Lachen is a Bhutia village at about 2,750 m in the Lachen Chu valley, roughly 120 km and 5–6 hours from Gangtok. It is the overnight stop before Gurudongmar Lake, governed by its own Dzumsa council, with an 1858 Nyingma monastery. Reopened in September 2026 after long closures; check current status before you travel.
Bhutia nameLachenMeans: big pass, as against Lachung, the small passSource: Wikipedia, Lachen, Sikkim
Best months
October–November, April–May
Nights we suggest
1
From Gangtok
≈ 120 km · 5–6 h
Altitude
2,750 m
Known for
Gurudongmar base, Dzumsa council, 1858 monastery, yak country
Permit
Protected area permit via a registered agent; Indians only beyond Thangu
Lachen sits on a shelf above the Lachen Chu, a few hours' drive up the valley from Chungthang. Older wooden houses with carved windows climb the slope above the road, the monastery stands at the top of the village, and the hotels cluster along the highway. Beyond Lachen the valley rises to Thangu, the high pastures and the plateau country around Gurudongmar Lake, which is why almost every visitor spends just one short night here.
Like Lachung, Lachen governs itself through the Dzumsa, the village council of its Bhutia households, led by an elected Pipon with assistants called Gyenbo. Lachen people have long ties with the high pastures, and with the Dokpa herders who graze yak and sheep in the Lashar and Lhonak valleys to the north. Ask your host about the summer and winter moves of the herds.
Lachen has been hard hit in recent years. The October 2023 South Lhonak flood tore through the valley below at Chungthang, and landslides closed the road through much of 2024–26. As we understand it, Lachen reopened on 9 March 2026 over a new Bailey bridge on the Taram Chu, closed again in April, and permits resumed around 11–12 September 2026. Check current status before you travel.
Highlights
What to see and do
Lachen Monastery
Ngodrub Choling, a Nyingma monastery built in 1858 at the top of the village, with a monastic school and wide views down the valley. Its Gomchen (hermit lama) taught Alexandra David-Néel in the 1910s, and the monastery looks after the shrine at Gurudongmar Lake.
Gateway to Gurudongmar
Lachen is the last sensible night before Gurudongmar Lake, about 67 km and 3–3.5 hours further. Vehicles leave at 4–5 am. Eat early, sleep early and keep warm clothes ready the night before.
The old village above the road
Above the hotels, Lachen's older houses of wood and stone, prayer flags and stacked firewood show how the village lived before tourism. A short walk at dusk, with permission, gives a sense of a working high village.
Yak and herder country
North of Lachen lie the summer pastures of Thangu, Chopta, Lashar and Lhonak, where Lachenpa and Dokpa herders keep yak and sheep. You may pass herds on the Gurudongmar road; ask before photographing herders.
Thangu and Chopta beyond
About 30 km above Lachen, Thangu village at about 3,900 m is the breakfast stop on the way to the lake, and Chopta Valley nearby is a high meadow that flowers in summer and freezes in winter.
The story of Lachen
The Frenchwoman and the hermit of Lachen
In late May 1912 a French scholar of Buddhism, Alexandra David-Néel, arrived in Lachen and met the Lachen Gomchen Rinpoche, the hermit lama and superior of the village monastery. According to Wikipedia's account of her life, drawn from her own writings and biographies, she stayed in and around Lachen on and off for several years, living for long periods in a cave hermitage at about 4,000 m above the village. The Gomchen taught her meditation and Tibetan practices, and gave her the religious name Yeshe Tome, Lamp of Wisdom. Sidkeong Tulku Namgyal, the crown prince who briefly became Chogyal of Sikkim in 1914, visited them at Lachen, and the three discussed reforming Buddhism in the kingdom. From her retreat near Lachen she slipped across the border into Tibet in 1916, without permission, to visit Tashilhunpo, and the British authorities expelled her from Sikkim on her return. Years later, in 1924, she reached Lhasa in disguise and became famous in Europe. Her Tibetan journey began in this village, with a hermit most visitors have never heard of.
Source: Wikipedia, Alexandra David-Néel; David-Néel, My Journey to Lhasa (1927)
Little known
Things most visitors never hear
Lachen Monastery, also called Ngodrub Choling, was built in 1858 and belongs to the Nyingma school; it houses the Lachen Monastic School.
Source: Wikipedia, Lachen Monastery
After a review by a state committee in 2001, the shrine building at Gurudongmar Lake was handed to Lachen Monastery, which keeps a lama there as caretaker.
Source: Wikipedia, Gurudongmar Lake
Lachen's Dzumsa is led by the Pipon and assistants called Gyenbo, and Sikkim law has recognised it as the village's local government since the 1990s.
Most visitors join a shared 2N/3D Lachen–Lachung package from Gangtok, with permit, simple stays and meals. Jeeps leave Gangtok around 10–11 am and reach Lachen late afternoon.
