Best Travel Point in Sikkim

India's second smallest and least populous State, Sikkim, is a jewel embedded in snow-clad mountains. Barely 100 kms from North to South and 60 kms across, the small State is entirely mountainous with elevations ranging from 250m in the South to over 8500 m. In just a few hours of travelling by road you can leave behind the sub-tropical heat of the lower valleys and get to the cold of the rugged mountains that reach up to the areas of perpetual snow.

The capital, Gangtok (1750 m), is a blend of the modern and traditional, where present day concrete multistoreys cling to the hillside amidst chortens, stupas and monasteries; where you see lamas in their colourful maroon and saffron robes mingle among local youth in jeans and T-shirts.

The State is dotted with Buddhist monasteries, notably the Enchey Monastery at Gangtok, Rumtek Monastery 24 km from Gangtok, and those at Pemayangtze, Tashiding and Dubdi - each with its own history and significance for the people of Sikkim. Yuksom, the first capital of Sikkim, where the first Chogyal was consecrated in 1641, lies 32 km from Pemayangtze in West Sikkim. Apart from being considered sacred by the people, it is also the start point for the treks to Dzongri and other places farther North, as well as to the base camp for Kanchenjunga.