Photo: Tushar2486 · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

LachenHeight above mean sea level 2,750 m

village · North Sikkim

The night stop before Gurudongmar, reopened in 2026

Best Apr – May · Oct – Nov1–2 nights

Lachen is a Bhutia village at about 2,750 m, 129 km from Gangtok, and the base for Gurudongmar Lake and Thangu. After the 2023 flood it was closed to tourists for nearly three years, reopening in 2026. Permits come only through registered operators, and roads still close, so check current status before you travel.

Lachen means 'big pass', and the village sits on a shelf above the Lachen Chu, about 27 km north of Chungthang. It is smaller and quieter than Lachung, with a single main street of hotels, shops and wooden houses below the Lachen Monastery. Most people here are Lachenpas, a Bhutia community with Tibetan roots, and like Lachung the village is run by its own Dzumsa, headed by a Pipon.

For travellers, Lachen is a one-night stop with a 4 am alarm. Groups arrive in the late afternoon, eat early, sleep badly at 2,750 m and leave before dawn for Gurudongmar Lake, 5,430 m and about 3 hours away. They return to Lachen for lunch and then drive down to Lachung. If you have the time, a second night here before going up is the single best thing you can do for your health.

Lachen was hit hard by the October 2023 glacial flood, which destroyed the road and bridges below the village. Tourist permits stopped for 887 days, until the new 400-foot Taram Chu bridge opened in March 2026. A road collapse closed it again in April, and permits resumed around 10–11 September 2026. Hotels are reopening one by one; ask your operator which ones are actually running.

Don't miss

Highlights of Lachen

Base for Gurudongmar Lake

Lachen is where you sleep before the 4 am drive to Gurudongmar (5,430 m), about 67 km and 3 hours away by Thangu. Eat early, drink water, skip alcohol and lay out warm clothes the night before so you are not hunting for gloves in the dark.

Lachen Monastery

The Nyingma gompa of Ngodrub Choling, built in 1858, sits above the village with a view down the valley. It looks after the lakeshore shrine at Gurudongmar and runs a monastic school. A slow walk up is good acclimatisation.

A second night to acclimatise

Spending two nights in Lachen before going to Gurudongmar is the safest plan, especially for older travellers. Use the spare day for gentle walks around the village and monastery, not for a dash to Thangu and back.

Yak country beyond the village

Above Lachen the Dokpa herders move yak and sheep between high pastures with the seasons. You will see yaks on the road to Thangu and around the lake; keep your distance and never feed them.

A village that keeps its own rules

Lachen's Dzumsa banned packaged drinking water in 2012 and keeps tight control over village life. Carry a steel bottle, refill it at the hotel and take every wrapper back down with you.

Told in the hills

The village that banned bottled water

By the 2000s plastic bottles were piling up along the road to Gurudongmar and around the sacred lake itself. In February 2012, on World Wetlands Day, the Lachen Dzumsa announced a complete ban on the sale and use of packaged drinking water in Lachen and everywhere above it, working with WWF-India and the local tourism committee to protect the lake.

The rule only worked because the village gave visitors an alternative. Water filters were placed in hotels, homestays and tea stalls, with support from an international mountain programme, and the hotel association, taxi drivers' union and police agreed to back it. Police at the Lachen check-post were asked to look for plastic bottles in tourist vehicles.

For you, this means carrying a refillable bottle and filling it at your hotel before the Gurudongmar drive. Sikkim later announced a state-level ban on packaged mineral water from 1 January 2022. It is a small habit with a clear reason: the lake you are driving to is sacred to the people who live here.

Pinned to the board

Did you know

Lachen Monastery, also called Ngodrub Choling, was built in 1858 and also runs a monastic school.

After the Gurudongmar dispute, the building on the lakeshore was handed over to Lachen Monastery on 6 July 2001, which keeps a caretaker lama there.

Joseph Hooker set out up the Lachen valley on 3 May 1849, heading for the Kongra Lama pass on the Tibetan border.

Things to do

Four ways to spend a day in Lachen

1.5 hours Lachen Monastery and the valley view Lachen · Free; small offering welcome

Full day, gentle A rest-and-walk acclimatisation day Lachen · Extra hotel night ₹2,000–4,000 per room…

8–9 hours return The 4 am start for Gurudongmar Lachen · Included in packages; private car day ₹…

Seen on the Gurudongmar drive Yak herders of the upper Lachen valley Lachen · Free

Getting there

How to reach Lachen

Group packageShared departures for Lachen and Lachung, two nights and three days, leave Gangtok daily in season. The package includes permit, seat, hotel and meals and costs about ₹6,000–9,000 per person, indicative, 2026. Lachen is usually the first night, so you see Gurudongmar before Yumthang.

Reserved carA private car with a registered local driver for the Lachen–Lachung loop costs about ₹16,000–22,000 per car, indicative, 2026, plus hotels. It lets you add a second night in Lachen. Self-drive and plains taxis are not allowed beyond the checkposts.

Rail / AirThe nearest airport is Bagdogra (IXB) and the nearest major railway station is NJP, both in Siliguri. Go to Gangtok first (≈ 115 km, 4–5 h) and spend a night while your permit is processed. Lachen is then 6–7 hours by road.

