Lachen is the sister town of Lachung, tucked away in the Himalayan wonders, surrounded by the Lachen Chu river and mountain ranges. Located at an altitude of 8838ft and a distance of 109 km from Gangtok, it is the starting point of treks further north into the Himalayas, and also to the nearby Gurudongmar Lake & Chopta Valley. As with all the areas in North Sikkim, travel to Lachen requires permits, being close to the China border. This can be obtained via a travel agency from Gangtok.
Lachung is a small hill town tucked in the Himalayas of North Sikkim, at an altitude of 3000 ft above MSL. The drive to Lachung is as scenic as the town itself. Accessible by road from Gangtok, which is located at a distance of 120km, Lachung is a town out of some old classic book. Most of the houses are made of wood, surrounded by small kitchen gardens around winding roads, small stepped grassy fields, wandering cows, interrupted every now and then by a small shop. Here, you would feel like you have been transported to a different time, except that you still get to use your smartphone when you get the network.
