Kanchenjunga National Park - Access to the heart of Kanchenjunga National Park, including the vast Zemu Glacier, is generally only permitted to mountaineering expeditions or experienced trekking parties using the services of a recognised travel agency. Gangtok travel agencies are best acquainted with the system and usually have the best contacts.
Gezing - The road from Legship leaves the river and ascends high up above the village for 15 km to Gezing. On Friday, villagers from outlying regions bring their produce into town and a colourful and busy market dominates the main square. Travellers cheques can be exchanged at the Central Bank of India, down a lane behind the town square.
Jorethang - Set in the forested Rangeet Valley, the pleasant market town of Jorethang lies 30 km north of Darjeeling. Across the river in West Bengal is Naya Bazaar.
Pelling - Pelling is perched high on a ridge, 2.5 km from Pemayangtse Gompa, and is rapidly developing into a Bengali hill resort. There are great views north to Kanchenjunga and also to the south when the weather is clear. The town has a post office, but no foreign exchange facilities.
Khechepari Lake - Pronounced 'catch a perry', and sometimes spelt Khechepari, Khecheopairi or Khechupherei, this place is a popular objective for trekkers. The sacred lake lies in a depression surrounded by prayer, flags and forested hills. Resist the temptation to swim, as it's a holy place. If you feel like a dip, you can swim in the river downhill from Felling en route to the lake.
Phodong - Phodong Gompa, north of Gangtok along a winding but largely tarmac road, belongs to the same order (Kagyupa) as Rumtek, but is much smaller and less ornate than that gompa. After the 16th Karmapa fled from Tibet and before he established himself in Rumtek in 1959, Phodong was the most important of Sikkim`s three Kagyupa gompas (the third is Ralang Gompa).
Yumthang Valley - he Yumthang Valley lies 140 km north of Gangtok, at an elevation of 3564m. This region has recently been opened to foreigners, but trekking is still prohibited. The best time to visit is in April and May, when the rhododendrons are in full bloom. There are hot springs, covered by a wooden shelter.
Rumtek Gompa - Rumtek, on the other side of the Ranipul Valley, is visible from Gangtok though it`s 24 km away by road. This huge and wealthy monastery is the seat of the Gyalwa Karmapa, the head of the Kagyupa order of Tibetan Buddhism. The order was founded in the 11th century by Lama Marpa, the disciple of the Indian guru Naropa, and later split into several subsects, the most important of which are Drukpa, Kagyupa and Karmapa.
Tsongo Lake - Foreigners have recently been permitted to visit this lake (also known as Changu Lake), which is 35 km north-east of Gangtok; technically you should be in a group of four, and need to join a tour (US$ 12). Permits are valid for a day visit only. Numerous agencies in Gangtok offer tours to the lake, and can arrange the requisite permit.
Yuksom - Yuksom (also spelt
Yoksum and Yuksam), 35 km by road from
Pemayangtse, is the farthest north you can get by road in West Sikkim and is the trailhead for those intending to trek to Dzongri. It's a very peaceful village surrounded by cardamom plantations on a wide shelf above the valley of the Rathong. It was here that the
three lamas of the Nyingmapa order arrived to establish Buddhism in Sikkim; the coronation of the first
chogyal of Sikkim took place here. The stone throne is next to a big chorten in a small hall not far from the Hotel Tashi Gang.
