Explore Natural Beauty of India: June 2023

Monday, June 5, 2023

Yumthang Valley of Flowers, Lachung, Sikkim

Yumthang Valley of Flowers, Lachung, Sikkim

Yumthang Valley of Flowers is a natural sanctuary located near Lachung Town in Mangan District in Sikkim, India. It is also called as Sikkim Valley of Flowers sanctuary. It is home to the Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary and situated close to the international border with Tibet.

The Valley of Flowers

It is a nature sanctuary with river, hot springs, yaks and grazing pasture on rolling meadows surrounded by the Himalayan Mountains. It is situated at an elevation of 3,564 metres (11,693 ft) above msl. It is home to the Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary, which has over twenty-four species of the rhododendron, the state flower. The flowering season is from late February and to mid-June when countless flowers bloom to carpet the valley in multicolored hues of rainbow. During the flowering season, the area blooms with rhododendrons, primulas, iris, poppies and other flora.

It also offers a view of a stunning array of peaks with Pauhunri and Shundu Tsenpa. A tributary of the river Teesta flows past the valley. Yumthang is closed between December and March due to heavy snowfall. A number of hot springs are scattered in the valley providing an opportunity to feel the warmth of the water even in freezing temperatures. These hot springs are rich in Sulphur and are believed to have miraculous healing powers. There is no accommodation available in the valley. Visitors need to stay at Lachung from where the valley is about an hour’s drive.

Connectivity

The valley is located at about 22 Kms from Yumesodong, 25 Kms from Zero Point, 26 Kms from Lachung, 47 Kms from Chungthang, 72 Kms from Lachen, 77 Kms from Mangan, 135 Kms from Gangtok, 153 Kms from Pakyong Airport, 209 Kms from Siliguri Junction Railway Station, 215 Kms from New Jalpaiguri Railway Station and 221 Kms from Bagdogra Airport. Yumthang Valley is situated on Lachung to Zero point route.

Tourists need to travel from Gangtok to Lachung Town by booking a full vehicle or shared one and stay overnight. Lachung provides the base for the exploration of Yumthang, the valley of flowers. A direct journey to Yumthang is not feasible as roads are commonly foggy and it becomes dark very early around 5:30 pm. A trip to the Valley takes around two hours from Lachung. The trips are arranged as a tourist package in Gangtok.

Location

Khangchendzonga National Park – The National Park

Khangchendzonga National Park – The National Park

The park has an area of 849.50 km2 (327.99 sq. mi) and has an elevation of 1,829 m (6,001 ft) to over 8,550 m (28,050 ft). It adjoins the Qomolangma National Nature Preserve in Tibet in the north and the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area in Nepal in the west. The park is named after the mountain Kangchenjunga (Khangchendzonga), which is the third-highest peak in the world at 8,586 metres (28,169 ft) tall. The mountain was until the mid-19^th century believed to be the highest mountain in the world. It exhibits one of the widest altitudinal ranges of any protected area worldwide.

The park falls within the Himalaya global biodiversity hotspot and displays an unsurpassed range of sub-tropical to alpine ecosystems. The Himalayas are narrowest here resulting in extremely steep terrain which magnifies the distinction between the various eco-zones which characterise the park. The park is located within a mountain range of global biodiversity conservation significance and covers 25% of the State of Sikkim, acknowledged as one of India’s most significant biodiversity concentrations.

The combination of extremely high and rugged mountains covered by intact old-growth forests up to the unusually high timberline further adds to the exceptional landscape beauty. The park includes a unique diversity of plains, valleys, lakes, caves, rivers, glaciers, and snow-capped mountains covered with ancient forests, including the world’s third highest peak, Mount Khangchendzonga. The park boasts eighteen glaciers including Zemu Glacier, one of the largest in Asia, occupying an area of around 10,700 ha.

This glacier is about 26 km long. Similarly, there are 73 glacial lakes in the property including over eighteen crystal clear and placid high altitude lakes. Mount Khangchendzonga and other sacred mountains represents the core sacred region of the Sikkimese and syncretistic religious and cultural traditions. The primary reason visitors head to the national park is to hike and take the trek out to view the world’s third tallest mountain. There are a few Lepcha tribal settlements inside the park. Snowfall is heavy during the winter months and monsoon showers occur from May to mid-October.

Flora & Fauna:

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-natural-beauty-of-india.blogspot.com/2023/06/khangchendzonga-national-park-flora-and-fauna.html

Mount Kanchenjunga:

Kanchenjunga is the pinnacle mountain attraction in thenational park. It straddles the western boundary of Khangchendzonga National Park. It features a summit of 28,169 feet (8,586 m), making it the third tallest summit in the world. Kanchenjunga is part of the Himalayas that sits along the eastern border of Nepal and India. It was originally believed to be the tallest mountain globally until official surveying concluded that Mount Everest was actually the tallest.

