Nature · Mangan
Down to the Teesta at Namprikdang
Drive down from Mangan to the Teesta at Namprikdang, the riverside ground where the Lepcha new year gathering is held, and see the river that carved North Sikkim. Best on a clear winter morning, with care near the water.
Photo: Pinakpani · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Teesta rises in the glaciers of northern Sikkim and runs the length of the state before leaving for the plains. Below Mangan it flows in a deep gorge, and the road down to the river and the bridges into Dzongu drops steeply through cardamom and forest. Namprikdang is a flat ground near the confluence area on the Dzongu side, best known as the venue for the Namsoong celebrations of the Lepcha new year.
Outside festival days it is a quiet place to stand by the river and look back up at Mangan on its ridge. The October 2023 flood from South Lhonak Lake and later monsoon slides changed the riverbed and damaged roads and bridges along this stretch, so the banks today are rougher than in older photographs. Stay well away from the water's edge, which can rise without warning when dams upstream release water.
Ask your driver about current road conditions before going down. Access to some riverside points may need the Dzongu permit, depending on where you stop. Combine the drive with a homestay pickup or a short visit to Singhik for the view from above.
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Questions travellers ask
Before you book
What is Namprikdang?
Namprikdang is a riverside ground on the Teesta at the edge of Dzongu, below Mangan. It is best known as the venue for the public Namsoong celebrations of the Lepcha new year around December and January, with prayers, archery, games and dances. On other days it is a quiet spot by the river.
Is it safe to go near the Teesta below Mangan?
Stay on the bank and keep well back from the water. The river is fast and cold, its course changed after the 2023 flood, and levels can rise suddenly. Do not swim, wade or climb on boulders for photographs. In the monsoon we do not recommend going down at all.
Do I need a permit for Namprikdang?
Namprikdang lies at the edge of Dzongu, and rules depend on exactly where you go. For a festival visit or a drive into Dzongu proper, carry a Dzongu permit issued in Mangan. Ask us or your host before you go, and check current status before you travel.
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