Gangtok to Lachen Lachen to Gurudongmar Lake Lachen to Thangu and Chopta Valley

Costs in Lachenindicative, 2026

Group package Lachen + Lachung, 2N/3D₹6,000–9,000 per person, indicative, 2026
Private car for the 2N/3D loop₹16,000–22,000 per car, indicative, 2026
Extra night in a Lachen family hotel₹2,000–4,000 per room with meals, indicative, 2026
Portable oxygen can, bought in Gangtok₹500–900, indicative, 2026
Permit processing via operator₹200–300 per person, indicative, 2026

Fares and fees change with fuel prices, season and local union rates. Check current rates before you travel.

Money-saving tip

Join a shared Lachen–Lachung group departure and pay only for an extra Lachen night if anyone in your group is over 60 or has a medical condition.

Where to stay

Sleeping in Lachen

Lachen has a short main street of family hotels and lodges, most of them simple, with blankets rather than central heating. Group packages use these. For a little more comfort, The Apple Orchard Resort is a small family-run property of 11 rooms with garden views, reached by about 25 stone steps. Many Lachen hotels were shut for most of 2023–2026, so ask your operator which are open and check current status before you travel.

comfort

The Apple Orchard Resort Resort · Lachen ₹4,000–7,500 per room night, indicative

Tour packages

Packages that stop in Lachen

Nº 47504 · Gangtok6N / 7D Gangtok with Lachen and Lachung Gangtok → Lachen → Lachung → Gangtok Budget fare from
per person, twin₹21,000

Nº 79972 · North Sikkim4N / 5D Lachen, Gurudongmar and Lachung Gangtok → Lachen → Lachung → Gangtok Budget fare from
per person, twin₹14,000

Nº 77569 · North Sikkim2N / 3D North Sikkim Group Tour, Lachen and Lachung Lachen → Lachung Budget fare from
per person, twin₹7,000

Nº 93809 · North Sikkim6N / 7D North Sikkim honeymoon in 6 nights Gangtok → Lachen → Lachung → Gangtok Budget fare from
per person, twin₹19,500

On the map

Drawn by Darjeeling Tour Plan from Natural Earth outlines (public domain). Borders as depicted by India. Not for navigation.

Next stations

Near Lachen

All of North Sikkim

Gurudongmar Lake5,430 m

A sacred lake at 5,430 m, reached at dawn from Lachen

Lake · best Apr – May · Oct – Nov · Day trip nights

Thangu and Chopta Valley3,900 m

The tea-and-permit halt on the road to Gurudongmar

Valley · best May · Oct – Nov · 0–1 nights

Chungthang1,790 m

Where two rivers become the Teesta, and the flood struck

River town · best Mar – May · Oct – Nov · Transit nights

Lachung2,700 m

Base for Yumthang, run by its own village council

Village · best Mar – May · Oct – Nov · 1–2 nights

Festivals here

Saga Dawa · May–Jun, full moon of the fou…

Questions people ask

Lachen: questions answered

Is Lachen open for tourists now

Yes, as of early October 2026. Lachen reopened in March 2026 when the Taram Chu bridge was completed, closed again in April after road damage, and permits resumed around 10–11 September 2026. Vehicles must cross the Toong checkpost by 4 pm both ways. Landslides can close it again at short notice; check current status before you travel.

How far is Lachen from Gangtok

About 129 km by road through Kabi, Phodong, Mangan and Chungthang, then up the Lachen valley over the new Taram Chu bridge. The drive takes 6–7 hours in good conditions, often more during repairs. Most groups leave Gangtok late morning and reach Lachen around dusk.

Do I need a permit for Lachen and Gurudongmar

Yes. Indian citizens need a Protected Area Permit covering Lachen, Thangu and Gurudongmar, applied for through a registered Sikkim tour operator with photo ID and photographs. Foreign nationals can get a Restricted Area Permit for the Lachen valley only as far as Thangu; Gurudongmar is closed to them.

What is the altitude of Lachen

Lachen village is at about 2,750 m, though sources range from roughly 2,700 to 2,900 m. That is high enough for some people to sleep poorly or have a mild headache on the first night. Gurudongmar Lake, the next day's destination, is at 5,430 m, so the jump in height is large.

Is it safe to sleep in Lachen with kids

Generally yes for healthy children, as Lachen is about 2,750 m. Keep them warm, give them plenty of water and watch for headache, vomiting or unusual drowsiness. The bigger question is Gurudongmar the next day: children under five should not go, and older children only if they are well.

Can I buy bottled water in Lachen

No. The Lachen Dzumsa banned the sale and use of packaged drinking water in Lachen and above in 2012 to protect Gurudongmar Lake. Carry a refillable steel or bamboo bottle and fill it with filtered water at your hotel. Police at the check-post may check vehicles for plastic bottles.

How cold is Lachen in October

In October, Lachen is usually around 0–3 °C at night and 12–15 °C in the afternoon sun. At Gurudongmar the next morning it can be well below zero with strong wind. Pack thermals, a fleece, a down jacket, a windproof layer, gloves and a cap.

Can we skip Lachen and still see Gurudongmar

Not sensibly. Gurudongmar is about 3 hours beyond Lachen and must be done early in the morning, so you need to sleep in Lachen, or in Thangu where permitted. A day trip from Lachung or Gangtok is not allowed in practice and would be dangerous at that altitude.

Are there ATMs and mobile signal in Lachen

Lachen has bank branches listed by the RBI, but treat ATMs as unreliable and carry cash from Gangtok. Mobile signal is patchy and depends on your network; BSNL and Airtel have historically worked best in North Sikkim. Beyond Thangu there is usually no signal at all.