Mangan district · Theme
Offbeat Sikkim in North Sikkim
Villages few packages reach
Photo: Biswas Dibyendu · CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
In North Sikkim, offbeat sikkim works best in Chungthang, Dzongu, Kabi Lungchok and Labrang. We have 3 packages built around it. Okhrey, Hee Bermiok, Dzongu, Rolep, Kewzing, Uttarey and the new district of Soreng. Quieter roads, cheaper rooms, and places where you are a guest, not a number on a sightseeing list.
Most Sikkim packages repeat the same six stops. A day's drive from any of them are villages with homestays, monasteries and views that see a fraction of the traffic.
Offbeat means simpler rooms, longer drives on smaller roads and fewer ATMs. It also means you meet people. Carry cash and keep a buffer day.
Places
Where to go
town
Chungthang1,600M
Chungthang
Where the Lachen and Lachung rivers meet to form the Teesta
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
Mangan
District headquarters above the Teesta, gateway to Dzongu
waterfall
Naga Wate…1,300M
Naga Waterfall
A roadside waterfall before Toong on the way to Chungthang
village
Phodong1,400M
Phodong
A Kagyu monastery town on the North Sikkim Highway
waterfall
Seven Sis…1,300M
Seven Sisters Waterfall
A roadside cascade in the Kabi forest on the way to Phodong
viewpoint
Singhik1,500M
Singhik
A Lepcha village above Mangan with a view up to Kangchenjunga
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
Top1,500M
Dzongu Lepcha village escape
Dzongu
Value
Top5,183M
Lachen, Thangu and Chopta Valley slowly
Gangtok · Lachen · Lachung · Gangtok
Value
Top5,183M
Dzongu homestay and North Sikkim
Gangtok · Dzongu · 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
Nature
Watching two rivers become the Teesta
Stop above the confluence at Chungthang and watch the Lachen Chu and Lachung Chu meet to form the Teesta, Sikkim's main river. …
Culture
Understanding the 2023 Teesta flood
At Chungthang you can see where the October 2023 glacial lake outburst destroyed the Teesta Stage III dam. A short, sober stop …
Adventure
Lachen or Lachung first from Chungthang
Chungthang is where your route forks. Going to Lachen first and Lachung second usually suits acclimatisation and Gurudongmar timing. We explain how …
Wellness
Chungthang as your altitude safety net
At about 1,600 m, Chungthang is the lowest point between the high valleys. If someone develops altitude sickness at Gurudongmar or Zero …
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 …
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
Hotel Tamarind
A Jain Group hotel on the North Sikkim Highway at Mangan, one of the few larger hotels in the district headquarters. Useful as a …
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