Culture and history · Gnathang
A night in the Gnathang valley
Sleep in a family homestay in the high Gnathang valley, at about 3,800–4,000 m. Watch evening light fade over the yak pastures, eat a hot dinner by the stove and step out to a sky full of stars. Only after a night lower down, and only if everyone is well.
Most Silk Route travellers drive through Gnathang in the middle of the day, take photographs and head on. Staying the night changes the place. By late afternoon the day traffic is gone, the wind drops, and the valley takes on a long golden light as the sun goes down behind the western ridges. Yaks drift back towards the houses, smoke rises from kitchen chimneys and the temperature falls fast.
The homestays are simple. Expect a small room with two or three beds and a pile of quilts, a shared or attached bathroom and hot water in a bucket on request. Dinner is rice, dal, a vegetable, perhaps eggs or chicken, eaten early around the family's stove. Ask to sit in the kitchen if you can; it is the warmest room in the house and where the stories are told.
At about 3,900 m sleep can be broken, and mild headaches are common. Drink water, skip alcohol and go to bed early. If anyone develops a severe headache, vomiting, confusion or breathlessness at rest, tell your hosts and go down to Zuluk at once, even at night. In the morning, step out early: on clear days the valley is white with frost and the high ridges catch the first sun.
Cost: ₹1,200–2,000 pp with dinner and breakfast
Questions people ask
Good to know
Is it safe to sleep at Gnathang?
For healthy adults who have already spent a night at Zuluk or Padamchen, usually yes. Sleeping at about 3,900 m on your first night up is risky. Drink water, avoid alcohol and descend at once if anyone has severe headache, vomiting, confusion or breathlessness at rest.
How cold is Gnathang at night?
Very cold. Nights are below freezing for most of the year and can fall far below in winter. Homestays provide heavy quilts, and some offer a heater for a small charge. Sleep in thermals and a woollen hat, and keep a water bottle inside your quilt so it does not freeze.
How do we book a homestay at Gnathang?
Few Gnathang homestays are listed online. Most travellers book through their Zuluk homestay, a Gangtok operator or the driver arranging the Silk Route trip. Book ahead in October, November and May. Rates are usually ₹1,200–2,000 per person with dinner and breakfast.
Also in Gnathang
More things to do
Culture and history · 30–45 minutesThe old Baba Mandir bunker shrineGnathang · Free · offerings optional
Culture and history · 30–60 minutesThe 1888 memorials around GnathangGnathang · Free
Culture and history · 1–1.5 hours on footYak pastures and the village monasteryGnathang · Free · donation welcome