Location: 78 km from Gangtok, 90 km from NJP & 96 km from Bagdogra Airport.
There is a replica of the Char Dham and the biggest statue of Guru Padmasambhav at Namchi. You can catch glimpses of
these looming structures from a taxi or from any vantage points around the town. The South District headquarter has a
well laid out town with a central park and several interesting places to visit old monasteries, village and flower
nurseries. At 5,500ft it is also a perfect base for the acclaimed Tendong-Maenam Trek.
Namchi which means “Sky High” comes alive in October during Namchi Mahotsav, a culture and food festival. Namchi also
host flower shows twice a year – Feb-March and in October. A drive to Namchi from Gangtok is never boring especially
through the 21 km Temi Tea Garden, the only tea garden in Sikkim, which sprawls on a gentle slope. Travellers from
Siliguri via Melli offers equally scenic views especially while passing through Kitam Bird Sanctuary.
Siddhesvara Dham - replica of the Indian Char Dhams located in our Country i.e. Jagannath Dham in East, Dwarika Dham in West, Badrinath Dham in North and Rameshwaram in South. It also has a 108 ft. statue of Lord Shiva enclosed by the 12 'Lingas', a temple of Shirdi Sai Baba and an effigy of Lord Kirateshwara. It gives a feeling of complete mental peace & satisfaction.
About 3 km from the town towards helipad area at Assangthang, commanding beautiful views of the mountains is a two storey Sai Mandir dedicated to Shirdi Sai Baba. The structure and design of the temple is a fusion of oriental and contemporary. It has two halls – the upper storey has the main shrine with paintings on the life of Shirdi Sai Baba on its walls, while the ground floor hall functions as a multipurpose hall.
Location: 65 km from Gangtok, 26 km from Namchi. Located in the lap of Maenam and Tendong Hill at 7,016ft is Rabongla. It is the wettest place on Sikkim. Every year in April, Rabongla Tourism Department Corporation (RDTC) organises tourism festival “Rabong Discovered” which features archery tourmnament, local culture, cuisine, traditional and modern sports as well as rock night coupled with craft and flower display. In Rabong weather changes in the minutes, thick mists, grey clouds and a shower and then sunshine.
High midst the sanctity of Samdruptse stands the 135ft statue of Guru Padmasambhav in its peaceful and wrathful form, paintind in shimmering copper and bronze tones. Its houses thousands of rare scriptures, precious and semi-precious statues. While the central hall is reserved for mass prayers, the first floor room functions as a prayer hall with a walk around hall open for public.
Away from Namchi towards Sadam Village bordering Sadam and Turuk is Tarey Bhir. The 3 km long stone ridge from where views of Sikkim’s mountains and villages can be seen. It is the only place from where Kalimpong, Darjeeling and Teesta River can be seen at a one eye sight. Since the area remains windy throughout the year , kite flying is the best option here.
It takes 21 hair-pin bends to cross Temi Tea Estate spread over gentle slopes originating from Tendong Hill. The only organic tea estate in Sikkim produces one of the top quality orthodox teas in the international market.