Culture · Chopta Valley
In Hooker's footsteps up the Lachen valley
In 1849 the botanist Joseph Hooker walked up this valley past Thangu towards the Tibetan passes, describing the herders, meadows and plants above the tree line. Read his account and see how much of it you recognise at Chopta.
Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Joseph Dalton Hooker spent 1848–49 exploring Sikkim, and his Himalayan Journals describe the upper Lachen valley in detail. Above the village he called Tungu, now Thangu, he found open, windswept pastures, yak herders and a flora of small, tough alpine plants.
Reading a few pages before your trip changes how you see Chopta. The meadow, the river and the herds on the slopes are recognisably the same landscape, though a road now runs through it and the border beyond is closed. Hooker's view was that of a 19th-century British scientist, but his observations of plants and terrain remain valuable.
The Himalayan Journals are out of copyright and freely available online. Chapters on the Lachen valley and the passes give the best background for this stretch of road.
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Questions travellers ask
Before you book
Where can I read Hooker's Himalayan Journals?
The Himalayan Journals, first published in 1854, are out of copyright and available free on Project Gutenberg, the Internet Archive and other digital libraries. The second volume covers his travels in northern Sikkim, including the Lachen valley.
Did Hooker visit Gurudongmar?
His journals describe the high country and lakes of the upper Lachen valley and passes on the Tibetan frontier, and he named Tso Lhamo as Cholamoo. We have not confirmed a specific description of Gurudongmar, so we do not claim one.
Why is Hooker important to Sikkim's story?
Hooker's collections and writings introduced Sikkim's rhododendrons and alpine plants to the world, and his journals are among the earliest detailed accounts of northern Sikkim. They are a historical source to read critically, alongside Lepcha and Bhutia histories.
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