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The laid back, scenic, but rapidly swelling hamlet of
Pelling, situated 2,085m above sea level only 2-km beyond Pemayangtse,
looks north towards the glaciers and peaks of Kanchenjunga.
High above the forest- covered hills, in an amphitheatre of cloud, snow
and rock, the entire route from Yoksum over
Dzongri La to the Rathong Glacier can be seen.
Walks & Treks
Pelling itself consists of little more than a road junction, Helicopter
pad and numerous hotels, creating the so-called "Bengali Boulevard",
a strip of highly unimaginative identikit concrete blocks. Luckily, from
most angles this development is hidden by the forested slopes and Pelling
offers numerous attractive walks and hotel terraces from where one can
gaze in awe at the world's third highest peak.
PRIME
ATTRACTIONSSanga Choling Monastery
A 4-km trail rises from the playing fields just above Pelling to reach
the small monastery of Sanga Choling, one of the oldest gompas in Sikkim.
This gompa is another of Lhatsun Chenpo's creations, and is highly
venerated among the Nyingmapa. Gutta by fire, it has been rebuilt and
houses some of the original clay statues.
TREKKING
For those with permit endorsements to visit
Khechepalri Lake,
Yoksum and Tashiding, a scenic low-altitude trek along trails and roads
starts from Pelling. Public transport run from both Yoksum and Tashiding
back to Legship from where one can continue to Ghezing, and eventually
back to Pelling. more...
HOW
TO GET THERE Road: Shared jeeps travel regularly until mid or
late afternoon between Pelling and Ghezing; twice daily for
Gangtok, and once a day for Siliguri.
There is no direct service to Yoksum from Pelling but a daily bus leaves
Ghezing and travels via
Legship and Tashiding. One bus
leaves Ghezing daily for Khecheopalri
Lake and passes through Pelling, and two leave Pelling for Ghezing,
and eventually back to Pelling.