Yumthang Valley of Flowers sanctuary
Sikkim Valley of Flowers Sanctuary | |
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 View of Yumthang Valley of Flowers Sanctuary | |
| Nickname: Sikkim Valley of Flowers Sanctuary | |
  Yumthang Valley of Flowers sanctuary Location in Sikkim, India  Yumthang Valley of Flowers sanctuary Yumthang Valley of Flowers sanctuary (India) | |
| Coordinates: 27°49′36″N 88°41′45″E / 27.8268°N 88.6959°E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Sikkim |
| District | Mangan |
| Elevation | 3,700 m (12,100 ft) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Sikkimese, Hindi, English |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Vehicle registration | SK |
The Yumthang Valley or Sikkim Valley of Flowers sanctuary, is a nature sanctuary with river, hot springs, yaks and grazing pasture on rolling meadows surrounded by the Himalayan mountains in Yumthang in the Mangan district of Sikkim state in India. It is approx. 75 km from Mangan town, the district headquarters. It is at an elevation of 3,564 metres (11,693 ft) above msl at a distance of 150 kilometres (93 mi) from the state capital Gangtok.[1][2]
It is popularly known as 'Valley of Flowers'[3] and is home to the Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary, which has over twenty-four species of the rhododendron, the state flower. The flowering season is from late February and to mid June, when countless flowers bloom to carpet the valley in multicolored hues of rainbow.[4] A tributary of the river Teesta flows past the valley and the town of Lachung, the nearest inhabited centre. Yumthang is closed between December and March due to heavy snowfall. There is also a hot spring in the valley.
A forest rest house is the only permanent residence in the valley. During the spring months, the area blooms with rhododendrons, primulas, poppies, iris and other flora. During the summer months, villagers take their cattle to these heights to graze (a practice known as yaylag pastoralism). In view of increasing number of tourists, there is possibility of environmental degradation in near future.[5] Skiing is conducted in the valley.[6][7]
- ^ "YUMTHANG VALLEY". Archived from the original on 10 March 2001.
- ^ "Yumthang Valley in North Sikkim".
- ^ ":: Welcome to the Official Web Portal of Sikkim Tourism :: Places of Interest | Yumthang |". Archived from the original on 10 January 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ^ Yumthang bloom season
- ^ Choudhury, A.U. (2011). Tourism pressure on high elevation IBAs. Mistnet 12(1): 11-12.
- ^ "Snow raises hopes of skiing in Sikkim - Yumthang turns white blanket". The Telegraph. India. 6 January 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
- ^ "Delight Hotels Royal Lachung, Lachung | Delight Hotels PVT Ltd". Archived from the original on 27 November 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2013.