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Kabi Longstock : Twenty kilometers on the way to North Sikkim, before Phodong, is Kabi Longstok where the treaty of brotherhood between the Lepcha chieftain, Tetong Tek and the Tibetan chief Khye Bumsa was signed. The spot where the treaty was signed is market by a memorial stone and lies amidst the shadows of tall trees and cardamom fields. Slightly ahead is a small monastery.

Phodong Monastery, Labrang Monastery and Tumlong Palace ruins : All these three are located within an area of one square kilometer and about 40 kilometers from Gangtok on the North Sikkim Highway.Phodong Monastery which belongs to the Kargyupa Sect (Karmapa), is situated about a kilometers uphill by a jeep able road that bifurcates from the North Sikkim Highway. The Chogyal Gyurmed Namgyal built Phodong monastery somewhere in the first quarter of the eighteenth century.The main annual puja is performed on the 28th and 29th day of the tenth month of the Tibetan calendar two days before Losoong when the religious Chaams or dances are also demonstrated.Another kilometer uphill from Phodong Monastery on the same jeep able road is the Labrang Monastery, which was built about, one hundred years later but belongs to the Nyingmapa sect. Just below the road between Phodong Monastery and Labrang Monastery are the ruins of the third capital of Sikkim Tumlong. In the beginning of the nineteenth century, the capital of Sikkim was shifted from Rabdanste to Tumlong, which then remained the capital for almost ninety years.The Raja’s house is now in complete ruins covered with a thick canopy of bushed but we can conjure up an image of what it looked like Dr. Hooker’s account during his visit the imprisonment here in 1849. He wrote in the Himalayan Journal.The chortens surrounding the Palace have however withstood the vagaries of nature and many of them can be seen.There are many buses plying of the route on which Phodong lies. Taxis are also readily available for Phodong from Gangtok. Cheap accommodation is available at Phodong Bazar, which also has a few shops.

Chungthang : Situated about 100 kms away from Gangtok on the way to Yumthang is the small town of Chungthang in North Sikkim surrounded by high mountains that seem to touch the sky. At an altitude of about 1585 m (5200 ft), Chungthang lies at the confluence of the Lanchen Chu (Tista) and the Lachung Chu. From here also the road bifurcates for the Lachen and Lachung valleys.The spot worth visiting at Chungthang is the rock on which legend has it, Guru Padmasambva rested and the imprint on it is said to be his footmark. There is a small opening in the rock, which remains filled with spring water. Adjacent to the rock there is a small stretch of land where paddy grows, defying the conditions which are not conducive to the growth of this crop here. It is said that while here Guru Padmasambva had sprinkled a handful of grains on this spot and paddy has grown here ever since.Chungthang is also a good place to halt for sometime for a cup of tea before proceeding onwards to Yumthang.

Yumthang Hot Springs : Photographs of the natural scenes of Switzerland and Yumthang valley look so similar that it is difficult to distinguish between them. Yumthang which is at an altitude of 3658m (12000 ft) is situated about 135 kilometers from Gangtok in North Sikkim. But going there is like traveling 135 years back in time-it is so remote and almost untouched by the vagaries of civilization. It is well known for its hot springs to reach that one has to walk a few hundred yards from the road and across a pedestrian bridge on the River Lachung. For the convenience of bathers a hut with two pools in which the hot spring water collects has been constructed. Hot water rich in sulphur, emanates from a spring just behind the hut and is diverted to the pools. It is difficult to imagine that water so hot in its natural from could be found in a place so cold.Yumthang is now open to foreigners and has also caught the fancy of filmmakers and a part of some movies have been shot here.Although Yumthang itself is located on a flat valley and is near the tree line, the surrounding mountains seem to touch the heavens. The route to Yumthang from Lachung-adjoining the Singba Forest Reserve-has a very picturesque landscape and is lined with rhododendrons which bloom at their best in May. What is particularly interesting about the rhododendrons of the Yumthang valley is that they bloom in different colour unlike those in other parts of Sikkim, which are usually red.Tourists require an Inner Line permit that can be obtained with the help of the travel agent to visit this place. Blue Sky Tours and Travels (225113, 223330) particularly specialize in package tours to North Sikkim and also have many resorts in the Lachung area. Visitors are not permitted to take their private vehicles to Yumthang. Yumthang has a Forest Department Rest House but tourists are normally accommodated at the Tourist Lodge named Yaksey 6 kms from Lachung towards Yumthang. Yumthang itself has no population and the few yak herders around one nomadic.Another 23 kilometers ahead of Yumthang are the hot springs of Yumey-Samdong on the river Sebu-chu at the foot of the mountain on which lies the Donkiala pass that connects the Lachung valley to the Lachen valley.

Gurudongmar : Yoksum is situated 33 kilometers away from Pelling. The first king of Sikkim was coroneted here on the throne made of stones close to the Norbugang monastery and the chorten. The footprint of one of the lamas, Latsun Chembo, who consecrated the king, can also be seen close to the throne. The small but beautiful Kartok Lake is also situated in Yoksum and is a nice place to spend a quiet moment. About a two kilometers walk uphill from Yoksum is the Dubdi Monastery, which is the oldest in Sikkim. Besides the trekkers huts, which can be booked through the Kanchendzonga Conservation Committee Hotel Tashigang as well as many other hotels, offer good accommodation. Yoksum is a takeoff point for treks to Dzongri.

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