Tholung Monastery:

It is a Buddhist ecclesiastical fortification known as a Gompa. It is situated in the isolated area of Dzongu in the buffer zone of the park. It is considered as one of the most sacred monasteries in Sikkim. It was built during the 18th century and now houses treasured manuscripts and artifacts from other Gompas. It is known to be a storehouse of many rare objects and scriptures, which were brought to this remote monastery from other monasteries across Sikkim for safekeeping during the invasion of Sikkim by Nepal. It serves as one of the foundational reasons for the park to receive UNESCO World Heritage Status.

Nature Interpretation Centre:

The Nature Interpretation Centre is situated at the forest check gate in Yuksom, ahead of the starting point for the trek routes. It offers a fairly comprehensive insight into the park and its natural wealth through display boards and photographs.

Khangchendzonga National Park – Flora & Fauna

Khangchendzonga National Park – Flora & Fauna

The park is home to a significant number of endemic, rare and threatened plant and animal species. The park has one of the highest number of plant and mammal species recorded in the Central / High Asian Mountains, and also has a high number of bird species.

Flora:

It is home to nearly half of India’s bird diversity, wild trees, orchids and rhododendrons and one third of the country's flowering plants. It contains the widest and most extensive zone of krummholz (stunted forest) in the Himalayan region. The vegetation of the park includes temperate broadleaf and mixed forests consisting of oaks, fir, birch, maple and willow. The vegetation of the park also includes Alpine grasses and shrubs at higher altitudes along with many medicinal plants and herbs. There are almost 425 different medicinal species of vegetation.

Fauna:

The animal species found in the park are musk deer, Indian leopard, snow leopard, clouded leopard, leopard cat, golden cat, Himalayan tahr, jackal, large Indian civet, Tibetan wolf, dhole, sloth bear, viverrids, Himalayan black bear, red panda, Tibetan wild ass, Himalayan blue sheep, pika, flying squirrel, mainland serow, goral and takin, as well as reptiles including rat snake and Russell's viper. The dhole has become very rare in the area. The wild dogs in the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve are thought to belong to the rare and genetically distinct subspecies.

Avifauna:

Almost half of all bird species found throughout India may be witnessed in the national park borders. There are about 550 species of birds found inside the park. Some of them are blood pheasant, satyr tragopan, osprey, Himalayan griffon, green pigeon, lammergeier, Western tragopan, Tibetan snowcock, snow pigeon, impeyan pheasant, Asian emerald cuckoo, sunbird and eagle. A new species of bird named Himalayan thrush has been found in 2016. Its scientific name is Zoothera salimalii.

Khangchendzonga National Park – Trekking & Connectivity

Khangchendzonga National Park – Trekking & Connectivity

Most of the trekking routes start from Yuksom in West Sikkim. Necessary Permit can be obtained from the Wildlife Education and Interpretation center at Yuksom or from the check post. State Tourism Department along with other travel agents organize treks to Dzongri (4,050 metres (13,290 ft)) and other places. The popular trek routes are:

· Yuksom - Tshoka - Dzongri

· Bakim - Dzongri - Thangshing - Samuteng - Goechala

· Dzongri Base Camp - Rathong – Khangerteng

· Thangshing - Lam Pokhari - Kasturi Orar - Labdang - Tashiding

Another popular trekking point includes a path to the Green Lake with Lachen, a village in North Sikkim as the starting point. Foreign nationals require a restricted area permit from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, Delhi to visit the park and the associated region. Indian nationals are required to obtain an Inner Line Permit from the State Home Department. Permission of the State Chief Wildlife Warden is also mandatory for everybody visiting the park. The important and popular routes are:

· Lucanes Jakchen-Yabuk-Rest Camp (Marco Polo Camp) - Green Lake

· Lachen-Thasngu (13,695 feet (4,174 m)) - Muguthang (16,000 feet (4,900 m)) - Thay La (17,000 feet (5,200 m)) - Khyoksa La (18,000 feet (5,500 m)) - Rest Camp - Green Lake.

Most of these trekking routes pass through the Kanchenjunga National Park and is shown in the film Singalila in the Himalaya. The best season to trek in KNP is from March to May/early June and again from September/November to early December. In winter, when the high altitude birds descend to the lower levels, the forested trails around Yuksom are convenient for bird watching.

Yuksom is located at about 41 Kms from Pelling, 119 Kms from Gangtok, 122 Kms from Pakyong Airport, 152 Kms from Bagdogra Airport, 140 Kms from Siliguri Junction Railway Station, 146 Kms from New Jalpaiguri Railway Station and 191 Kms from Lachen.

Khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim

Khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim

Khangchendzonga National Park is a national park and a biosphere reserve located in the Mangan District and Gyalshing District of Sikkim, India. It is also known as Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve. It is one of the few high-altitude National parks of India and was recently included as a mixed-criteria UNESCO World Heritage site. The park is named after the mountain Kangchenjunga (Khangchendzonga), which is the third-highest peak in the world at 8,586 metres (28,169 ft) tall. It sits adjacent to the Nepal-India border.

History

This national park was notified in 1977 with an area of 850 square km and later extended to cover 1,784 square km. It was inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in July 2016, becoming the first "Mixed Heritage" site of India. It was included in the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme.