Gangtok Hill Station

Gangtok,the "Lofty Hill" or the "Hill made flat to build the Gangtok monastery in 1716". Gangtok is a city,which,till one sees it,one would believe exists only in picture-story books. In the mystery-laden mists prayer flags whip in the breeze; wheels spin in the hands of Lamas mumbling invocations to God,in the distance are the snows,on the streets amidst brightly painted pagoda roofed houses,lined with friendly smiling people are silver,silk and spice and jewellery to gladden an maiden's heart,from across the seven seas are gadget and goods to delight the collector of "imported goods',while directly overlooking the city is the hill Lukshyma,the 'Mother of Pearl' citadel of the magic mountain,Khang-Chen-Dzod-Nga.

Deer Park:Adjacent to the new secretariat and also called the Rustomji Park named after one of the Dewans of the Chogyal of Sikkim,the park has a big open enclosure in which animals native to Sikkim like the red panda and the Himalayan Bear are kept. A big statue of Lord Buddha commemorating his preachings of the noble truths in the Deer Park at Sarnath adorns the park premises. A butter lamp perpetually burns in front of the statue,which is surrounded with flowers of exotic variety. The park commands a fantastic view of the hills,surrounding Gangtok.

Dul-Dul Chorten:Duddul Chortenat Dotapu Chorten,Gangtok was built under the supervision of the late Most Venerable Trulshi Rinpoche after due preparations in 1945-46,in accordance with the prophecy made in 1944 by the Holiness the Dud-Zom Rinpoche.

White HallIt was built in 1932 in memory of the first political officer of Sikkim,Claude White. There is an Officers Club and a Badminton Court in the white hall.

Lal Bazaar:On Sunday,Gangtok' s Lal Bazaar is a melody of colour. Various ethnic groups from different villages gather to haggle,bargain,gossip or just sell their wares. The marketplace rings to a cacophony of sound-the babble of ethnic tongues,the chiming bells of the Indian sweet shops the whining of a beggar,the chanting of prayers,the advertising of the Sikkim lottery and the blaring Hindi love songs from the Denzong cinema.

Namgyal Institute of Tibetology: It was built in 1958 and is a research center for Mahayana Buddhism and Tibetan culture. Besides being a museum of traditional and old artifacts,tourists can also buy Buddhist religious books and other objects of craft. Gangtok also offers the Orchid Sanctuary,which is the home of some 500 varieties of orchids to the travelers.

Trekking: Great tracts of virgin forests and deep river valleys,offering views of ancient monasteries such as Pemayangtse and Tashiding and the attractive but rapidly developing hamlet of Pelling,characterize the beautiful region of Western Sikkim. The old capital,Yoksum,lies at the start of the trail towards Dzongri and Kanchenjunga. On the far west,along the border with Nepal,the watershed of the Singalila range rises along a single ridge,with giants such as Rathong and Kabru culminating in Kanchenjunga itself. Although only one high altitude trek is currently available,several low altitude treks,free from trekking restrictions,provide tremendous opportunities for trekkers to enjoy the terraced landscapes,waterfalls and forests.

• By Air: Nearest airport is Siliguri.
• By Rail: Nearest railhead is Siliguri.
• By Road: Gangtok is at a distance of 721 km from Kolkata,584 km from Patna,140 km from Darjeeling and 589 km from Guwahati.