Food · Yumesamdong (Zero Point)
Maggi and butter tea at the top
Seasonal stalls at Zero Point run by people from Lachung sell tea, coffee, butter tea, Maggi and sometimes momos. Sitting with a hot cup out of the wind is the best way to spend part of your time at 4,700 m, and it keeps money in the valley.
The stalls at Zero Point are basic: a few benches, a stove and shelves of instant noodles, biscuits and tea. They are run in season by Lachung families, and they are where tour groups warm up. Prices are a little higher than in Lachung, which is fair given that every packet comes up by road.
A bowl of Maggi with an egg, a cup of milk tea or butter tea, and a few minutes out of the wind cost ₹60–150. Butter tea, salted and rich, is what herders drank to stay warm; try it here if you have not. Avoid alcohol at this height, whatever anyone offers; it worsens altitude sickness.
Some stalls rent boots or sell small oxygen cans at ₹500–900. The cans give a few minutes of relief, not a cure; the real treatment for altitude sickness is going down. Use a stall toilet where offered and pay the small fee. Take your cups and wrappers back to the stall bin, not into the snow.
Cost: ₹60–150
Questions people ask
Good to know
Is food available at Zero Point?
Yes, in season. Stalls near the parking area sell tea, coffee, butter tea, Maggi, biscuits and sometimes momos for about ₹60–150. They may not open in deep winter or very early in the morning, so carry water and a snack from Lachung.
Are there toilets at Zero Point?
Only very basic ones, usually attached to stalls, for ₹10–20 where available. There is nothing on the road between Yumthang and Zero Point. Use the toilet at your Lachung hotel before leaving and at Yumthang on the way up.
Should I buy an oxygen can for Zero Point?
An oxygen can, about ₹500–900, gives brief relief from breathlessness but does not treat altitude sickness. It can help someone feel calmer while you head down. If anyone is seriously unwell, the only real fix is to descend at once.
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