Road Trip from Dzuluk to Tsomgo Lake-Sikkim

Dzuluk-Sikkim

The Covid 19 pandemic had us locked down in our homes for most of the year. Most of us are raring to travel and so whether you are a biker, a mountain person, a religious or just a regular traveller looking for breathtaking beautiful landscapes then this road trip is a must. This trip has everything for everyone. From the glorious mountain ranges, mystical lakes or the winding roads of Dzuluk to the famed Baba Mandir and the Nathang Valley itself. There are many sunrise points in between and Dzuluk is one of them, so plan your travel wisely if you want to catch the sunrise from these points.

To start with, foreigners are not allowed and Indian Nationals need to take permits either from Gangtok or from Ronglee depending on where you are starting your journey from. The permits need to be taken both for J.N. Road and R.N. Road so that's two entry permits. If you are taking your own vehicle then you would need separate permits for that. If you are using a local taxi or travel agency then most of the times the taxi driver takes care of all of that.

You can  start the travel from Gangtok towards Tsomgo Lake, Nathang Valley, Baba Mandir, Dzuluk, Ronglee and then Rangpo or you could do it reverse depending on your choice. If you are keen to start the Sikkim journey with this trip then you should start from Rangpo. This would give you enough time to stay in Gangtok or cover other destinations in the later stages of your travel. However if you want to do this trip at the end then, obviously you would have to start from Gangtok and then exit Sikkim via Rangpo. You will need to halt at Rangpo which has really good hotel services to offer before starting off for Bagdogra airport or Darjeeling. Whichever is your preference.

The best time to do this trip is ideally in September-October or March-April. However if you want to bite the snow then winter would be the best time to take this route. In the winters the roads are slippery and not very favourable for bikers and, of course, you may miss the brilliant colours that Nathang Valley has to offer. You could also break the journey by taking a night halt in Dzuluk or Tsomgo which has several homestays. This is highly recommended as it will help you to acclamatize to the altitude and the climate because Nathang valley is at 13200 ft above sea level and some of you may suffer from altitude sickness. Do try the trouts that are bred at Dzuluk-you only need to ask the homestay owner.

The weather is unpredictable and changes very quickly which is the wonder and the beauty of the area. Pack for cold and rainy weather and you should be fine. Do not take photographs in areas which have prohibitions to avoid trouble. 

So safe journey !

Thank you to Basant ji for making this trip possible for me. Without your suggestion and initiative this trip would not have been possible