Home Destinations India SikkimGangtok to Yumthang Valley via Lachung

Moderate

On-Road

🇮🇳 India

Satellite

This track was identified and mapped via high-resolution satellite imagery.

ID: IN-SK-03

North Sikkim is a protected area: all visitors travel on a guided tour with a permit arranged in Gangtok through a registered operator, usually 1-2 days ahead. Foreign nationals also need the Sikkim Restricted Area Permit. Roads can close after landslides or heavy snow.

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Lachung

Gangtok to Yumthang Valley via Lachung

Added on 14 Oct 2026

Logged by @trailx

The North Sikkim road from Gangtok up the Teesta valley through Mangan and Chungthang to Lachung, a former trading post near the Tibet border, and on to the Yumthang Valley sanctuary at about 3,564 m. Yumthang has hot springs, grazing yaks and meadows that flower in spring.

Trail Map

Initialising Map Engine...

Trail Profile

General Instructions

About 150 km one way; Gangtok to Lachung alone takes 5-6 hours, so most trips overnight in Lachung and visit Yumthang early next morning. Tourist season runs October to May; the monsoon brings landslides. Watch for altitude symptoms above 3,000 m.

Mission Logs88 waypoints

Distance	Direction & Instruction	Gradient	Gear Gearing suggestions are defensive and based on terrain profile. Always assess real-time conditions and the path ahead personally.
0.0 km	NE Start Point	1%	2H
2.0 km	NE Continue on track	2%	2H
4.0 km	N Continue on track	4%	2H
6.0 km	E Continue on track	6%	2H
8.1 km	N Continue on track	5%	2H

Note: Gear suggestions are based on terrain gradient and are for reference only.

Weather check

At Start

1709m

Sampling Micro-Climate...

27.3299, 88.6142

Slide to preview conditions across the entire route • Point: 27.3299, 88.6142 @ 1709m

Quick Stats

Distance

147.71 km

Type

On-Road Sector

Elevation Range

623m - 3668m

Max Elevation

3668 m

Max Gradient

18.4%

18.8%

Highlights

See Lachung Monastery
Soak in the hot springs at Yumthang
Walk the rhododendron meadows of the Yumthang sanctuary
Stop at roadside waterfalls in the Teesta valley
Continue to Yumesamdong (Zero Point) with a local driver

Field Radio Protocol

VHF-UHF Communication

Signal Verified

Emergency Simplex

146.520MHz

Team Coordination

446.006MHz

Scout Primary

146.400MHz

Propagation Telemetry

Ridge Line

92%

Gorge Floor

18%

Sector Relay: Sector Alpha Relay• 12-18 KM Range

Regulatory Compliance

VHF/UHF frequencies are for monitoring and emergency coordination only. Transmitting on these bands may require an Amateur Radio License or regional government permits. Check local telecommunications laws before operation.

Technical Analysis

Total Ascent

+4160 m

Total Descent

-2203 m

Ruggedness Index

Terrain Roughness Index

Vertical displacement per km. Typical range: 0 (Smooth) to 100+ (Extreme Mountain).

0 (Smooth)50 (Steep)100+ (Extreme)

43.1

Tortuosity Index

Route Curviness Index

Ratio of actual path to straight line. Typical range: 1.0 (Direct) to 3.0+ (Switchbacks).

1.0 (Direct)2.0 (Winding)3.0+ (Serpentine)

2.65

Gradient Distribution

Flat (0-3%)24%

Moderate (3-8%)50%

Steep (>8%)26%

Surface & Hydrology

Paved78%

Unpaved22%

Surface Spectrum Analysis

Asphalt

78%

Gravel

15%

Dirt Track

Water Crossings

Includes only technical water fords where the vehicle actively enters a stream or riverbed. Permanent bridges are excluded from this count.

Difficulty Analysis

SCORE: 42

Difficulty is determined by a technical multi-vector analysis of elevation profile, surface quality, and topographic intensity.

Resulting CategoryModerate

Bounding Box (WGS84)

MIN LAT: 27.329919

MAX LAT: 27.826790

MIN LON: 88.509141

MAX LON: 88.751012

Point Spacing: 43.8 m • Engine: TrailX Precision GPX ANALYTICS v1.0.0

Reviews & Discussion0

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Plan this trip

Before you go: Gangtok to Yumthang Valley via Lachung

Best time to go

Jun–Oct

October to March suits most of the country. The southwest monsoon (June to September) floods the Western Ghats and Kerala, but it is also the main season for Ladakh and Spiti, where high passes are usually open only from June to October.