Zuluk: The village above the clouds in ancient Silk Route - East Sikkim
Zuluk, a small village in East Sikkim, part of Old Silk Route 10000 ft. above the sea level gaining popularity amongst the tourists because of its natural virginity, unspoiled nature and amazing Himalayan beauty.
Catching a glimpse of the snow-capped mountain ranges or sun rising on the sea from the window of hotel room is something that you might have experienced a lot of times. But have you ever discovered yourself at a place so serene where even the wind is audible? Have you ever stayed a night at a remote village on the lap of a valley guarded by high mountains covered with lush greeneries? If you are trying to visualize it then stop imagining and pack your bags for a trip to Zuluk, a hamlet at an altitude of over 10,000 feet in the Eastern part of Sikkim. Zuluk is a small village with limited number of houses on a valley on the way to the Old Silk Route. Once upon a time Chinese traders used to come to India crossing the border to sell silk products and that’s why the route has been named Silk Route. Though days of silk trading are gone and you can see Army jawans, jeeps and tents here and there on the slopes, the scenic beauty of the hamlet will surely mesmerize you. For its location at a high altitude and extreme climatic conditions, Zuluk has not yet witnessed what you call a crowd. It is still a virgin destination that you can explore on your feet. Though a few hotels have started offering comfortable accommodation, the real charm of Zuluk is homestay, which is being offered by some local villagers. Certainly these traditional village houses lag way behind in competition with hotels, in terms of comfort and convenience; you will get a local feel, which will make your relation with the village even more intimate.
Sightseeing around Zuluk
There are lots of places around Zuluk where tourists can go for sightseeing. Thambi view point, Lungthang, Kupup Lake, Memencho Lake, Old Baba Mandir, Nathang valley, Nathula gate are some of the sightseeing spots around Zuluk. Tourist can reach Gangtok from Gnathnag after seeing these spots.
Thambi View Point:
Thambi view point is close to Zuluk and it is best view point of 95 turn zig zag road. The 95 turn zigzag road is the only one in its nature in the entire Himalayan range. The Thambi view point at an altitude of 11,200 ft. also provides excellent view of sunrise of Mt Kanchenjunga.
Kupup Lake:
Kupup lake at an altitude of 14,000ft is another famous tourist place in east Sikkim. It is also called Elephant lake as its shape is just like an elephant. The Ice hockey ground ,the Yak Golf Course, the Elephant lake are main attraction in Kupup.Yak Golf Course is the highest golf course in the world and Kupup lake hosts the waterpolo game and it is also the highest water polo lake in the world.From Kupkup tourists can go for Jeelep La pass.
Adi Baba Mandir:
The shrine of sepahi Baba Harbhajan, who died as he fell from horse back on to a gorge while on duty, is popularly known as Baba Mandir. This mandir, located 60km away from Gangtok, is worshiped by local people as well as army officials. This Mandir hosts all the memories of Baba Harbhajan Singh.
Menmecho Lake:
Memencho lake is located in the North East of Sikkim. It can be reached from Zuluk in 1 hrs drive. The lake is cradled between the mountains of Jeelep La. It is also the source of river Rongpo-Chu. This river Rongpo Chi meets Tista as Rongpo. This lake gets its water from the melting snow from the streams just below the jelep-la. This lake is located 60 km away from Gangtok.
Climate:
Summer 10 ° C to 20 ° C, Winter- 0 ° C to 7 ° C
Altitude:
10000 ft
Do's and dont's in Zuluk
- Do not expect modern facilities. Zuluk is a small village with military settlement around due to its remoteness. zuluk don't have much hotels but really .
- Good homestays which gives you feeling of being home.
- Be careful of trusting locals or unauthorized agents for booking tickets and fares.
- If you find Pine forest be sure of leech (jok).Walk carefully.
- If you have breathing issue avoid stay at Gnathang Vally, stay in Zuluk. On the way to Kupup visit Gnathang.
- Don't think too much or in complicated way. Just enjoy the nature.
Homestays In Zuluk
NatureWings manages two deluxe homestays namely Snowlion Nature Stay, Zuluk and Yanchen Nature Stay,Zuluk.
Snowlion Nature Stay, Zuluk -
Snowlion NatureStay, Zuluk is a deluxe premium homestay located in Upper Zuluk, close to Thambi View Point. Snowlion Nature Stay,Zuluk provides all premium facilities like Geyser , Room Heater , Satelite TVs along with the toiletries . It is a two stories deluxe homestays which offers the spectacular views of Zuluk valley from the properties. The host provides hot meals, hot water and serves the guest in a traditional sikkimeese way. The usual menu includes Chapatis and puri-sabjis in the breakfast, egg meals in the afternoon, snacks in the evening and chicken meals in the night. Momos and traditional Sikkimese dishes are mostly available in the evenings. NatureWings puts all their Guests in Semi-Deluxe and Deluxe Rooms acoording to the guests choice and Budget..Presently there are 4 deluxe rooms and 4 semi deluxe rooms for the guest in Snowlion Nature Stay, Zuluk.
Yanchen Nature Stay, Zuluk -
Yanchen Nature Stay, Zuluk is a semi-deluxe homestay in the central Zuluk and offers the 5 deluxe category rooms for the guests. It offers hot water, Room heater, Comfortable bed, Western toilets in all the rooms. The hosts prepares authentic sikkimeese foods in a traditional, clean and hygienic manner. It is closely located to all local attractions of Zuluk village.
Restricted Area Permit:
Zuluk, in East Sikkim, is located in the restricted area of Sikkim. A special Inner Line Permit is required to reach Zuluk. All tourists are required to carry-
- Passport or Voter ID card for Adult
- Passport or Birth Certificate for Child (Below 18) along with one Photo ID card (School ID / Aadhar etc.)
- 4 Copies of Passport Size of Photo
- Photocopies - 4 No. of the above documents
Naturewings arranges the necessary permits for the tourists.
Thing to keep in mind while visiting Zuluk
Clothing & Luggage:
Travel as light as possible with least minimum clothes, toiletries and other essential commodities & as these areas is cold throughout the year it is advisable to carry warm woollen clothes, woollen mittens and gloves, cap etc. During the month of Dec to Feb, Zuluk is very cold and often experiences heavy snowfall. Please carry heavy woollen garments during winter.
Food and Drink:
Drink only bottled water. Please carry your water from Rongli, Pedong, or Siliguri. Since this area doesn’t have any single shop, it is always advisable to carry dry foods like biscuits, chips, dry fruits, fruits etc. Foreign Liquors / Alcohols are not also available in Zuluk.
Health Facility & Health Precautions:
It is advisable to carry specific medicines as there are no pharmacy shops in Zuluk. Always carry a kit of the basic emergency medicines you might need for diarrhoea, fever etc., also band aids and an antiseptic ointment. The nearest health facility /medicine shop is available at Rongli.
Card Payment & ATM:
Credit/Debit Card is not accepted in Zuluk. In Zuluk there is also no ATM. Please carry cash for all your transactions.
Telephone / Mobile phones:
Mobile coverage in Zuluk is very limited and may not be available from all the places in and around Zuluk. Data connectivity is also very poor in Zuluk. It is advisable to carry mobiles phones from two different mobile service providers.
Zuluk / Old Silk Route Packages -
Zuluk and its surrounding places are within the restricted area zone and very remote. So it is advisable for the tourists to go for the complete Silk Route Package. NatureWings provides complete personalized package with various itinerary options with your chosen dates. Our Silk Route Super Specialist team will help you to choose the right package for you.
Please click here for all our Zuluk and Old Silk Route Package
