Sikkim experiences
Village life
Homestays, farms and harvests
Nights with families in Lepcha, Bhutia, Limbu, Rai and Sherpa villages, paid fairly and booked directly. 35 experiences below, each with its time, cost and the best hour to go.
A night in a Silk Route homestay
The Cho La permit requires a night in an approved homestay at Kupup, Gnathang, Zuluk or Padamchen. It is cold and simple, …
Village life
Walking Martam's paddy terraces
Walk the field bunds and village paths of Martam with a local guide, through rice terraces, bamboo groves and hamlets. Green in …
Village life
Walk from Rumtek down to Martam village
A downhill walk of roughly 6–8 km on village roads and footpaths from Rumtek to Martam, through hamlets, small farms and terraced …
Village life
Rumtek, Martam and Sang in a day
A full day on the western side of the Ranikhola valley: Rumtek Monastery in the morning, lunch at a Martam homestay, and …
Village life
Tea in the bazaar and a stroll in the fields
Slow down in Sang: sit with a glass of tea at a stall in the small bazaar, then walk the lanes between …
Village life
A village-to-village walk in Dzongu
Walk old footpaths between Dzongu villages with a local guide, past cardamom groves, paddy terraces, prayer flags and streams. Moderate effort, big …
Village life
Dusk walk through old Lachen
Before dark on arrival, walk up from the highway hotels into the older part of Lachen, where wooden houses, prayer flags and …
Village life
An evening in a Lachungpa family kitchen
Spend an evening by the stove with a Lachungpa family: butter tea, thukpa, local greens and stories of the Dzumsa, herds and …
Village life
A terraced village walk above the bazaar
A gentle walk on the lanes above Phodong's bazaar, through terraced fields and farm plots. It shows how the town lives, with …
Village life
A short walk through Singhik village
Take an unhurried hour along Singhik's lanes and roadside, a mostly Lepcha village above Mangan. See terraced fields, cardamom on the slopes …
Village life
A night in upper Dzongu before Tholung
Sleep in a Lepcha homestay in upper Dzongu the night before the Tholung walk. You start fresh at first light, eat a …
Village life
Two nights with a Limbu family in Darap
Stay with a Limbu family in Darap, eat home cooking, walk the fields and learn about Limbu language and customs, 8 km …
A working day on a Darap farm
Join your host family in the fields for a few hours: planting, weeding or harvesting depending on season, and learn how a …
Farm walk on the Dentam valley floor
Walk the footpaths between houses and terraces around Dentam bazaar with a local guide or homestay host, seeing how a West Sikkim …
Village life
Travel like a local on Gyalshing's jeeps
Use Gyalshing's shared jeep network to reach Pelling, Yuksom, Dentam or Uttarey for a fraction of a reserved car's cost, riding with …
Village life
Cardamom groves and orange orchards walk
Walk through the shade forests where Hee Bermiok's families grow black cardamom and through their orange orchards, and see how the crop …
Village life
Evening with a Khecheopalri homestay family
Spend a night with a family in Khecheopalri village: home-cooked dinner, stories about the lake, and a morning walk down before the …
Village life
Village fields walk from Norbugang
From Norbugang, wander the lanes and field paths of Yuksom past farmhouses, cardamom and vegetable plots, chortens and mani walls, and see …
Village life
Day drive: Dentam, Singshore and Uttarey
A full day from Pelling down into the farming valley of Dentam, across the Singshore Bridge and up to the forest village …
Village life
A farm walk through Borong with your hosts
An easy walk along the terraces and footpaths of the village with a member of your host family, through maize and vegetable …
Village life
A cardamom and farm day with a Kewzing family
Spend a morning in the fields with your host family: picking large cardamom in the shaded gullies in autumn, sorting and drying …
Village life
Evening with a tea-worker family in Temi
Share an evening meal with a family from the villages around Temi, many of whom work in the estate, and hear how …
Tea and village life at Damthang trailhead
Finish the Tendong walk in Damthang with tea, a plate of momos or a bowl of noodles at a roadside shop, and …
Village life
Cardamom and farm lane walk
A guided stroll through Aritar's farm lanes, where large cardamom grows under alder shade beside maize, ginger and vegetable plots. You learn …
Village life
Cardamom and kitchen garden walk
A slow walk through Lingtam's terraces where cardamom grows under shade beside maize, ginger and vegetables, with a host who explains each …
Village life
Forest walk from Mankhim down to Aritar
A downhill walk through forest, cardamom plots and farm lanes from the temple ridge to Aritar, with a local guide, avoiding the …
Village life
Village walk among the paddy terraces
An easy walk on village paths and quiet roads below Pakyong, among rice terraces, bamboo and ginger fields, with a local guide …
Village life
Terrace farm visit
A guided look at the terraces above the river: what grows, when it is planted and how the family works, if the …
An evening with a Limbu or Lepcha host family
Stay a night with a Limbu or Lepcha family in Daramdin, eat what the household eats and hear how they keep their …
Village life
A night at a Hilley trailhead homestay
Sleep at the road-end in a small family homestay at Hilley, eat a hot dinner by the kitchen fire, and walk into …
Village life
Visit a cardamom and orange farm near Kaluk
Spend a morning with a farming family near Kaluk to see large cardamom growing under alder trees, how the pods are harvested …
Village life
Late-afternoon walk through Okhrey's lanes
Wander the lanes of Okhrey between Sherpa houses, potato and maize terraces, chortens and mani walls as the afternoon light softens. An …
Village life
Farm walk from Rinchenpong to Yangsum
A guided half-day on foot through the farms below Rinchenpong to Yangsum, a family farmhouse built in 1833. See how maize, millet, …
Village life
Orange and cardamom farm visit near Sombaria
Walk down from the bazaar to a family farm to see how oranges and large cardamom are grown on the slopes of …
Village life
Paddy terrace walk in the Tharpu valley
Walk the paddy terraces around Tharpu, warm enough at about 880 m for rice, which the district lists among things visitors can …
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