Mountaineering

The revered Himalayas stretch along the north and eastern borders of Northeast India and embrace a Kaleidoscope of cultural and physical wonders. Cloud capped snowy peaks, densely forested mountain slopes, undulating foothills, infinite variety of flora and fauna - there is something for every nature lover.

The Sikkim Challenge

East of Nepal lies the Sikkim Himalayas, Kanchenjunga, India's highest peak (28,146 ft),lies on the Sikkim-Nepal border. For environmental reasons, the Sikkim government is refusing permission to scale the peak. Rathong (22,000 ft.) has some of the open peaks though they require special permits. The best known peaks in Sikkim - Talung, Jonsong and Tent are all above 24,000 feet.

Essentials

The best season to climb in Sikkim is from May to October. Foreign expeditions have to book a peak along with a peak fee. The Indian Mountaineering Foundation is the country's apex body that helps in organising/sponsoring mountaineering expeditions. It also functions as a clearing house for foreign expeditions and deputes a liasion officer to accompany foreign climbers. All requests have to be forwarded to IMF for clearance. It is advisable to give atleast a six month's notice before embarking on an expedition. All emergencies and accidents are looked after by the liasion officer who helps to get rescue from the Indian Air Force.