About the itinerary
This eleven day covers two trekking trails. The Bamboo trail takes us to Khedi through the ancient traders trail. The trails leads us through Magnolia and Rhododendron forests that are rich in biodiversity and home to the endangered Red Panda, the great Himalayan bear, Thar, barking deers and flying squirrels. On our way we pass Tibetan pilgrim sites, cascading waterfalls and magnificent mountain views. Overnight we stay at traditional Bhutia villages where we experience the culture with the locals and enjoy their traditional cuisine.
Before commencing on the second trek, we visit the Kangchendzonga Conservation Committee which will give us a good insight in the environment of the area we will trek through. The trek starts in Yuksam, the first capital of the erstwhile kingdom of Sikkim. Here we enter the Khagchendzonga National Park with its rich natural diversity & cultural ethnicity. On our way we visit the Dubdi monastery, also known as the Hermit's Cell, after its reclusive founder Lhatsun Namkha Jigme. It was built by the followers of the Nyingmapa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. This 5 day trail will lead us through lush forests and over hilltops treating us once again on impressive views of this beautiful area.

Itinerary:
Day 1 Gangtok:
Arrive Bagdogra/NJP, drive to Gangtok [4 hrs 30 min drive]

Overnight ~ Hotel/Guest House

Day 2 Rumtek:
Gangtok Sightseeing of Handicraft Centre and Institute of Tibetology. Drive to Teen Taley Resort for lunch. Afternoon hike around the resort complex.

Overnight ~ Teen Taley Resort.

Day 3 Temi:
Breakfast at Teen Taley and walk to the old and new Rumtek Monastery. Drive and walk through the terraced paddy fields of Martam. Packed lunch midway. Cross the Teesta River and drive uphill to Temi Tea gardens. Walk through the Temi Tea Gardens. Visit the tea factory and observe the tea processing.

Overnight ~ Homestay [Bhutia House]

Day 4 Namchi:
Breakfast at Homestay and drive to Biodiversity Park. Walk along the temperate forest for an hour. Visit Tendong hill. Return to Damthang for lunch. Drive to Namchi.

Overnight ~ Hotel.

Day 5 Namchi:
Explore Namchi. Drive to Boomtar Blind School and activity with the school children.

Overnight ~ Hotel

Day 6 Namchi:
Drive via Kamrang village to Reshi Hot Springs. Lunch at hot springs. Via Legship drive to Dalep Village and walk to Kewzing village.

Overnight ~ Homestay.

Day 7 Kewzing:
Kewzing drive to Ralang Monastery. Explore Ralong. On return walk for an hour towards Ravangla. Lunch at Florida restaurant at Ravangla. In the evening walk/drive to Bon Monastery. Walk to Kewzing village via Doling Monastery. Attend late evening Cultural Show.

Overnight~ Homestay.

Day 8 Pemayangste:
Kewzing drive to Pemayangste in West Sikkim. Check into hotel and have lunch.
Walk to Pemayangste Monastery

Overnight ~ Hotel.

Day 9 Yuksam:
Drive to Khecheopalri Lake. From the lake area hike down to Rathong bridge, cross the river and drive to Yuksam.

Overnight ~ Hotel.
 
Day 10 Yuksam:
After breakfast visit Dubdi monastery and Norbugang - the Corornation Throne.
In the evening visit the National Park - walk for an hour and on return visit the Khangchendzonga Conservation Committee [KCC] visitor information centre [VIC]. Interaction with KCC Members.

Overnight ~ Homestay.

Day 11 Departure:
Yuksam to Bagdogra [5 hrs drive]

How this particular trip makes a difference to the local community / environment :
By working only with local partners who share our sustainable values we ensure that the economic benefits reach the local community. The trackers, porters, home stay providers, the chefs and our local assistants are assured of direct support from our trips.

In Pastanga all activities are part of social development programs where tourism is used as a tool for providing sustainable sources of income. Our local partners consists of local community members, both female and male, who work with us through their home stays and cultural performances.The cultural activities in this holiday are promoted to ensure that it helps preserve the unique cultural tradition lively. In Pastanga for instance, the Nepali and Bhutia dancers perform their traditional folk songs which provides supplementary source of income for their family.

Traveler's interest in these performances is an incentive for the young kids to also learn the traditional music and dance arts, ensuring that these cultural treasures are being kept lively.

The numerous village walks give you a good insight in the traditional life of the Lepchas and Bhutias living in North-Sikkim.

There was a growing concern amongst the local Sikkimese community to minimize the various negative impacts of tourism and actively conserve the resources that attracted visitors to this area. Out of this shared concern, different stakeholders from the community along with our local partners work together under the banner of Khangchendzonga Conservation Committee (KCC).

In Yuksam we will visit their information centre and get the opportunity to interact with members who can inform you about the issues going on in this region and the local initiatives that are being taken. Funds used from similar holidays have been used to form an association of porters who have been trained to minimize the human impacts on the environment whilst in nature. They make sure all garbage will be brought back to Yuksam where it is sold to the scrap collectors. These funds go to KCC.

All the porters are insured by the KCC and have been taught to keep a check on, and monitor all the activities inside the national park. Any illegal activity inside the National park is reported to the KCC office and the forest Department.

Cardamom used to be the main source of income for farmers in Sikkim until a disease destroyed almost the whole harvest. Some of our home stay providers and trackers who assist our camping and trekking activities are from the farming communities who are looking for alternative source of income. With hardly any support from local or state authorities, this concept is well received.

During this impressive trip we often stay in home stays. This promotes village tourism and helps the local communities benefit fully from the economic opportunities of tourism. This also provides the best possible cultural experiences for our guests. The concept of Home stays was introduced in the rural areas of Sikkim with an aim to facilitate alternative source of income directly for the rural people in a sustainable way. The system of Home stay brought in a very efficient way of sharing the income from tourism among several families. Depending on the number of visitors, the hosts have agreed upon a system where they circulate the guests amongst themselves so that everyone benefits out of tourism. A productive way of complementing rather than competing with each other!

In Pastanga, the home stay providers are donating part of their income to a fund that supports the local children's educational infrastructure. This fund also supports capacity building programs like training in language, documentation and conservation for the community members are arranged.