Sikkim, bounded by Tibet to the north, Bhutan to the east, Nepal to the west and the plains of India to the south, was a Buddhist monarchy until recently. Travel to Sikkim became restricted soon after it was inducted into India in the early seventies, and only now Sikkim is slowly opening up for tourism. Ranging from 3000 feet to 28,000 feet elevation and located in the monsoon belt, Sikkim has orchids growing in a rainforest climate and majestic snow-capped mountains. The original inhabitants were the Lepchas or Rong-pa, the ravine folk from Assam, who now live in harmony with the Khampas from Tibet and Nepalis from neighboring Nepal. Sikkim, a prosperous and a wonderfully diverse state, has much to offer in terms of both beauty and spirituality. The great climber-writer Fosco Maraini, who strived mightily to enter the country in the 1950s, felt repaid for his efforts when he first saw Gangtok. "It is at the end of a motor-road," he wrote, "but all the same you feel out of the world. The whole thing is a fairy tale."
On this expedition, we combine interacting and meeting local people and exploring monasteries with a moderately strenuous trek towards the base camp of the third highest mountain in the world - the mighty Kanchenjunga. Five Treasures of the Snow, as the mountain is known locally, is a mere thirteen meters shorter than K2, the second tallest mountain in the world. Our eight-day trek will include an optional hike to Go Cha La, a viewpoint at an altitude of 17,350 feet. |
