road so shopping becomes an added pleasure. (Optional) If interested you can also take a Helicopter Ride in Gangtok in the morning Sikkim Govt conducts special mountain flights in Sikkim. There are several mountain flights of different duration. Each of the flight gives majestic view of the Himalayan peaks from close up like never before. These mountain flights gives you a never to forget opportunity to feast your eyes on the majesty and grandeur of the Great Mount Khangchendzonga, the third highest peak in the world. Day 3: Gangtok to Yuksom drive via Rumtek – 150kms in 6hrs Today after breakfast we start for Yuksom – the starting point of the trek to Kunchenjungha National Park, our most exciting destination in this tour. The journey takes about 6 hrs and will cover a distance of 150kms. En route we will visit Rumtek Monastery – the most important monastery and the seat of His Holiness, The Gyalwa Karmapa of the Kargyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The drive to Rumtek snakes through typical Sikkimese villages and many paddy fields. The paddy fields resemble a green carpet from July to September and later in October-November, the entire place is a sight to behold with golden paddy swaying in the breeze. We continue our drive to Yuksom and now we will stop to Temi Tea Garden for a pre organised lunch in the scenic Garden. The journey will now pass through the Sikkim country side with scattered villages and agricultural field with back drop of high Himalayan rages. Yuksom at 5500ft is a pretty village in West Sikkim and is the main trail head for trekking to Dzongri and Goeche- La in the Kanchenjunga Reserve. Yuksom means "meeting place of the three Lamas" who crowned the first Chogyal here in 1641. Dubdi Gompa built in 1701 was the first official capital of Sikkim. Yuksom was the first capital of Sikkim established in 1642 AD by Phuntsog Namgyal who was the first Chogyal (temporal and religious king) of Sikkim. The coronation site of the first monarch of Sikkim is known as the "Throne of Norbugang". Reach Yuksom in the afternoon and check in at Hotel. You can have a short afternoon stroll in the village just to stretch your legs before next morning trek. Day 4: Yuksom to Sachen trek – 3 to 4 hrs. Stay in Camp Today we get ready for the adventurous trek to Kunchenjungha National Park and our final destination is Goechala at the foot of Mt Kunchenjungha Peak, the third highest in the world. For the next 8 days you will be in to the wilderness of remote Sikkim Himalayas and will be out of contact from the rest of the world. Witness the rare beauty of the high altitude forests, wildlife and birds along with the stunning view of the highest snow peaks, glaciers, alpine lake and vast meadow.