Hillstation Peeling in Sikkim

Pelling is the nearest point to Kanchanjunga mountain, third highest peak in the world & thirteen other snow-capped peaks.

PEMAYANGTSE MONASTERY
Pemayangtse monastery situated at a height of 6840 feet is the second largest monastery in Sikkim. This ancient monastery belonging to the Nyingma-pa sect and is the head of all other monasteries of this sect in Sikkim. The view of the mountain ranges from Pemayangtse is perhaps one of the finest.

Location: Western Sikkim
Altitude: 2,085m
Tourist Attractions: Trekking & Sanga Choling Monastery
Best Time To Visit: Mid- February To May end & Mid - September To December

Sikkim's West District is probably the most enchanting, certainly the most sacred place in the Eastern Himalayas. It was here that in 1641 A.D. the first Chogyal(King) of Sikkim was consecrated by the three great Lamas, at Yoksum. The oldest monastery of Sikkim is also in this District.

Besides heritage sites and monasteries, west Sikkim is extremely rich in biodiversity. It has a mind-boggling array of flora ad fauna. The hills and valleys abound with numerous orchid, primula, rhododendrons, marigolds, magnolia and cherry to name a few. The exotic aroma of the large cardamom waft along mist-laden hillsides, home of the musk deer and the red panda. Innumerable butterflies flit among the verdant woods lending colour to the rich green hue. Sikkim has more that 500 species of butterflies. Perhaps the pride of the flora of West Sikkim are its dense rhododendron forests varying from the towering giants of the lower regions to the dwarf varieties found above the snow-line. The delicate flowers too are as variegated, from the blood-red thomsonii to pale lilac to brilliant white.

West Sikkim is indeed a favourite of the Gods, blessed with the rich and natural heritage of Sikkim, truly a jewel of the Gods.

The laid back, scenic, but rapidly swelling hamlet of Pelling, situated 2,085m above sea level only 2-km beyond Pemayangtse, looks north towards the glaciers and peaks of Kanchenjunga. High above the forest- covered hills, in an amphitheatre of cloud, snow and rock, the entire route from Yoksum over Dzongri La to the Rathong Glacier can be seen.

Walks & Treks
Pelling itself consists of little more than a road junction, Helicopter pad and numerous hotels, creating the so-called "Bengali Boulevard", a strip of highly unimaginative identikit concrete blocks. Luckily, from most angles this development is hidden by the forested slopes and Pelling offers numerous attractive walks and hotel terraces from where one can gaze in awe at the world's third highest peak.