Nathu La

The road climbs around 18 km higher from the spectacular road that continues from Tsomgo Lake to the nearly 4200 m Nathu La (La is pass in Tibetan). It is always windy and cold at this altitude. There is a sizeable army presence due to the Chinese border on the other side of the pass. It is advised to not spend more than 30 minutes - 1 hour at the top of the pass to avoid the risk of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). A visit to the Nathu La pass is out of bounds for foreigners.

You could then heads towards North Sikkim, which is perhaps the prettiest region in all of Sikkim. North Sikkim is higher in altitude than other regions, and is an area of unspoilt natural beauty, framed by snow-capped Himalayan peaks. A permit is required to visit North Sikkim. Although it is widely believed that a package tour is necessary to explore North Sikkim, in reality it is not so. A unique social system called Dzumsa prevails in North Sikkim, and Pipon (a village headman) is an influential person.