Pelling & Pemayangtse Monastery

Pelling sits at 2,150 metres in West Sikkim, 115 km from Gangtok, and is the standard base for visiting West Sikkim's monasteries and Kanchenjunga viewpoints. The town itself is small and primarily a tourism centre, but the surrounding sites are exceptional. Pemayangtse Monastery — the second-oldest in Sikkim, built in 1705 by Lhatsun Chempo — sits on a ridge 2 km from town and follows the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. Inside, the seven-tier wooden sculpture of Guru Rinpoche's 'Pure Land' is a unique masterpiece of Sikkimese craftsmanship. The Sangacholing Monastery (1697, the oldest in Sikkim, accessed by a short trek) and the Khecheopalri Lake (a sacred lake where the surface stays clear of fallen leaves due to bird activity) are essential adjuncts. The Singshore Bridge (the second-highest gorge bridge in Asia at 100 metres above the river) is 25 km away. Pelling itself has three main viewpoints — Upper Pelling, Middle Pelling, and Lower Pelling — each with hotel clusters facing Mt Kanchenjunga; sunrise from any north-facing room is the postcard.