Best Tourist Places in Lachen, North Sikkim, Sikkim, India

Best Tourist Places in Lachen, North Sikkim, Sikkim, India

Lachen town is located in the state of Sikkim on the Indian continent in the North Sikkim district. The coordinates of Lachen are 27.71668⁰N and 88.557755⁰E. Lachen is 2750 meters above sea level. During the summer season the temperature ranges from 10⁰C to 28⁰C and in winter season the temperature ranges from -5⁰C to 16⁰C.

The period from October to May is the most preferred time for touring Lachen.

History of Lachen

The people residing in Lachen, during ancient, were known as Lepcha People. The 9^th century saw the arrival of Buddhism religion in the region. Guru Rinpoche was the one to introduce Buddhism in this region. Many Tibetans migrated to Sikkim in the 11^th century. In 13^th one of the prince of Kham located in the Eastern Tibet migrated to Sikkim and settled down in the Chumbi Valley in Sikkim. Many books were written during this era mentioning the events that took place. In the year 1642, Phuntsog Namgyal, who was one of the descendants of the prince who migrated from Kham, was made the King of the entire Sikkim state.

Between the years 1670 to 1788, Sikkim was invaded by Bhutan and Nepal forcing the King to go to exile in Tibet. In 1793 the exiled King returned back to Sikkim after a signing a pact with Nepal. The year 1813 witnessed the entry of British East India Company into Sikkim. The British rule ended in the year 1918 and Sikkim was declared an independent Monarch state. In the year 1975 on 14^th April, Sikkim merged with India.

People & Culture of Lachen

Majority of the population of Lachen are Buddhist followers while the rest are followers of Hinduism or Jainism religion. Sikkimese, Bengali, Nepali, Hindi and English are the languages spoken by the people in Lachen, with Sikkimese being the local language.

One of the biggest festivals in Lachen is Lampokhari Tourism festival. The festival Loosong happens to be the traditional New Year.

Agriculture and cattle rearing are the occupation of the people in Lachen.

Food and Shopping at Lachen

One can savor the taste of Indian, Tibetan and Chinese cuisines. Rice, potato and pork is the staple food of the people in this region.

There are plenty of shops selling handicraft items, beautiful canvas paintings, Tibetan carpets and rugs and many more wonderful artifacts. There are also shops selling hand woven items and garments. Names of some well known shopping centers in Lachen are listed below

Old Market
Lall Market
New Market at Mahatma Gandhi Marg

Tourist Places in and near Lachen

There are few places with amazing landscapes of interest in and around Lachen. Some of them are listed below:

Gurudongmar Lake

Resting among the snow clad peaks is this beautiful calm lake providing an undisturbed mirror image of the overhead sky.

Lachen Monastery

The oldest monastery in Lachen, it is situated besides the Green Lake which is a much favored spot among campers and mountaineers.

Kangchendzonga National Park

Located on the highest altitude, this park is home to numerous species of beautiful flowering plants. The national park is visited seasonally by migrating birds every year.

Rong Lungten Lee

This museum has antiques and scriptures belonging to the ancient Buddhist civilization in Lachen.

Sirijonga Yuma Mangheem

Sirijonga Yuma Mangheem is famous in Lachen for the holy caves. Adventure sports such as trekking, mountain biking and mountain climbing are also conducted here.

There are also other tourist places of interest in Lachen such as

Singhik
Labrang Monastery
Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary

Means of Commutation to Lachen

Lachen is well connected to various places in India via roadways, railways and airways. The distance of Lachen, via road, from cities within the state and Neighboring cities are mentioned below

Mangan is located at a distance of 54 km
Gangtok is located at a distance of 117 km
Kalimpong is located at a distance of 147 km
Siliguri is located at a distance of 187 km
Delhi is located at a distance of 117 km
Kolkata is located at a distance of 578 km

Inter city transportation is facilitated by city bus and taxis

The closest railway station to Lachen is located at Siliguri and Guwahai.

Bagdogra Airport in Siliguri connects Lachen to the rest of the places in India via airways. There are regular flights from New Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati to Sikkim.

Accommodation Options at Lachen

To cater to the accommodation needs of the tourist in Lachen there are three star hotels and resorts offering outstanding facilities at a nominal tariff of Rs. 2500/- per day. There are also budget class hotels where room is rented at Rs. 400/- per day. Names of hotels in Lachen are: