Information & Acknowledgements

The gateway to Sikkim is from Siliguri in North Bengal. Its railway station - New Jalpaiguri(NJP) is 8 kms from the city centre & the airport Bagdogra is 8 kms on a different route. Bagdogra airport is well-connected to Delhi, Calcutta, Gauhati. It took me 2 hours to fly from Delhi to Bagdogra - a rather congested terminal considering the air traffic.

North Sikkim is an amazing place and a must visit for nature lovers. Be aware however, that this being a sensitive border state close to China you need permits to visit many places. Foreign visitors need a  pass to enter Sikkim, available when you apply for a visa from the Indian consulate. These formalities should be completed before you travel. The Indian Army has a big presence and may check you at any place- so do keep ID proof ready. I was even asked for ID proof at Rumtek Monastry & on the way to Natu La pass.

For a great  camp, my special appreciation and gratitude to

1. Usha & Ganden Lachungpa - wonderful resource persons whom you can describe as walking encyclopedias on the flora and fauna of  Sikkim. In addition, they gave a special touch of care and warmth to ensure that all of us were comfortable and protected from the ravages of altitude sickness
2. Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) www.bnhs.org  and the group leader Vandan Jhaveri for organising the camp despite there being very few participants
3. Tashi Lachungpa, our lodge owner and his staff for the warm and friendly serviceas well as the local canines and felines Rambo & Jumbo for give us the daily welcome.
4. Our ever-smiling drivers Sonam and _____??? for cheerfully taking us through some really rough terrain and for Chungti - our cheerful host at Yumthang who gave us great Temi tea after a long day.
5. My cheerful, witty and above all nature loving fellow travelers for the enjoyable interaction that we had throughout the trip

Reference guides :

1. Flowers of the Himalayas - Oleg Polunin & Adam Stainton. also a useful encyclopaedia Botanica lent to me by my friend Nina Bhatt
2. for birds, I used my collection of Field guides by diverse authors- Salim Ali, Grimmet, Kazmiercyack, Pamella Rassmussen, Bikram Grewal