Summer wildflowers around Thangu

When the snow melts from the high pastures, alpine flowers follow within weeks. Around Thangu and in the Chopta meadows you may see primulas, louseworts, potentillas and, in places, the blue Himalayan poppy, along with dwarf rhododendrons on the slopes. Wikipedia notes that the Thangu area is adorned with wildflowers in summer.

The catch is timing. The best flowers coincide with the monsoon, when landslides close the North Sikkim Highway often and Gurudongmar trips may be cancelled. Late May and early June offer a reasonable compromise: early flowers and roads that are still usually open.

Never pick flowers or walk across fragile meadows. Photograph from the road edge or a trail, and keep stops short in the cold, thin air.