The weather forecast for the next day was despairing; it was snow and rain. With our hearts as bleak as the forecast, we(my husband and I) went to bed, almost certain that our attempt would be in vain. But technology couldn’t predict mother nature’s modus operandi; when we woke up in the morning, there wasn’t a speck of white in the sky… it was all blue! Our renewed happiness knew no bounds and disregarding the bone chilling cold of the early morning, we got into our hired Innova and began our journey to Gurudongmar Lake.
Gurudongmar Lake in North Sikkim at an altitude of about a whopping 5,425m (17,800ft) is one of the highest lakes in the world. It is believed to be named after Guru Padmasambhava, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism and is sacred to Buddhists and Sikhs.
As the winds get treacherous by midday, all visitors have to leave the place by 11a.m. Therefore, the drive from Lachen(the place where we stay for the night) begins early in the morning and takes about four hours by road.
As we travelled up, we could see the sun-kissed peak of probably the north phase of Kanchenjunga that kept getting bigger and closer as we went higher. After every turn we could see a bit more of the majestic beauty, quite like an iceberg popping out of the ocean. Seeing the snow capped mountains up-close is not only an exhilarating experience but a gratifying one too.
We stopped at a tiny restaurant for breakfast and I guess that was the only one there as the whole world was inside! The brief respite from the cold was all I wanted so I immediately found a place near the fire while the rest of the tourists merged into the swarm of hungry customers on the other side. We had tea, bread and eggs. There were only two items in the menu, this and maggi. 😀
After getting our tummies travel worthy, we got back on the road again. I can’t describe the natural beauty that enveloped us… it was sublime! En route there were several army posts and stations and in one there was a ‘mention worthy’ restaurant(pic below). We stopped there for photographs.
As we neared our destination, the sky suddenly turned a spectacular blue. There was snow everywhere except the main road where it had been cleared for vehicle passage. Upon reaching the parking place, we remained inside the car for a few minutes as advised by our driver. Then we slowly walked up to see the lake. It wasn’t even a five minute walk but it felt like 50. We were out of breath when we reached the top of the hill.
We were still gasping for breath when the lake unfolded in front of us. I had never seen anything as pristine and as pure in my life. The sight of the sparkling torquoise lake surrounded by snow and flanked by the mountains is worth every breath you run out of. The blue of the lake contrasting with the blue of the sky and the white snow… mesmerizing! There was beauty everywhere I looked and I was awestruck. I don’t know if it was the lack of oxygen or the aura of the place, I was light headed for a bit.
After strolling for some time and taking ample pictures, we made our way back to Lachen, with just one detour at Kala Patthar which is another rustic ‘must visit’ tourist spot surrounded by huge, dark, limitless mountains and snowy hills. By this time, the weather had started turning rough and it was bitterly cold so we didn’t spend much time there.
Even with the temperature below freezing point, we were all smiles as we made our way back to the car. The melancholy of the night before was replaced by contentment, fulfillment and a sense of accomplishment.
The one thing I feel when I am in nature, mostly the mountains, is modesty and that’s how I felt throughout my journey to Gurudongmar and back… humbled!
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If you plan a trip to Gurudongmar Lake, please keep the following things in mind:
– The best time to visit are Spring and Autumn. All other times are either unbearably cold or raining.
– Since it is an international border area (China and Tibet), only Indians are allowed there, that too with travel permit(travel agencies get it done. You need pp size photographs and a valid photo ID). The military validates the permit at all checkposts.
– Wear warm clothes. Apart from heavy duty jackets, thermal innerwear, gloves, woollen/thermal caps, stoles/mufflers and sunglasses(if there is snow it is necessary) really help.
– Eating chocolate or popcorn(available at Lachen) at the lake helps prevent altitude sickness to an extent.
– We all have little adventurous streaks, but Gurudongmar is not the right place to show it. It is not advisable to go right down to the lake as coming up may be impossible due to oxygen deprivation.
– Many people carry oxygen sprays and cylinders and some take high altitude medicines before the journey. Please consult a doctor before doing the latter.
– The roads are quite rough, brace yourself for a mountainous drive.
– If you see water running freely from huge pipes in restaurants, don’t panic like I did. Using a tap is not possible as the water freezes if it stops flowing. Also, they have surplus supply.
– On the way to Lachen, do not stop at every waterfall, the next one is always better🙃… and, there are plenty!
Given the high altitude, oxygen levels are really low at the lake and if you aren’t acclimatized enough, you may suffer from hypoxia and other severe health consequences. However, on the brighter side, it is still comfortably possible to spend atleast half an hour there. And… those 30 minutes are totally worth it!
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This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla
in collaboration with Monidipa Dutta.
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