Sikkim Travelogue (Part-3)

 

Gangtok wasn’t as cold as Pelling. The next day, our plan was to cover Nathula Pass, Tsomgo Lake (Changu Lake), and Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir. We started early since there’s a strict 12 p.m. cutoff to reach the check post—post that, entry to Nathula Pass isn’t allowed. The permits were arranged by our tour guide a day in advance.

Nathula Pass, at around 14,000 ft, is not recommended for small children or elderly people due to the thinner air. So, my younger one and my husband skipped Nathula and instead visited Tsomgo Lake and Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir, both located at approximately 12,000 ft.

The road to Nathula Pass is quite good, as it’s maintained by the BRO (Border Roads Organisation), but it was packed with long queues of tourist vehicles. We were advised to carry oxygen cylinders, which are easily available for around ₹500. Once we reached the Nathula parking area, there was no network, so we had to pre-decide a meeting point with our driver—it would have been impossible to locate him among hundreds of cars without connectivity.

Climbing the stairs to the top was when we truly experienced what breathlessness feels like. We could barely manage 3–4 steps at a time before sudden nausea and shortness of breath set in, followed by 3–4 minutes of recovery. It really made me wonder how our soldiers survive at such extreme altitudes. From the top, we could see the mountain peaks of Tibet and Bhutan. A fun fact—your phone automatically switches to China’s time zone at the top, while your watch continues to show Indian Standard Time. Thankfully, climbing down was much easier.

Another challenge was the lack of public washrooms. There’s only one near the Nathula parking area, which made things especially difficult while traveling with kids. Our next stop was Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir, well known for the legend associated with it( you can google about it) .It was truly unbelievable how the temple which had his office and rooms dedicated for him were being maintained. 

We then headed to our last stop of the day—Tsomgo Lake, or “Changu Lake” as the locals call it. The lake was stunning but crowded with yaks and tourists. Yak rides and photo sessions were available at a cost, and the kids enjoyed the ride. As the weather turned colder and windier, we stopped for some hot Maggi and momos before heading back.

We started for our resort around 5:15 p.m., by which time it had already begun to get dark.

The return journey was nerve-wracking due to extremely poor visibility. We could barely see the road ahead or the sharp turns, and the entire drive back to Gangtok was filled with held breaths and tense silence. If you’re planning a trip to Sikkim, I strongly recommend wrapping up sightseeing by 4 p.m. to avoid such risky travel conditions. 

This concludes the last part of my Sikkim travelogue!