Village life · Singhik
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 and daily life on the highway, and stop for tea at a local shop.
Photo: Amitabha Gupta · CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Singhik is not built for tourists, and that is its charm. The village runs along the highway and a few lanes off it, with houses, small shops, a school and fields and cardamom on the slopes below. Most families are Lepcha, with Nepali and Bhutia neighbours, and you will hear several languages in a short walk.
Walk slowly, greet people and stop for tea at a local shop. Look for traditional features on older houses, prayer flags, and the way fields step down the slope towards the Teesta. If someone offers to show you their garden or cardamom, take time to listen.
This is private land and a living village, so stay on public paths and ask before taking photographs of people or homes. Watch for traffic on the highway, which is narrow in places.
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Questions travellers ask
Before you book
Who lives in Singhik?
Singhik is a largely Lepcha village; Wikipedia gives the Lepcha share as nearly 80 percent, with Nepali and Bhutia families as well. Most families farm, grow cardamom or work in government and services in nearby Mangan. It is a working village, not a tourist settlement.
Is there anything to do in Singhik besides the view?
A short village walk, tea at a local shop and the view are the main things. Singhik is best as a stop of 20 minutes to an hour, or an early-morning outing from Mangan. Combine it with Dzongu across the river for a fuller day.
Is it safe to walk along the highway at Singhik?
Generally yes, but the road is narrow in places and jeeps move fast. Walk facing traffic, keep to the edge, and use side lanes where you can. Avoid walking at dusk without a torch, and do not stop on bends for photos.
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