Sightseeing
highlights
Apart from
the natural scenic beauty, you can visit the sacred Gurudongmar Lake,
sacred to Hindus and Buddhists. It is situated at an altitude of 17,100 feet,
close to the Indo-China border. This milky white lake is supposed to be blessed
by Guru Rimpoche or Guru Padmasambhava, who is revered as the patron saint of Sikkim. The
unique feature of this lake is that a small portion remains unfrozen, even at
the peak of winters.
Just 9 km. away from Gurudongmar
Lake is another beautiful
lake, known as Tso Lhamu Lake. It is the source of the River Teesta and is located, amidst high
mountains and lush green forests.
Other
activities
A visit to the Maguthang valley, which lies just east of Chopta
Valley, is a must. The
vast pastures with flowing rivers and occasional Tibetan nomadic settlements
are worth a view.
The
flowers at Thangu valley are known
for their beauty, especially the rare orchids, high altitude flowers and
vegetation.
A yearly Yak
race is a popular sport and attracts a lot of attention from locals and tourists.
The virgin Chopta Valley
is located at an altitude of 13,200 ft in the Northern district of Sikkim and
is virtually uninhabited apart from the seasonal nomads. As one of the very few
accessible places in India, Chopta Valley
can be visited from Magan through Thangu in about 45 minutes. Isolated from the
rest of the state by lofty mountains, meandering rivers, unspoiled verdant
forests and breathtaking scenic beauty, Chopta Valley is an unusual tourist
attraction with its unique orchids, rhododendron forests and high altitude
alpine vegetation. During the summer months, flowers cover the whole valley in
multiple hues, vast green pastures, waterfalls and flowing rivers make it a
beautiful place to visit. While in winters, most of the rivers freeze and the nomads
return to lower areas with their yaks. The amazing bio diversity, scenic
locations and pristine natural beauty coupled with a unique flora and fauna
have made Chopta valley feature on the travel map
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