Culture and history · Yuksom
Tashi Tenka and the old capital on foot
A slow walk from the bazaar to Tashi Tenka, remembered as the site of Sikkim's first royal palace, and back through fields and lanes. There is little to see in stone, but the setting, the farms and a tea stop make it a good half-morning.
Tashi Tenka is a terrace on the slope above the village, remembered as the place where the first Chogyals had their palace in the decades after 1642. Ask in the bazaar for the path; locals will point you up the lanes. Do not expect walls or towers. What you find is mostly open ground and the view, which is the point: from here you see how Yuksom sits on its shelf of farmland, with the Rathong Chu valley below and forest climbing towards the snow.
Come down by a different lane through the fields. Depending on the season you will pass maize, millet and vegetable plots, and the large cardamom grown under the shade of trees on the damper slopes, which is harvested from late summer into autumn. Families here are Bhutia, Lepcha and Nepali, and many combine farming with work on the trek, as guides, cooks, porters or lodge keepers. A polite question about the crop usually starts a conversation.
Finish with tea and something hot in the bazaar: momos, a bowl of thukpa or a plate of sel roti if someone is frying it that morning. If you have a full day, link this walk with Norbugang and Kathok Lake in the afternoon. Wear walking shoes, carry water and a light rain jacket, and ask before photographing people or walking through a private courtyard. Dogs are friendly but follow trekkers everywhere.
Cost: Free
Questions people ask
Good to know
What is left of the old palace at Tashi Tenka?
Very little stands today. Tashi Tenka is remembered as the site of the first royal palace, but you mainly see terraced ground and the view over the valley. Go for the setting and the story rather than ruins. For standing royal remains, visit Rabdentse near Pelling, the capital that followed from 1670.
Do we need a guide for the Yuksom village walk?
No. Yuksom is small and the lanes are safe, and locals will happily point the way to Tashi Tenka, Norbugang and Kathok Lake. A guide can add stories and introductions to farming families, and a day's guide costs roughly ₹1,500–2,500. Ask at your homestay if you would like one.
What local food should we try in Yuksom?
Try a home-cooked thali with local greens, dal and rice, momos, thukpa, and sel roti, the ring-shaped rice bread fried for breakfast. In winter some homes make gundruk, fermented leafy greens, and you may be offered churpi, a local cheese. Homestay dinners are usually the best and cheapest place to taste them.
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