The Home of the Rhododendrons

The Yumthang valley awaited us. This was a very green drive. Not that Gurudongmar or any other drive wasn't green, but this was a very photogenic drive. Green forests, snow-capped mountains, clear blue skies with scattered clouds…. Picture perfect. The road was fantastic, which was a relief after the previous day's roller coaster. Numerous streams crossed the road. We entered the Rhododendron sanctuary. This place is in its full bloom from February to April. Mid May is the fag end of the rhododendron season. But even now, rhododendrons could be seen in a variety of colours and sizes. I am not well informed enough to identify the various species, but it was a colourful sight. We stopped every now and then to take close up photographs of the flowers. The road meandered into a coniferous forest, where it was lined by numerous dhabas. We halted for breakfast here. The rhododendron sanctuary ended here. Some distance down the road, we came to a wide valley along the river Lachung. This was a beautiful sight, somewhat similar to a huge meadow with yaks grazing all around. This is the venue for skiing in the winters. But presently it was devoid of snow. We did not stop here, and headed to Zero Point, in Yumsedong near the China border. That was again at 14000 ft. The terrain was rocky, devoid of vegetation. Gradually, we ascended to above the snow line. We stopped at a bridge over the Lachung river, beyond which civilian vehicles were not allowed. Bengali tourists could be seen frolicking around in slushy snow. Obviously, they had never before seen snow in their lives. We spent some time at Zero Point, then returned to Gangtok the same day. The end of a lovely, but cramped tour.

Zero Point