Lachen is a village situated in North Sikkim. It is 129 km away from Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim. Sikkim is one of the most beautiful states situated in the north-eastern part of India. Sikkim is a safe haven for tourists and residents alike. The people here are equally likeable and helpful. And as long as you are in Sikkim you don't have to worry about cleanliness. Sikkim is devoid of plastic and allows you to breathe fresh mountain air!
We reached Lachen in the evening after a 6-hour car ride from Gangtok. October is a great time to visit Lachen and the surrounding places. Situated at a height of 2,750 m, Lachen is breathtakingly beautiful! It sure was chilly as compared to Gangtok. No doubt we were loving it! Though the main purpose of our visit was Gurudongmar Lake, the journey was something to cherish! North Sikkim! You just can't get enough of it! You wanna come back, again and again! We started our journey at 3 am the next day
Reflection
. After a cup of refreshing tea we prepared ourselves for the destination and the impending journey of course! It started with blue darkness wrapped all around punctuated only by the sound of Lachen river flowing beside like a giant white anaconda, shining in the blue light as we drove by the rugged mountainous road that lay in front. The air so chilly we wrapped ourselves completely. Only the eye remained witness to the dark monstrous mountains all around becoming clearer at every bend as we started scaling height so fast. But, we had just started! The first morning light unwrapped a landscape of snow-capped mountains far away and as we cherished that for hours a time came when the topography lost all its vegetation and the roads disappeared leaving an entire valley of Tibet-like flat topped mountains at one side and the mighty white Himalayas on the other.The shadows of the clouds bearing witness to the vast stretch of mountains! It is between them that a deep blue Paradise is situated and that is Gurudongmar Lake. It is nothing but a dreamscape! Situated at 17,200 feet it is one of the highest lakes in the world and no doubt the best one I have seen till date! The destination is well worth the 5 and half hour difficult journey undertaken from Lachen, not to mention the severe lack of oxygen at the lake and temperatures of 1-2 degrees even in the early part of October. It is indeed an out of the world spectacle - a visual treat! It's beauty is divine and thus the place is devoid of any vegetation, lest they disturb the calm alike godliness! We like all others respected the calmness around. After quite a few snaps of the sacred lake and ourselves we quickly left the place undisturbed, as it always should be. Though another 5 and half hours of back-breaking journey lay ahead, we boarded the car with a smile on our face, blissfully happy to take back memories of Heaven on earth! You need to be there to experience it. Sikkim is incomplete without a trip to Gurudongmar Lake. Believe me, it is unbelievable!!
