How To Reach Lachen

Lachen- The Quaint Town With Sheer Beauty

Lachen is a fabulous tourist destination of Sikkim where you will find adventure and beauty in plenty. Located at an altitude of 8500 ft above the sea level, Lachen is a quaint mountain town with wonderful surroundings of Rhododendron and conifer forests. It is inhabited by Lachenpas, a Sikkimese Bhutia community. The term Lachen means “Big Pass”. The village offers mesmerizing views of snow-capped Himalayan mountain peaks, rock cliffs, and glaciers. The town serves as a base to the Gurudongmar lake, Tso Lhamo Lake, Chopta Valley and other interesting treks.

Suggested Read: Places To Visit in Lachen, Things To Do in Lachen & Best Time To Visit Lachen

Reach Lachen By Air

The nearest airport to Lachen is the Bagdogra Airport in West Bengal which is around 200 kilometers from Lachen. From the airport, you can take a taxi and reach Gangtok first. You need Inner Line Permit (ILP) to visit Lachen which you can obtain through your travel agent . So get your permit while you stay in Gangtok for a day and then the next day leave early morning for Lachen. It is around 107 km from Gangtok and it takes around 4-5 hours to reach there. The most convenient and the only way to reach Lachen is to first come to Gangtok and then from there drive down to Lachen.

The great news is that there is a new airport Pakyong Airport that has opened in the Pakyong village in Sikkim (around 35 km from Gangtok). The airport is around 135 km from Lachen and hence you can save your travel time to almost around 5-6 hours once this airport is fully operational. You can directly fly to Gangtok from the major cities of India. At present only few aircrafts fly to and from this airport . It is located at an altitude of 4,590 ft and is one of the highest altitude airports in India.

Reach Lachen By Train

A journey by train to Lachen is quite interesting. The nearest railway station to Lachen is New Jalpaiguri in Siliguri, West Bengal. It is around 155 kilometers from Lachen. Lachen is located 107 km from Gangtok and the most convenient and the only way to reach Lachen is to first come to Gangtok and then from there drive down to Lachen. This railway station is well connected to some of the major cities of India such as Kolkatta and Delhi.

From the railway station you drive down to Gangtok as the way to Lachen is through Gangtok. Stay there for a day and in the meantime obtain the Inner Line Permit to Lachen through your travel agent. Next day, leave early morning for Lachen. Lachen is around 107 km from Gangtok and it takes around 4-5 hours to reach there.

Reach Lachen By Road

Lachen can be easily reached by road from any place in Sikkim. You have to first come to Gangtok to reach Lachen.

Lachen is around 107 km from Gangtok and it takes around 4.5 hours to reach there from Gangtok. Once you reach Gangtok ask your travel agent to get you the permit issued which is mandatory to visit Lachen. Stay for a day in Gangtok and the next day leave early morning with your permit for Lachen. The drive to Lachen is scenic at many points that add joy to the journey. At certain stretches, the road may not be very good but overall it is hassle-free to reach Lachen by road.

KINDLY NOTE: Although taxis are easily available from the airport, railway station and other places and they run daily but it is advisable to contact your travel agent to book a taxi for you in advance to make your journey hassle-free. During peak season when tourists come here in great numbers, you might not get a taxi easily if you don’t book it in advance. So whether you are traveling to Lachen by air, rail or road or from Gangtok to Lachen ask you travel agent to book a taxi for you prior to your arrival in Sikkim.