Mangan district · Theme
Crafts and culture in North Sikkim
Carpets, choktse tables and thangkas
Photo: Suniel Pradhan · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
In North Sikkim, crafts and culture works best in Dzongu, Kabi Lungchok, Labrang and Phodong. We have 2 packages built around it. The Directorate of Handicrafts and Handloom in Gangtok, Lepcha weaving in Dzongu, thangka painters, carpet weavers and woodcarvers. We take you to workshops and take no commission on what you buy.
Sikkim's crafts come from its communities: Bhutia carpets and choktse folding tables, Lepcha cane work and weaving, Nepali metalwork and woodcarving. Many workshops welcome visitors.
Buy from the maker or a government emporium when you can. We do not take commission, so we have no reason to push you anywhere.
Places
Where to go
valley
Dzongu1,200M
Dzongu
The Lepcha reserve across the Teesta from Mangan
heritage site
Kabi Lung…1,300M
Kabi Lungchok
The stones where Sikkim's blood-brotherhood oath is remembered
monastery
Labrang2,130M
Labrang
A Nyingma monastery above Phodong with its original timber frame
village
Phodong1,400M
Phodong
A Kagyu monastery town on the North Sikkim Highway
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Trips to start from
Indicative prices per person, twin sharing. Each one can be changed.
Budget
Top1,500M
Dzongu Lepcha village escape
Dzongu
Value
Top5,183M
Dzongu homestay and North Sikkim
Gangtok · Dzongu · Lachen · Lachung · Gangtok
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Hours that fit the theme
Food
Cooking with a Lepcha family in Dzongu
Join your host family in the kitchen for a Lepcha meal from their own fields: rice, greens, nettle or fern, local meat …
Village life
A village-to-village walk in Dzongu
Walk old footpaths between Dzongu villages with a local guide, past cardamom groves, paddy terraces, prayer flags and streams. Moderate effort, big …
Craft
The cardamom harvest in Dzongu
In autumn, follow a Dzongu family to their cardamom grove under the alder trees and watch the pods being cut, sorted and …
Nature
Streams, falls and hot springs of Dzongu
Spend a day with your host visiting the waterfalls, river bends and, where open, the hot springs of Dzongu, places that the …
Culture
Standing at the blood-brotherhood stones
Spend half an hour among the stone pillars and statues at Kabi Lungchok, where Sikkim's histories place the oath between the Lepcha …
Culture
Telling the oath story to children
A simple way to bring Sikkim's founding story to life for children: read a short summary in the car, stand at the …
Wildlife and birds
Early bird walk around Kabi forest
A slow early walk along the highway edge and forest tracks near Kabi Lungchok. The surrounding subtropical hill forest is recorded as …
Culture
Gangtok to Phodong day loop by car
Hire a small car for a day loop up the North Sikkim Highway: Tashi View Point, Kabi Lungchok, the Seven Sisters Waterfall, …
Price your own route
Tell us dates, people and budget. We send a day-by-day plan with every cost shown. StartNot sure where to start?
We match districts to your month, your budget and the people travelling with you. StartAsk the Gangtok desk
An itemised quote within one working day. No payment to start. StartStays
Where we would book
Budget
Mayal Lyang Homestay
A Lepcha family homestay at Passingdang in Upper Dzongu, run by Gyatso Lepcha and his family, one of the first in Dzongu. Wooden rooms, …
Budget
Dzongu Lepcha homestays
Lepcha families across Dzongu villages such as Lingthem, Lingdong, Passingdang and Hee Gyathang host guests in traditional homes. Homestays began here around 2006–08 as …
Price your own route
Tell us dates, people and budget. We send a day-by-day plan with every cost shown. StartNot sure where to start?
We match districts to your month, your budget and the people travelling with you. StartAsk the Gangtok desk
An itemised quote within one working day. No payment to start. StartGet my price
Tell us your dates and your budget
Who is travelling, when, and roughly what you want to spend. The Gangtok desk replies within one working day with a day-by-day plan and an itemised price.
- No payment to start
- Permits handled through registered partners
- Every hotel, car and fee listed