Namchi is a town and administrative headquarter of the Namchi district of south Sikkim. The name, Namchi derived from two words nam(sky) and chi (High) in Sikkimese. The town is located at an altitude of 1675 m above sea level but average elevation is 1915 metres. It is 78 kilometres away from the state capital city Gangtok and 100 kilometres from the town of Siliguri. Gangtok and Siliguri are the nearest railhead and airport of Namchi. it is situated between Melli and Jorethang road. Namchi is well connected to other towns in sikkim and west Bengal. Buses and cars or jeeps regularly and frequently ply between Namchi to Gangtok, Pelling, Kalimpong, Siliguri and Jorethang.
Namchi is fast becoming tourist destination and pilgrimage centre. You can visit and enjoy different kind of places here but I am exploring top 10 place with proper description. Read the entire article and select your travel destinations on travelatdestinations
Tarey Bhir (A Ridge walk):
Tarey Bhir view point is a steep ridge walk and confluence of the river Teesta and Rangeet. It is looked a mini-China wall. It is 14 km distance from the central park of Namchi which is called heart of the town. The steep ridge walk is 3 km long and 10000 feet high with beautiful view points along it. This steep ridge provides spectacular sight of the confluence of the river Teesta and Rangeet in deep valley, the lust mountain with serene sky.
There is also a watching tower at the end of the stone pathway from where you can sight snowy mountain in the north, kalimpong town, confluence of the river Teesta and Rangeet in deep valley and Darjeeling. Here you can also enjoy the view point of cascading tea garden on the sloppy of hill of Peshok. Fast morning is the best time to visit Tarey Bhir. If you make a plan to travel Namchi, don’t miss Tarey Bhir.
Samdruptse:
Samdruptse hill is 5 km away from Namchi town, located at the altitude of 2134 metre. Samdruptse means “the wish fulfilling hill” that is why this monastery is too popular among the tourists and devotees. Samdruptse monastery has a 45 m tall giant statue of Guru Padmasambhava that dominates the entire town. In the year of 1997 Dalai Lama laid the foundation stone of the statue. It is believed that the Samdruptse hill is a sleeping volcano and only devotees can stop it from erupting and due to that reason, monks devote to it.
In the monastery premises, there are many tourists’ attraction. You can see picture of Mahatma Gandhi. Also, Kanchenjunga is sighted from the monastery premises. Other tourists’ attraction places around Samdruptse are Shiva Mandir with a huge statue of Lord Shiva, Maenam Hill and Tendong Hill with Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary and Tendong State biodiversity Park.
Chemchey (Indian Himalayan Eco-tourist):
Chemchey is situated in the primordial mountains of the central Himalaya on the lap of world’s third highest peak, the majestic Mt. Kanchenjunga. It is 12 km away from the central park of Namchi. Here the Indian Himalayan Centre for Adventure and Ecotourism (IHCAE) is the first institute of its kind in India to have achieved the incredible feat of proudly unfurling the institute flag on the Mount Everest “ON THE TOP OF THE WORLD” three times within four years of its inception (i.e. 7th Nov 2009). Standing in a small cheerful village of Chemchey, the IHCAE is a paradise of nature lovers seeking to get a taste of adventure sports on mountains. Singilila, one of the world’s best trekking trail is close to it which meanders through the beautiful forest covered with a variety of alpine vegetation and rhododendrons is certainly a breathless moment for many. The institute is basically designed to introduce and educate young people and school children to exciting and hidden possibilities of nature. It offers its trainees different kind of activities like Mountaineering, Rock Climbing, White-water rafting, Mountain biking, Skiing and Paragliding.
Char Dham Namchi:
Char Dham is located 6 km away from central part of Namchi twon. Char Dham or Siddheshwar Dham is a famous tourist destination in Sikkim. Here you can see a missive statue of Lord Shiva on Solophok hilltop and this hill has religious and historical importance, as it is believed that visiting this place washes one’s all sins. This Char Dham is replica of all 12 Jyotirlingas and Char Dham of India. The most famous revered Dhams of Hindus Dwarika, Jagannath, Badrinath and Ramashawaram has been replicated in this beautiful complex to provide benefit the devotees who come here.
Shirdi sai mandir namchi:
Shirdi Sai Mandir is 5 km away from central per of Namch twon and 3 km from Char Dham. Shirdi Sai Mandir is a Hindu temple nested in Assangthang area of Namchi in Sikkim. This temple is considered as one of the most attractive pilgrimage destinations in Namchi. This temple is decorated with beautiful garden from where Mt. kangchenjunga, the 3rd highest mountain in the world, is sighted.
Alley Monastery Namchi:
Alley Monastery Namchi is 1.5 km away from central park of Namchi bazaar. It is one of the museums cum monastery here. It is located against a scenic backdrop of Mount Khangchendzonga walled in by monks’ quarter.
Helipad (Kangchenjunga view point) Namchi:
Namchi helipad view point is one of the most attractive travel destinations. It is 5.3 km distance from central part. The helipad area is stunning open space with large roundabout and the evening view is the most beautiful from here. This place is very popular because of panoramic visiting point of Kangchenjunga. Also, Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills are sighted from this view point with most beautiful lower plains of Bengal. Namchi helipad is very popular to local people as picnic spots.
Ngadak monastery Namchi:
Ngadak Monastery is 4.3 km distanced from Namchi central park. The word Ngadak convey the meaning of “promise”. It is believed that if anyone come here, he would promise to come here again. This is a Buddhist monastery, also know as Nandak Gumpa. It is one of the oldest monasteries of Namchi and gets huge tourist throughout the year. Ngadak monastery was established by Tensung Namgyal during the regime of Chogyal Gyurmed Namgyal and was constructed as a palace her Highness Pendi Ongmu. Ultimately it has been converted as Ngadak monastery of Namchi.
Kholaghari Cave Namchi:
Khologhari Cave is 12 km south-west away from Namchi central park. You can experience this dark cave also with many Dham and monastery near Namchi. Here you can experience horrible deepness of cave.
Central Park of Namchi:
Central Park of the Namchi is the heart of the town. It is a beautiful green place and has become the focal point of free time and entertainment in Namchi. The park offers a serene environment with vibrant flower beds, well-maintained lawns and modern infrastructure. The main attraction of this part is its location, offering surrounding mountain view, including kangchenjanga.
Conclusion:
There are many such visiting places out of those Top 10 places to visit in and around Namchi. It is almost impossible to articulate beauties of Namchi within an article. If your next travel destination is at namchi, I hope you will find out many attractive tourists place by local people, guides and car drivers. Visit and experience this with stunning view of Kangchenjunga.
Thank you for reading this article.