Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary

Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary
Map showing the location of Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary
Map showing the location of Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary
Location within Sikkim
LocationGangtok district, India
Nearest cityGangtok
Coordinates27°22′37″N 88°44′28″E / 27.377°N 88.741°E / 27.377; 88.741[1]
Area31 km2 (12 sq mi)
Established1977

Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary is a nature reserve in Gangtok district, Sikkim, India. It is situated around the area adjoining the Tsomgo (Changu) lake along the Nathula Road. Located about 31 km (19 mi) east of Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, this sanctuary covers an area of about 31 km2 (12 sq mi), and extends from the "15th Mile" police check point up to and along the ridges bordering the Rong Chu Valley and Lake Tsomgo.

Rich in both flora and fauna, rare, endangered ground orchids and rhododendrons interspersed among tall junipers and taller silver firs are among the important plants present.[2] Rhododendron niveum (the State Tree of Sikkim) and Cypripedium tibeticum (the ground slipper orchid), which is on the verge of extinction, have also been introduced here.

Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary is part of the Sacred Himalayan Landscape.[3][4]

The best time to visit the sanctuary is in May, June, October and November, when the climate is pleasant, dry and warm.[5]

  1. ^ Sikkim Forest Department: Wildlife
  2. ^ O'Neill, A. R. (2019). "Evaluating high-altitude Ramsar wetlands in the Sikkim Eastern Himalayas". Global Ecology and Conservation. 20 (e00715): 19. doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00715.
  3. ^ Gurung, C. P.; Maskey, T. M.; Poudel, N.; Lama, Y.; Wagley, M. P.; Manandhar, A.; Khaling, S.; Thapa, G.; Thapa, S.; Wikramanayake, E. D. (2006). "The Sacred Himalayan Landscape: Conceptualizing, Visioning, and Planning for Conservation of Biodiversity, Culture and Livelihoods in the Eastern Himalaya" (PDF). In McNeely, J. A.; McCarthy, T. M.; Smith, A.; Whittaker, O. L.; Wikramanayake, E. D. (eds.). Conservation Biology in Asia. Kathmandu: Nepal Society for Conservation Biology, Asia Section and Resources Himalaya Foundation. pp. 10–20. ISBN 99946-996-9-5.
  4. ^ O'Neill, A. R.; Badola, H.K.; Dhyani, P. P.; Rana, S. K. (2017). "Integrating ethnobiological knowledge into biodiversity conservation in the Eastern Himalayas". Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 13 (1): 21. doi:10.1186/s13002-017-0148-9. PMC 5372287. PMID 28356115.
  5. ^ "Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary Sikkim | Wildlife Tourism Sikkim". www.tourmyindia.com. Retrieved 10 June 2021.