Lost in the Highlands: A Soulful Trek Through Sikkim's Hidden Trails

It begins with a road that climbs—twisting, winding, always higher—until you’re above the clouds. Welcome to Sikkim, India’s tiny Himalayan jewel, where the air is thinner, the mountains sharper, and life somehow simpler.

This isn’t the kind of place you “visit.” It’s the kind you feel—in your lungs, your boots, and your bones.

The Call of the Mountains

Most travelers land in Gangtok, the clean, scenic capital of Sikkim. But the true magic lies beyond. If you’re the kind of traveler who’d trade resorts for ridgelines, head to Yuksom, the trailhead of the legendary Goechala Trek.

Here, mornings start with hot butter tea and views of the sacred Kanchenjunga, the third-highest mountain in the world, glowing pink in the sunrise. The trek winds through rhododendron forests, wooden bridges, and remote yak herder camps. No phone signal, no distractions—just the crunch of gravel underfoot and the silence of ancient peaks watching over you.

Culture Woven Into the Landscape

Sikkim is not just mountains—it’s memory. Prayer flags flutter along ridgelines. Monks in crimson robes walk quietly through centuries-old monasteries like Pemayangtse and Rumtek, where the scent of incense and butter lamps hangs in the air.

Villages like Ravangla and Zuluk feel like something from a postcard—colorful wooden homes, smiling locals, and snow-capped views stretching beyond imagination. Try a bowl of steaming thukpa or homemade churpi cheese, and feel hospitality the way only mountain folk can offer.

Into the Wild

If you crave remoteness, go east. The Silk Route circuit is a loop of hairpin bends and high-altitude drama. Drive through places with names like Kupup and Gnathang Valley, where old trade routes once bustled with caravans and now echo with the wind. Here, every turn reveals a different season—fog, sun, snow, rain—within minutes.

For bird watchers and nature lovers, Khangchendzonga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site teeming with biodiversity. If you’re lucky, you might spot the elusive red panda or even the footprints of a snow leopard.

When to Go

Visit in spring (April to June) for rhododendrons in bloom and clear skies, or in autumn (September to November) for crisp air and brilliant views. Winters bring snow, and monsoons, though mystical, make travel tricky.

The Sikkim State of Mind

Sikkim doesn’t shout. It whispers—through forest trails, in fluttering flags, in the calm of Buddhist chants echoing through the hills. It’s a state that lives at the edge of the world, yet somehow feels like the center of it.

If you ever wanted to lose yourself and find something more meaningful in the process, Sikkim is waiting.