Sunrise over Kangchenjunga at the watchtower

Chatakpur faces north across the deep valleys towards the Kangchenjunga range, and the village watchtower gives an unbroken view above the trees. Ask your host the night before for the sunrise time and the path, which takes only a few minutes from most homestays. Leave in the dark with a torch and warm clothes. By the time you climb the tower, the first light is usually catching the highest snow.

On clear autumn mornings the range shows end to end, with Kangchenjunga in the middle and the lower ridges of Sikkim and Darjeeling below. Compared with Tiger Hill, a few kilometres away, the view here is quieter and closer to the forest, with birdsong instead of car horns. You may share the tower with a handful of other guests at most, even in the busy October weeks.

Clouds are the risk. From February the view becomes hazier, and from June to September it is mostly hidden. If the morning is grey, go back to bed and try again the next day, or come up at dusk when cloud sometimes clears. The watchtower is a simple structure, so take care on the steps in wet or frosty weather, and keep children close.