Mangan district · Theme
Monasteries in North Sikkim
Prayer halls, masks and butter lamps
Photo: Original: Yoghya Derivative work: UnpetitproleX · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
In North Sikkim, monasteries works best in Gurudongmar Lake, Labrang, Lachen and Phodong. We have 4 packages built around it. Sikkim has a gompa in almost every valley, from Dubdi (1701) above Yuksom to Rumtek, seat of the Karma Kagyu lineage in exile. We time visits for morning prayers and the mask-dance days of the Tibetan calendar, and we brief you on the etiquette before you step inside.
Buddhism reached Sikkim with the Nyingma lamas who consecrated the first Chogyal at Yuksom in 1642. The monasteries that followed, Pemayangtse, Tashiding, Phodong, Rumtek, still run on ritual time: prayers at dawn, cham dances on fixed days of the lunar year.
Walk clockwise, ask before photographing inside a prayer hall, and keep your voice low. Mask-dance dates move with the Tibetan calendar each year, so check current status before you travel.
Places
Where to go
lake
Gurudongm…5,150M
Gurudongmar Lake
A sacred lake near the Tibet border, above 5,000 m
monastery
Labrang2,130M
Labrang
A Nyingma monastery above Phodong with its original timber frame
village
Lachen2,750M
Lachen
Gurudongmar's base village, run by its own Dzumsa
village
Phodong1,400M
Phodong
A Kagyu monastery town on the North Sikkim Highway
monastery
Tholung M…2,400M
Tholung Monastery
Upper Dzongu's relic monastery, opened every three years
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. StartPackages
Trips to start from
Indicative prices per person, twin sharing. Each one can be changed.
Budget
Top5,183M
Gangtok, Gurudongmar and Yumthang budget
Gangtok · Lachen · Lachung · Gangtok
Value
Top3,564M
North Sikkim family trip, slower ascent
Gangtok · Lachung · Gangtok
Budget
Top3,564M
Gangtok and Lachung budget trip
Gangtok · Lachung · Gangtok
Value
Top5,183M
Gangtok and North Sikkim in a private car
Gangtok · Lachen · Lachung · Gangtok
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. StartExperiences
Hours that fit the theme
Adventure
The pre-dawn drive to Gurudongmar
Leave Lachen in the dark, watch dawn break over the Lachen valley, breakfast at Thangu and cross a Tibet-like plateau to reach …
Monasteries and shrines
Walking the pilgrims' shore
At the lake, join the pilgrims' slow clockwise walk past chortens and prayer flags to the small shrine looked after by Lachen …
Wildlife and birds
Yaks and blue sheep on the high plateau
Between Thangu and the lake, the high plateau is grazing land for domestic yaks and home to wild animals such as blue …
Wellness
A safe plan for 5,000 m
Gurudongmar is high enough to make healthy people ill. Our simple plan: two nights of acclimatisation, light meals, plenty of water, no …
Monasteries and shrines
Visiting Labrang Monastery
A quiet hour at a Nyingma monastery built between 1826 and 1843, on a forest ledge above Phodong. See the courtyard, prayer …
Culture
Looking at Labrang's statues, texts and murals
Spend time in Labrang's museum and prayer hall, where Wikipedia records a large collection of Buddha statues, sutras and murals, and a …
Nature
Walking up from Phodong to Labrang
Walk the steep 2 km lane from Phodong up to Labrang through forest, with the option of taking a car back. A …
Culture
Two monasteries in one morning
Visit Phodong Monastery, a Karma Kagyu house credited to 1740, and Labrang, a Nyingma monastery built 1826 to 1843, in one outing. …
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
Comfort
Summit Gangchen
Run by the Sikkim-based Summit Hotels group, Summit Gangchen is the largest and best-equipped hotel in Lachen, with electrically heated beds and a multi-cuisine …
Budget
Lachen family homestays
Lachenpa families in the old village above the road host guests in wooden and stone houses, with dinner and an early breakfast. A low-cost, …
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