Budget homestay village · Dzongu
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 a local alternative to large dams, and remain the only way to stay in the reserve.
Photo: Pujarai98 · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
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 a local alternative to large dams, and remain the only way to stay in the reserve.
Dzongu has no conventional hotels. Instead, Lepcha households in Upper and Lower Dzongu take guests, with meals of local rice, millet, nettle soup, greens and cardamom-country cooking. The homestay movement grew out of the 2007–08 protests by the Affected Citizens of Teesta against hydropower projects in the reserve, when young Lepchas looked for an income that kept the land and rivers intact.
Standards vary from simple farmhouse rooms to newer cottages with attached baths. We match travellers to families we know, according to comfort and walking ability. You need a Dzongu permit, and roads were damaged in the 2023 flood and the 2024 monsoon. Check current status before you travel.
Why we book it
What it does well
- The only way to stay inside the Lepcha reserve
- Money goes directly to Lepcha families
- Walks, birding and food you will not find on a package menu
Questions travellers ask
Questions about Dzongu Lepcha homestays
Why are there no hotels in Dzongu?
Dzongu is a reserve for the Lepcha people, protected by a royal proclamation of the Chogyal era generally dated to 1956, under which outsiders cannot settle or buy land. Tourism has grown through family homestays rather than outside-owned hotels. That keeps visitor numbers small and the income local, but it also means simple rooms.
Which Dzongu village is best for a homestay?
It depends on what you want. Upper Dzongu villages such as Lingthem and Passingdang have Kangchenjunga views on clear days and are the road head for Tholung. Lower Dzongu villages such as Hee Gyathang are closer to Mangan. Tell us your walking ability and comfort needs and we will suggest a family.
Is Dzongu safe to visit after the floods?
Dzongu was hit by the October 2023 Teesta flood and by monsoon landslides in 2024, which damaged roads and bridges. Villages are inhabited and many homestays have reopened, but access can change after heavy rain. Avoid June to August, and check current status before you travel. We confirm road conditions with hosts before each booking.
Packages
Trips that use this stay
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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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