ADVENTURE TO NORTH SIKKIM CONTINUES – GURUDOGMAR LAKE
There are 2 cities in the North Sikkim, which are the base village for treks in the Northern part of the state – Lachen (means “BIG PASS”) and Lachung (means “SMALL PASS”). Our North Sikkim trip will consist of both of these cities. On this page I will describe our journey to the Gurudongmar Lake from Lachen, as the base village, and from here we will travel to Lachung.
About Gurudongmar Lake –
It is located in proximity to the borders of Tibet and China. The lake takes its name after the eminent guru Padmasambhava, who is believed to have traversed this region during his visit to Tibet. This holy lake is revered by Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists alike. The entire lake freezes during winter except one little patch which is blessed by Guru Padmasambhava when he touch the area to drink water. There is a monastery (Buddhist temple) as well as a Gurudwar (Sikh temple) here
There are several folklore around Gurudongmar lake. Surf the internet and you will know everything.
Best time to visit –
The best time to visit Gurudongmar Lake is from March until June as the weather is pleasant and one can see clear crystal blue skies, with lush greenery in the surroundings along with beautiful and divine Gurudongmar Lake. The temperature during these months fluctuates between 5°C / – 5°C. The peak tourist season is from March until June.
Read Our experience below
The above information is taken from Sikkim tourism website.
LACHEN – GURUDONGMAR LAKE – LACHUNG
Today we get up at 5 am and start our journey towards GuruDogmar Lake with a packed breakfast of Bread, butter and Jam. Around 6.45 am we reach the entry gate waiting for permits to be stamped. The gates open at 7 am. We stop at the Thangu village food refreshment stall for breakfast. Here, we see a unique way of warming up the bread and butter. Bread is put in a steaming pot and then served with hot tea (see pic below). Of course, we also ate Maggi here.
The top left pic is a little home in Thangu village where we stop for heating up our breakfast.
The real ordeal begins now, which we are totally unprepared for. The drive till Gurudogmar lake is around 32 kms from here and the roads are very bad for most part of the journey. We feel the ill-effects of the journey now, mostly dizziness. Low oxygen and low atmospheric pressure due to high altitude causes giddiness, breathlessness and heaviness in the chest. Haard and I both are badly affected. Youg and Hiren are holding on much better than us. We now take a stop at the military area. Here they have a cafeteria serving hot water, some sugar candies to combat the side effects of altitude, and of course, very clean washroom facilities. This military regiment is at present under control of the military of the eastern states.
A special mention for our army men who look after the Indian soil in such harsh conditions. These brave men tirelessly guard our borders and look after tourists like us by providing hot water, tea, coffee and food also if needed – for no charge at all. We civilians should be proud of our military as they leave their homes and families to safeguard our borders as we stay safe in our homes with our dear ones. I wish I was a part of their team or maybe I had a near and dear one serving our country. Patriotism factor definitely doubles on seeing relentless efforts of military men. “Jai Hind. Mera Bharat mahaan.” Salute to the brave soldiers, our protectors. We had to pass through a lot of military settlements here, also seen the military gadgets used by them, but in view of national security wouldn’t be publishing any of those pictures here.
After experiencing the hospitality of our army men, a further drive of 15 km, we soon reach the much awaited Gurudogmar lake. This surely is a place whose beauty cannot be expressed in words. It has breathtaking views of the snow caped mountains and frozen lake. The lake looks serene and extremely beautiful. There is a lot of snow here, but we are already so dizzy that we have no stamina to play in this snow.
We walk towards a little structure which was once a Gurudwara but now a Gumpa (Buddhist temple). There is dispute as to who reached here first: the Buddhist Guru Padmasambhava or Sikh Guru Nanak. Read it up online, it’s an interesting read. A part of lake where one of these Gurus (or both) had blessed by touching their hands, does not freeze and provides fresh drinking water for the local residents year around. There is an interesting folklore associated with this lake resulting in a dispute between the Sikhs and local Sikkimese. Do Look it up.
Only Indian tourists can visit this lake, foreign tourists need special permission. We had submitted our Aadhar card copies and photographs in order to get permission to visit. It’s one of the highest lakes in India and the world located at an altitude of 17,800 ft.
It is very important that we do not rush with any activities here. Slow movements are recommended due to heaviness feeling in the chest. That’s exactly what we did too. We spend around 30 mins here, experiencing eternal bliss, more than its not recommended anyways. I wish I had the endurance stamina to withstand the cold and pressure, would have definitely spent more time here. Beautiful lake, beautiful experience, and salute to the protectors of our country…. We now alight with such unforgettable memories. We reach Lachen around 1 pm, have lunch and leave for Lachung. It’s a 3-4-hour drive and we reach our hotel at 6 pm. Average room, I would say. Our homestay experiences so far have been mind-blowing except Lachen and Lachung. Here, the rooms smell humid, but we are so famished that we hit the bed immediately for a nap. A little walk around the hotel at night, a very tasty dinner (needless to say) and we are ready to call it a day.
TRAVELLER TIPS (MORE LIKE A DO – DON’TS)
- Since Guru Dongmar is at a height, please refer to a doctor before making this journey and keep neccessary medicines handy. ( I know a friend with Asthma, who was perfectly well here, whereas her husband who had no health issues at all was dizzy all the time)
- Bring lots of woollens here, its really cold. Ensure to cover the nose, ears, mouth et all, maybe a monkey cap with just the eyes open to look around.
- Do not jump around or make any quick movements.
- Summary
- Distance travelled from Lachen to Gurudongmar – 65 kms
- Gurudongmar Lake altitude -18,100 ft
- Lachung Altitude – 9000 ft
- Distance traveled from Lachen to Lachung – 47 kms
Homestay Review Hotel Golden Fish, Lachung
- Rooms – a very basic hotel again, humid smelling rooms like they are hardly used, providing just the basic stay facilities, not too impressive. (the owner is making a bigger and better hotel right next to this one, under construction, should be done by beginning of 2020.)
- Location – Maybe Good, Didn’t really explore the village.
- Food – Very Good (Ginger tea here again). Hotel Package is with dinner, next day breakfast and lunch.