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View of Zuluk from the Zig Zag Road The famous silk route that connected Lhasa
(Tibet) to Kalimpong
was in use even a few decades ago until the Chinese invasion
in Tibet. Zuluk / Dzuluk, located in East Sikkim, used to
be a small village on this silk route. It was commonly used
by traders traveling to Tibet through Jelep-la ("La" stands
for mountain pass) as an overnight base.
Today Zuluk is fast emerging as a new tourist destination
in East Sikkim. A trip to Zuluk requires special permits.
The permits though would be arranged by naturebeyond, and
as a guest you would only need to provide your id proof and
photograph.
Besides the Memenchu Lake Zuluk derives its tourism importance due
to its excellent view of the eastern Himalayan mountain range
including the Kanchenjunga. Zuluk is a small village with
population of about 700 people. There is an army base at Zuluk
which is used as a transit camp for the army movement to the
Chinese boarder a few kilometers away.
During the summer months, Zuluk and its surrounding hills
are covered with thousands of blooming rhododendron. Zuluk
during these months, is a riot of colors due to the variety
of rhododendron that can be seen here.
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What to See:
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View near Lungtung Zuluk is a place which you would visit for
the beauty of the mountain and the forests rather than going
for typical sight seeing tours. A few kilometers drive from
Zuluk would take the tourists through a winding road to the
Thambi view point. The Thambi view point at an altitude of
11,200 ft provides excellent sunrise view. The entire eastern
Himalaya can be viewed from this spot.
On the way to Thambi view point you can also stop over to
the spot where a group of local people have reportedly seen
the Yeti. The story of "Yeti", "Bonzhakri" and other folklore
seems very plausible sitting besides the small fire in the
night under the open moonlit sky. Listing to those stories
from the locals may itself turn out to be a good reason to
visit Zuluk.
A monal Phasent near Zuluk Normally visitors sight seeing is limited
to going to the Thumbi view point, if you are the adventurous
type, and dont mind a little bit of physical challange, naturebeyond
may arrange special permits for going much beyond. Further
ahead you will reach Lungtung at an altitude of 13,000 ft..
You may continue till you visit the Adi baba mandir and the
Kalpokhri lake. Further one may go up to Kupup and Memenchu
lake. Kupup is another army base and is known for the highest
golf course in the world at an altitude of 13,500 ft. The
Memenchu lake is also known as the hati lake (Elephant lake)
as the contours of the lake looks like an elephant from up
the hills.
The road further ahead connects with the famous Tsongo
lake near Gangtok. Other places
that can be reached in this area include the Tukla valley,
where there is a war memorial in remembrance of the battle
of Tukla. The Jelep la pass can also be reached from here.
However special permits are required to travel to this area. |
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Weather |
Houses near Memenchu lake Zuluk at an altitude of about 7,000 ft offers
pleasant weather during most of the year. The rainy season
is a little protracted and heavy to very heavy showers are
common. The winter may see snowfall in the area. The summer
temperature would be varying near 20 degree Celsius with substantial
difference between the day and night temperature. Tourists
visiting Zuluk are advised to carry worm clothing and umbrella. |
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Wildlife: |
A bird near Zuluk during winter Zuluk is surrounded by wild forest, some
of the forests are completely virgin. Sighting of Deer, Wild
Dog, Himalayan Bear the red panda is not very uncommon. Some
tigers have also reportedly been sighted in the area. A variety
of birds can also be seen in the such as Monal Pheasant, Blood
Pheasant, Khaleez Pheasant, Snow Pheasant and others. |
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Where to Stay: |
Homestay of Gopal Pradhan There is no hotel at Zuluk. The only option
is to stay at the home stay accommodations. The facilities
are basic. Mr. Gopal Pradhan is a local who has taken great
initiatives to put Zuluk in the tourism map. Most of naturebeyond
guests stay at his house. Mr. Pradhan has a hands-on approach
towards satisfying the guests visiting Zuluk. He also often
drives his own vehicle to take tourists for local sight seeing. |
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How to reach: |
Mr. Gopal Pradhan of Zuluk Village Zuluk can be reached directly from Bagdogra
airport or NJP railhead. The drive takes about 6 hours (depending
on road condition). You can also visit Zuluk from Kalimpong
(4 hours) or Gangtok (3 hours). |
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Zuluk Travel Enquiry form (* marked fields
are compulsory) |
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