Tsomgo Lake

Tsomgo Lake, its name means 'source of the lake' in Bhutia, and it is also widely known as Changu, is one of the most beautiful and revered high lakes of Sikkim. It lies about 40 km east of Gangtok, high on the old trade road that once carried the Silk Route caravans up toward the Nathula Pass and Tibet, at an altitude of roughly 3,753 metres. Oval and glacier-fed, the lake is sacred to the Sikkimese people and to the Buddhist and Hindu faithful alike, and its moods shift dramatically with the seasons: frozen and snow-rimmed in the depths of winter, mirror-still and ringed with rhododendrons and primulas in spring, and a clear alpine blue in autumn.

There are two important practicalities to understand before planning a visit, and we are candid about both. First, Tsomgo sits within a sensitive zone near the international border, so every visitor requires a Protected Area Permit, including Indian citizens, and foreign nationals face additional restrictions and cannot always proceed to the lake or beyond to Nathula. These permits are arranged a day in advance through registered operators, which we manage. Second, this is genuine high-altitude travel: the thin air at nearly 3,800 metres affects many people, and the mountain road can be closed at short notice by snow, landslides, or weather. Tsomgo is therefore visited as a day trip from Gangtok, not stayed at.

On the banks, yaks and ponies wait to be ridden, small stalls sell hot tea and snacks against the cold, and a short way on stands the shrine of Baba Harbhajan Singh, a soldier venerated in local army lore. MyTripMyTravel runs Tsomgo as a permitted high-mountain excursion from Gangtok, with the permits handled, an altitude-aware, weather-flexible plan, warm vehicles and seasoned mountain chauffeurs, and honest guidance on what the conditions and regulations allow on the day.