Les meilleurs hôtels à Gangtok

Draped along the eastern Himalaya in the shadow of towering Mount Kanchenjunga, Sikkim offers a spectacular beauty, exquisite trekking and a glimpse into Buddhist culture and tradition. Though modern Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, has succumbed to urban sprawl, evidence of the city's Buddhist traditions isn't hard to find. Gangtok is home to the Institute of Tibetology, with its impressive collection of books and rare manuscripts, and exquisite monasteries where red-robed lamas chant ancient hymns to the sound of the great drums and trumpets. Enchey Monastery dates from the middle of the 19th century. Built in the Tibetan tradition, Enchey's exquisite murals depict protective deities and the wheel of law. The monastery holds an annual masked lama dance each December or January according to the lunar calendar. Other highlights include the Tsuk-la-khang, or Royal Palace, with its beautiful murals, lavishly decorated altars, and fine wood carvings of the Buddha, Bodhisattvas and tantric deities and Gangtok's lively markets, where vendors sell everything from yak's cheese to carpets, hand-loomed silks and religious objects such as silver ritual bowls and beads. All trekking in Sikkim is confined to the area west of the River Teesta. Along Sikkim's border with Nepal, the watershed of the Singalila range, with its great tracts of old growth forests and deep river valleys, holds ancient monasteries such as Pemayengtse and Tashiding.