Orchards and lanes of old Lachung

The road through Lachung shows mostly hotels. Behind them, the older village climbs the slopes in clusters of wooden and stone houses with carved windows, prayer flags and woodpiles. A guide from the village knows which paths are public and which cross private fields, and can introduce you to neighbours along the way. Two hours is enough for a gentle loop without a hard climb.

Apples are Lachung's best-known crop. Trees blossom in April and fruit is picked from late summer into autumn, depending on the year. Potatoes, barley, cabbage and other hardy vegetables fill the rest of the short growing season. Ask about how families divide work between fields, herds and now tourism, and how the Dzumsa sets rules for shared land.

Please stay on paths, do not pick fruit, and ask before photographing people or houses. On a clear morning the walk gives you a fine view up the valley, and in October the larch and maple on the slopes turn yellow and red.