Sikkim
Small Himalayan state beneath Kangchenjunga
Sikkim, India's second-smallest state, sits in the Eastern Himalaya beneath Kangchenjunga, the world's third-highest mountain at 8,586 metres and Sikkim's namesake protector deity in local Buddhist tradition. Formerly an independent Himalayan kingdom until it merged with India in 1975, the state remains predominantly Buddhist in its northern and eastern valleys, with monasteries such as Rumtek and Pemayangtse among the most important in the eastern Himalaya.
In 2016, Sikkim became India's first fully organic farming state, banning chemical pesticides and fertilisers across all its agricultural land, a distinction that has drawn international recognition. The state's Nathu La pass on the Tibet border, once a branch of the ancient Silk Road, and its high-altitude lakes such as Gurudongmar, near 5,200 metres, make Sikkim one of the most geographically striking of India's Himalayan states.
Curated Experiences
Our journeys in India.
Popular Attractions
3 places
Attraction
Tsomgo Lake
Tsomgo Lake (Changu) is a sacred glacial lake at about 3,750 m on the Gangtok to Nathu La road in East Sikkim.
Attraction
Nathula Pass
Nathu La is a 4,310 m Himalayan pass on the India and China border in East Sikkim, once part of the Tibet trade route.
Attraction
Rumtek Monastery
Rumtek Monastery near Gangtok is the largest monastery in Sikkim and the seat in exile of the Karmapa of the Karma Kagyu school.
Travel Information
Best Time to Visit
March–May & October–November
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Stories from Sikkim
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