Yumthang Valley in Sikkim, or Sikkim Valley of Flowers, is a natural and serene sanctuary with water, hot springs, yaks, and grazing pasture on rolling meadows surrounded by the Himalayan mountains in North Sikkim District of Sikkim State in India.
It is popularly recognized as the ‘Flowers Valley’ and is host to the Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary, which has over twenty-four rhododendron varieties, the state flora. The flowering season is from late February until mid-June when myriad flowers grow in multicoloured rainbow hues to carpet the valley.
How to reach Yumthang Valley?
Tourists can fly from Gangtok to Lachung by booking or sharing a complete car, and stay overnight. A direct ride to Yumthang is not possible since the roads are typically foggy and it gets dark really early about 5:30 pm. A journey to the Valley from Lachung, which is around 125 km from Gangtok, takes about two hours.
Things to do in Yumthang Valley
The Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary
Also situated here is the Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary, which extends over an area of about 34 sq km and has a range of over 38 different rhododendron flower varieties. This sanctuary has an upper hand over the other sanctuaries in the Lachen including Dzongro, Barsey and Zema as it has the large varieties of this flower in several bright colours. Some of this flower’s great species include the Arboretum, Grande, Nivale, State flora, etc. The International Rhododendron Festival is conducted annually by the State Forest Department of Sikkim from March to May when the flowering season is on the highest. Just for its beautiful backdrop, it is a must-visit in Yumthang Valley.
Hot water spring
The next stunning thing about Yumthang is the hot water spring. The fact that the warm water emerges naturally from the spring in such a cold environment is always a question of great wonder. And also, spring water is high in sulfur and has a therapeutic benefit with tremendous curing ability. The spring water is transferred to a few pools inside a hut
Zero-point
The name of this place is Zero Point because from this point this is the place where civilian road ends and civilians are not allowed to drive any further. China’s international border is a short distance from the Zero Point and therefore civilians are not permitted to go any further. The view is just amazing-the snow-clad mountain peaks and the convergence of the three rivers simply make this place a visual delight. The Zero Point place remains under snow cover most of the year. There are still only a few temporary stalls at Zero Level. This is one of the must-visit places in Yumthang Valley
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