Difference between revisions of "Yuksom"

Revision as of 13:17, 13 April 2009

Yuksom is a small village in Sikkim. It is said that it was the first capital of Sikkim.

Very calm and peaceful. A real get-away for those who want to avoid the tourist crowd.

Get in

Reach here in 5 hours from Gezing using shared or private jeeps

The nearest railway station is New Jalpaiguri (NJP)which is about 150 km from Yuksom. From NJP , one can get book a taxi to Yuksom in Rs. 2000 ( as in march 2009). Be careful to leave NJP by 11pm as it takes around 6-7 hours to reach Yuksom via Jorethang. The road to Yuksom is poorly lit and it is not advisable to travel in night.

The nearest airport is in Bagdogra, 12 km west of Siliguri , about 170 km from Yuksom.

Get around

It is a very small village so getting around is on foot.

Yuksom is the base camp for many trekkings in Sikkim. One can trek to Tashiding/Dzongri peak/Goecha La from here. You can also trek to Kachupuri lake from Yuksom. Its a relatively tough steep trek (10kms) if you not a high altitude trekker. Jeeps from Kachupuri lake are available back to Yuksom , Geyzing and Pelling. Kachupuri lake is more of a tourist destination and hence more jeeps can be found here.

See

It is a very beautiful place. It is surrounded by majestic mountain peaks (some of them are covered with snow throughout the year).

Do

You can trek to Kachupuri lake (1 day)

Trek to Dzongri (4 days)/ Goecha La (8 days) you get a wonderful view of Kanchandzongha from here and get to see yaks too.

Yuksom is very close to the Kanchandzongha national park. It will take you 2 hours to trek into the wildlife sanctuary and go to a particular waterfall on the way to Dzongri. Very beautiful. You can also bathe here but will need to be careful. Its the coldest , purest and sweetest water ever!

There is a village buddhist temple where prayers happen every evening at dusk. A must to experience.

The place is so beautiful that you can just be here and relax and gaze at the nature for one whole week and you will not know when would time fly by

14 day trek to Kanchandzongha base camp can also be done from here.

If you are a certified Himalayan trekker you would know that all the high altitude treks including Kanchandzongha start from here.

Buy

If you are one of those light weight carrying backpackers. You can buy basic clothes for your travel. Nothing fancy or touristy can be found here. Its not a regular tourist destination.

Eat

Please be ready to have vegetarian food here. Its a very remote area, meat suppies are rare to reach this place. People cook simple nutritious veg food.

Drink

Again since it is a very remote area not sure what alcohol is available here. Many be some beer thats all.

Sleep

A very beautiful government guest house with two dormitories. total # of beds 6. 50 Rs each in Aug 2007. Three private hostels are also present.

Get out

There are several treks leading from this place. Also, there is a Tibetan Sanctuary close by (which is a kind of heaven on earth).

There is only one jeep (Aug 2007) out of Yuksom , starts at 5:30 AM. You need to book it one day in advance to be sure you get a seat. Goes to Pelling and Geyzing