Private car
A private registered SUV takes 5–6 hours for about 120 km via Mangan and Chungthang. Your agent handles the permit. Vehicles must cross the Toong check post by 4:00 pm.
From Bagdogra / NJP
Drive 4.5–5 hours to Gangtok on NH10, or via Kalimpong or Algarah when NH10 is closed, and spend a night there before heading north. A same-day transfer to Lachen is not possible.
Indian travellers need a protected area permit for Lachung, Yumthang, Zero Point, Lachen, Thangu and Gurudongmar, issued only through Sikkim Tourism-registered agents and tied to a registered tourist vehicle; operators require a minimum two-night stay. Dzongu needs its own permit, usually obtained in Mangan. Children under five are not permitted in North Sikkim protected areas. Foreign nationals need the online Sikkim restricted area permit and may visit Lachung, Yumthang and Zero Point on a group permit, but not Gurudongmar; for Lachen and Thangu, ask us. Check current status before you travel.
Lachen has a small range of hotels along the highway and family homestays in the older village above. On a budget, a Lachenpa homestay with dinner and an early breakfast costs about ₹1,200–2,000 per person. Summit Gangchen, run by the Sikkim-based Summit group, is the largest and best-equipped hotel, with heated beds, and is our comfort choice before the cold Gurudongmar morning. Capacity is limited since the 2026 reopening, so book early.
Lay out warm clothes and documents the night before; you leave for Gurudongmar at 4–5 am.
Skip alcohol in Lachen; it worsens altitude symptoms at the lake next morning.
Carry a refillable bottle; Lachen has restricted packaged water bottles at times.
Children under five are not permitted in North Sikkim protected areas.
Foreign nationals: rules for Lachen and Thangu are unclear, so ask us first.
Month by month
When to visit Lachen
JFMAMJJASOND
BestGoodAvoid or closed
Lachen is at 2,750 m. Spend a night lower down first, climb slowly and drink water. Headache, nausea or breathlessness at rest mean go down. The altitude ladder.
As we understand it, Lachen reopened on 9 March 2026 over a new Bailey bridge on the Taram Chu, closed again in April after a landslide, and permits resumed around 11–12 September 2026 after the road was repaired on 29 August. Check current status before you travel; we confirm before every departure.
How far is Lachen from Gangtok?
About 120 km by the North Sikkim Highway via Mangan and Chungthang, usually 5 to 6 hours. Rebuilt stretches after the 2023 flood can be slow. Tourist vehicles must cross the Toong check post by 4:00 pm, so leave Gangtok by 10 am.
Do I need a permit for Lachen?
Yes. Indian travellers need a protected area permit, issued through a Sikkim Tourism-registered agent with a registered vehicle. Rules for foreign nationals in Lachen and Thangu are unclear at present, and foreigners are not allowed to Gurudongmar. Check current status before you travel.
Why stay in Lachen before Gurudongmar?
Gurudongmar is about 67 km beyond Lachen and around 5,150–5,430 m high. Lachen, at about 2,750 m, is the closest village with tourist accommodation and a sensible height to sleep before the climb. You leave around 4–5 am and are back by lunchtime.
What is the altitude of Lachen?
About 2,750 m. Sources give figures between roughly 2,700 m and 2,900 m depending on where they measure. Most people feel mild breathlessness at most. Drink water, eat light and avoid alcohol, since the next morning you climb more than 2,000 m.
Can I do Lachen and Lachung in one trip?
Yes, that is the standard 2N/3D or 3N/4D North Sikkim trip: Gangtok to Lachen, Gurudongmar and on to Lachung, then Yumthang and back to Gangtok. The two valleys meet at Chungthang, so you descend from Lachen and climb again to Lachung on day two.
What does a Lachen trip cost?
Indicatively, a shared 2N/3D Lachen–Lachung package from Gangtok costs about ₹7,000–9,500 per person with permit, simple stays and meals. A private SUV for the same trip is about ₹18,000–24,000 per vehicle, plus hotels. Prices rise in May and October.
Is Lachen very cold?
Nights in October and November are close to 0 °C, and from December to February well below freezing, with snow possible. Gurudongmar mornings can be −10 °C or colder with wind. Pack thermals, a down jacket, cap and gloves, even in May.
Can children go to Lachen?
Children under five are not permitted in North Sikkim protected areas, including Lachen and Gurudongmar. Older children can go, but watch them for altitude symptoms, especially on the lake trip. Consider skipping Gurudongmar with younger children and visiting Chopta Valley instead, if permitted.
Every cost shownRooms, car, permits and our fee, itemised
One person to callFrom Bagdogra or NJP until you are back
No payment to startA deposit only when you book
Get my price
Want Lachen in your plan?
Tell us your dates, who is travelling and roughly what you want to spend. We reply within one working day with a day-by-day route and an itemised price.
No payment to start
Permits handled through registered partners
Every hotel, car and fee listed
Price my Sikkim trip
Tell us dates, people and budget. You get a day-by-day plan and an itemised price within one working day.
