Namchi Sikkim

Namchi meaning 'Sky High', located at an average elevation of 1,315 meters, is the capital of the South Sikkim district. The place offers panoramic views of Darjeeling, Kalimpong hills and other snow-tipped mountains with vast stretches of beautiful valleys. The area rose to popularity recently with the erection of the world's tallest statue of Guru Padmasambhava, the patron saint of Sikkim. Namchi is known for its Buddhist monasteries, high mountain peaks and unmatched view points. The town is at a distance of 90km from Siliguri. Apart from being a visual treat to travellers, Namchi also is growing as a tourist destination due to its rich history and a variety of tourist attractions and activities. Though it has a lot of resemblance to the state capital, Gangtok, Namchi is far quiet and silent when compared to the buzzing environ of Gangtok. Namchi is also known for its interesting history and mysterious stories from the past. According to historical records, Namchi was the place where the princess Pende Ongmoo poisoned one of the Chogyals of Sikkim, but was later caught and killed. It is believed that her spirit still looms large over the horizon. The majority of the population of Namchi consists of Hindus and Buddhists; the languages spoken in the region are Nepali, English and Hindi. Every year Namchi hosts the 'The Gold Cup' football tournament at the Baichung Stadium. Teams from Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and all over India participate in this tournament. Sightseeing is the most important thing that you can do while in Namchi.

The town offers quite a lot of places of attraction to look out for. Besides, you can also go out for trekking and discover the most exquisite beauty of nature. Namchi has become one of the popular tourist attractions as well as pilgrimage centres. The Namchi Monastery, Ralong Monastery, Sherdup Choeling Monastery, Dichen Choeling monasteryand Tendong Hill are some of the most prominent attractions of the destination. Apart from these, Namchi Rock Garden located between Namchi town and Samdruptse, is another major attraction of the destination. This popular garden has many attractive plants, flowers and species of trees. A number of waiting sheds, view points and waterbodies along its footpaths have been provided. A neat and clean cafeteria serves the tourists and visitors well. 5 km away from Namchi is the Assangthang, a small and unique village that can offer you some really exclusive experiences. There are some 75 huts, brick paved paths in between farmlands, solar lighting system and extremely affectionate villagers who will make your trip wonderful. Namchi hosts the very popular Namchi Mahotsav, a Tourism, Culture and Food Festival, every year in October. A flower festival is also held annually. You can visit Namchi anytime of the year. However, if you want to see the annual flower show that displays a wide variety of rare orchids organized by Namchi garden, then you must visit during the month of February.