Goechala
In the far east corner of the Indian Himalayas, there exist a small state of Sikkim inhabited by the culturally rich, warm and welcoming people. Here people of all tribes, namely Bhutias, Lepchas, Limboos, Subbas and Rai, all live together in a rich cultural harmony making this place a touristic heaven. Here, the dzos and yaks are the family members, and the mighty Kanchenjunga fathers them all.
With Kanchenjunga standing huge, right in front of you on Goecha La at 5000 meters, the tear shaped Goecha Lake, Jaw-dropping sunrises and sunsets on the snow cladded high Himalayan peaks, A panorama of more than 16 peaks from Dzongri top, dense Himalayan forests, its rivers and meadows, rhododendrons, yaks ... Dzongri Goechala is a trek you will fall in love with. Once you do Goechala trek, you will feel like doing it again and again... such a beautiful trek it is.
Goecha La ( high altitude pass in Tibetan) is a pass in the Prek Chu ( river in Tibetan) Valley of the Western Sikkim region. It merges the ridge of the elegant and Godly Pandim with that of the small Goecha Peak. Towards its north lies the Talung Glacier and Kanchenjunga - The Third highest Mountain of the World is at a stone's throw distance from the pass. The trek to it crosses the vast meadow and pasture land of Thansing, the serene Samity Lake and the rough Zemathang plains. It is all surrounded by some of the most elegant looking peaks in the Himalayas, namely the Holy Pandim, Tenchenkhang, Jupono on the right, Forked Kabru and other Kabru group of peaks on the left and the mighty Kanchenjunga straight forward rising up high, very high infact..
Dzongri La is another high altitude pass in the Oklathang Valley and serves as the gateway to the Rathong Glacier, Rathong La and then finally into Nepal. Its can be done as a short escursion from Dzongri. The pass top is one of the most spectacular places opn the Earth. Surrounded by the mighty and holy peaks of the Kabru, specifically the Black Kabru, it makes one of the very divine places to trek to. All the peaks of this valley are considered very holy and are worshipped by the locals of Sikkim.
sunrise from dzongri top
The trek starts from Yuksom, a small village in West Sikkim. It was the ancient capital of Sikkim. As soon as you touch the roads of Sikkim, the positive energy of Buddhism starts to take over your heart. The cool wind furling the prayer flags gives you peace. The smiling face welcoming you with warmth makes you feel pleasant. The trek takes you through thick dense forest crossing multiple tributaries of Rangeet river to get you above the tree line after 3 days. The peaks of Kanchenjunga, Pandim, Tenchenkhang and Jupono sees you over continuously motivating you to reach closer to them, and at Goecha La, you feel like you are just few kilometers away from touching the Godly mountain.
Goecha lake
Words can only put a limit to describe this trek. The feeling is ecstatic and indescribable. May be the photos help a bit.
Join our trek to gift yourself a fulfilling experience of the Goechala trek, Sikkim and the Himalayas.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
The Kanchenjunga National Park has declared the area beyond the View Point 1 as a Wild Habitat Zone and trekkers, including Locals are no longer allowed to visit Goechala. The last point that we could go on this trek is till View Point 1 only