Adventure · Dubdi Monastery
Early climb to Dubdi from Yuksom
Walk an hour up through forest from Yuksom to Dubdi, dated to 1701 and called Sikkim's oldest monastery, arriving while the hill is quiet and the light soft.
Photo: Rangan Datta Wiki · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Leave Yuksom soon after breakfast. The trail climbs steadily for about 3 km and 300 m of height through mixed forest of oak, chestnut and rhododendron, with stone steps on steeper sections and a few benches. Most walkers take an hour, stopping to catch their breath.
At the top, Dubdi sits in a small clearing with prayer flags and a courtyard. If the caretaker monk has been told you are coming, he may open the prayer hall to show the statues and murals; leave a donation and thank him.
Rest in the courtyard, then walk down in 40 minutes, back in time for lunch in Yuksom and an afternoon at Norbugang or a drive to Tashiding.
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Questions travellers ask
Before you book
How long is the walk to Dubdi Monastery?
About 3 km each way with roughly 300 m of climb. Most people take an hour going up and 40 minutes coming down. Allow 2.5 hours in total, including time at the monastery.
Is the Dubdi walk hard?
It is moderate: a steady climb on a clear path with steps in places. Reasonably fit adults and active children manage it. Older travellers can do it slowly with rests and a walking stick. Avoid it in heavy rain, when steps are slippery.
Will the monastery be open?
Only a caretaker monk lives at Dubdi, and the hall is opened when he is there. Ask your hotel or homestay to let him know you are coming, ideally the day before. Even when the hall is closed, the grounds and views are worth the walk.
Also in Dubdi Monastery
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A quiet sit at the Hermit's Cell
Spend an unhurried hour in the courtyard or hall of Dubdi, the 'retreat' linked with the hermit lama Lhatsun Chempo, in silence …
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Dubdi, Norbugang and Kathok in one morning
Link the three sites of Sikkim's founding on foot: climb to Dubdi at dawn, walk down to Norbugang's coronation throne and finish …
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