Culture and history · Padamchen
A first night in the forest at 2,000 m
Break the Silk Route climb with a night in a Padamchen family homestay, about 900 m below Zuluk. You get a home-cooked dinner, a quiet forest night and an easier start to the higher road the next morning.
The usual Silk Route plan is to drive from Gangtok or Siliguri straight to Zuluk in one day. It works, but it means going from the plains to about 2,900 m in a few hours, and some people pay for it with a headache and a bad night. Stopping at Padamchen, roughly 2,000 m, softens that jump. You arrive in the afternoon, walk a little along the road, and sit down to dinner with the family in a kitchen that is usually the warmest room in the house.
The homestays here are small and simple. Expect a wooden or concrete house, two to four guest rooms, heavy quilts and hot water by bucket on cold days. Meals are the household's own food: rice, dal, a seasonal vegetable such as squash or mustard greens, eggs or chicken, and perhaps local pickles. Breakfast is noodles, parathas or puri. Rates of about ₹1,200–1,800 per person include both meals. Tell your hosts in advance if you are vegetarian.
Use the evening to ask about the road ahead. Families here know when the upper road was last closed, which bends are being repaired and whether snow has fallen at Gnathang. Go to bed early; drivers often want to leave by 7 am to reach Zuluk and Thambi View Point in clear morning light. If anyone feels unwell, Padamchen is also a good place to stay put an extra night rather than going higher.
Cost: ₹1,200–1,800 pp with dinner and breakfast
Questions people ask
Good to know
Is Padamchen better than Zuluk for the first night?
For most people driving up in a single day, yes. Padamchen is about 900 m lower than Zuluk, so the body copes more easily, and it is only about an hour's drive below. You can still reach Thambi View Point early the next morning and sleep in Zuluk on the second night if you wish.
How much does a Padamchen homestay cost?
Expect about ₹1,200–1,800 per person a night, including dinner and breakfast. Rates rise a little in October, November and the spring holidays, and some homestays charge extra for a heater or extra quilts. Agents and drivers who book for you may add their margin, so ask what is included before you pay.
Do Padamchen homestays have hot water and electricity?
Most have electricity, though cuts are common, and hot water by geyser or by bucket. Do not expect heating beyond quilts and perhaps an electric heater. Carry a torch and a power bank, and ask about hot water timings on arrival, because some houses heat it only in the morning and evening.
Also in Padamchen
More things to do
Wildlife and birds · 2 hoursDawn birds on the Pangolakha forest roadPadamchen · Free on foot
Treks and walks · 2–3 hoursWalking the rhododendron stretch in springPadamchen · Free · car pickup by arrangement
Viewpoints · 4–5 hoursA morning hop up to Zuluk and ThambiPadamchen · Included in your Silk Route car