East Sikkim
Tsomgo lies 40 km (25 miles) from Gangtok at 3,753 m (12,310 ft). Buddhist monks once foretold events from the changing color of its water. The name is Sikkimese: tso, lake, and mgo, head, the source.
Photo: Bhaskar Palit
836 m long
The lake is 836 m long and 15 m at its deepest. It usually freezes from January into March, sometimes until May, and snow can close the road on any winter morning, so a January trip may end at a barrier short of the shore.
Photo: NSG / Unsplash
October to mid-December
From October to mid-December you usually find open water and the clearest skies, and in autumn Brahminy ducks may be on the lake. After mid-May, rhododendrons, primulas and blue poppies flower around the shore.
Photo: Gokul Arakkal / Unsplash
Guru Purnima
On Guru Purnima, Sikkim's jhakris, the shaman healers, gather on the shore for the lake's healing water. Treat it as the sacred place it is: keep voices low, and carry back down whatever you brought up.
Photo: Ashish Rangwala / Pexels
2,100 m in 40 km
The road gains about 2,100 m (6,890 ft) in 40 km, and the air at the shore holds roughly a third less oxygen than at sea level. We never send you up on your first morning, carry oxygen in the car and keep the stop under an hour.
Photo: Pritam Laskar / Unsplash
Children and grandparents
Permits are issued only for children over five, so a younger child spends the morning in Gangtok with one adult. Most healthy grandparents manage with care. Anyone with a heart or lung condition, or who is pregnant, should ask a doctor first.
Photo: Unsplash
Before you book
A registered Sikkim operator files the lake permit the day before. On a US passport you also need Sikkim's online permit, filed through e-FRRO about 30 days ahead, and a party of two or more. Plan to reach the shore before the late-morning cloud.
Photo: Anita Prasad / Pexels