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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.
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.
Around Pelling :
Sanga 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.
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.
Getting there:
By 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.
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