Tsomgo Lake

Tsomgo Lake, also written Changu, is a glacial lake at about 3,750 m in East Sikkim, about 38 km from Gangtok on the road to Nathu La. Tsomgo Lake is roughly oval and a kilometre long, fed by melting snow from the surrounding slopes, and it freezes over in the depth of winter before thawing into clear, dark water in spring.

Tsomgo Lake is sacred to the Sikkimese Buddhists and Hindus, and prayer flags line its shores; local monks once read the lake's changing colours to foretell the future, and a festival is held here at Guru Purnima. The lake sits in a high, treeless landscape of rock and alpine scrub, where rhododendrons and primulas bloom in May and June. It lies inside a restricted border area, so every visit is made with a permit arranged through a registered tour operator in Gangtok, and vehicles return the same day.

What to see

• The lake itself, frozen in winter and clear in spring and autumn
• Prayer flags and the small shrine on the shore
• Yaks decorated for short rides along the lakeside
• The ropeway above the lake for a higher view
• Rhododendron and primula blooms in late spring
• Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir, a shrine further along the road towards Nathu La

What to wear

Tsomgo Lake is cold in every season and freezing from December to March. Wear thermal layers, a down jacket, a woollen hat, gloves and sunglasses, and waterproof shoes or boots with grip, as the ground is often snowy or wet. Roadside stalls rent heavy coats and boots, but your own are warmer and cleaner. Move slowly: the climb from Gangtok gains over 2,000 m in a morning. The Bhutia people of Sikkim wear the bakhu, a long wrap-around robe tied with a sash, and Lepcha men wear the woven dumpra.

Local food to try

Stalls at the lake sell hot tea, momos, Maggi noodles and roasted corn, which help in the cold. In Gangtok, try thukpa, momos, phagshapa (pork with radish and dried chilli), gundruk soup made with fermented greens, and sel roti, a ring-shaped rice bread. MG Marg, the pedestrian main street, has many restaurants, and vegetarian food is easy to find. Chhurpi, a hard cheese, is sold in the markets.

Good to know

• Best time: April to June and October to November; winter snow often closes the road
• Day visits only, roughly 8am to mid-afternoon; the road may close after snowfall
• Permits arranged through a registered Gangtok operator; foreign visitors need a Protected Area Permit and must travel with an operator
• Allow a half-day trip from Gangtok, about two to three hours each way
• About 38 km from Gangtok on the Nathu La road
• Carry passport or ID and photos for the permit; do not litter, as the lake is sacred

Nearby places

Indian visitors often continue from Tsomgo Lake to Nathula Pass on the same day. Back near Gangtok, Rumtek Monastery makes an easy half-day trip, and Darjeeling is about four hours away by road.