Tsomgo Lake: Sikkim's Paradise

Day 7: May 8, 2014 

A guide at Tashi View Point told us yesterday that two cars had met with a serious accident while going to Tsomgo Lake some time back. He also said that the road is extremely dangerous. We had read a lot about Tsomgo Lake online. While almost everyone unanimously spoke about this Holy Lake in glowing terms, almost everyone commented on the dangerous terrain too. For three days in this month, the road to Tsomgo had been closed because of the adverse weather conditions. It rained last night and I wasn't sure if we would be able to make it today. To be honest we were very nervous before starting off on the 35 km journey.

Our driver stopped over for getting our Permit (you need a Permit from Indian Army for visiting this lake since it falls in the Army area and is very close to China border). I was still sceptical as we set out after getting the Permit. One urge told me that maybe we should cancel our trip. But then, the best way to overcome fear is to do things that you're afraid of. The journey is tough, the roads are totally torn at places but somehow I don't think it was as treacherous as it was made out to be. Actually I never looked in the valleys whenever we were faced with a sharp turn or a landslide prone area posed a bumpy path. I just looked at the road ahead and somehow it made me feel stronger.

Tsomgo Lake is at an altitude of 12400 feet. As our car snaked its way to higher regions, the temperature dropped, an influx of picturesque sceneries appeared at regular intervals and too many energetic waterfalls dotted our journey. All the wonderful locations that we've visited in the last six days was completely overshadowed by today's journey followed by the showstopper Tsomgo. The fresh snowfall on a mountain slightly ahead of Tsomgo was a brilliant sight. I' had never experienced snow. My daughter Insha came up close and personal with snow for the very first time too. We had fun playing in the snow, clicking pictures and absorbing the white magic all round us.

As we reached the spectacular Tsomgo Lake, it was engulfed in fog and we were really disappointed. As Insha went on a Yak ride, the fog started dissipating and within no time the magnificent lake unfolded its divine beauty in front of us. Serene, calm, straight out of a picture post card with big snow-sprinkled-mountains behind it. We went on a trek and explored the lake from a few of its notable points. The view changed dramatically as we moved forward after every small distance.

The journey back to Gangtok was a swift one. It took lesser time too. Somehow the images that stamped their indelible impression on our minds today will remain with us forever. Tsomgo Lake is difficult to reach but if you have an adventurous streak, you shouldn't miss it.