homestay · Dzongu
Mayal Lyang Homestay
A long-running Lepcha family homestay in Lingthem, upper Dzongu, named after the Lepcha word for their homeland. Simple rooms, three home-cooked Lepcha meals a day, help with the Dzongu permit and local guides for village and waterfall walks.
Mayal Lyang is one of the homestays that helped put Dzongu on the map for independent travellers. It is run by a Lepcha family in Lingthem village, on the slopes above the Teesta in upper Dzongu. The name comes from Mayel Lyang, the Lepcha name for their homeland, which says a lot about how the family frames the stay: you are a guest in a Lepcha home, not a hotel.
Expect simple, clean rooms, home-cooked Lepcha and Nepali food from the family kitchen, and evenings around the fire. The family can help arrange the Dzongu permit, pickups from Mangan, and guides for walks to villages, cardamom groves, waterfalls and, when access allows, Tholung Monastery. Rates, room types and the road situation change; confirm all of them directly when you book, and check current status before you travel.
Why we suggest it
- A real Lepcha family home in the heart of the Dzongu reserve
- Help with the Dzongu permit, transport and local guides
- Lepcha home food, including nettle soup, ferns and chi
We list rates as indicative ranges. We do not take commission from this property for being listed here. Check current status before you travel.
Questions people ask
Good to know
Where is Mayal Lyang Homestay?
In Lingthem village, upper Dzongu, North Sikkim, across the Teesta from Mangan. It is reached by taxi from Mangan after you collect your Dzongu permit, roughly 1–1.5 hours depending on the road. The family can usually arrange a pickup.
Does Mayal Lyang help with the Dzongu permit?
Dzongu homestays, including Mayal Lyang, commonly help guests arrange the Dzongu permit by guiding them through the paperwork or applying in advance with your ID copies. Ask when you book what they need and how long it takes. Rules change, so check current status before you travel.
How much does Mayal Lyang cost?
Expect roughly ₹1,800–2,500 per person per day with all meals in 2025–26, but this is indicative. Guides and transport are extra. Confirm the current rate and what it includes directly with the family before you travel.
Trips that sleep here
On a ticket
Comfort
North Sikkim6 nights · Reserved car
Dzongu and Lachung, Lepcha valley to the snow
Phodong · Dzongu · Lachung · Mangan
₹37,000per personabout ₹5,300 a day
Shoestring
North Sikkim3 nights · Shared jeeps
Three nights with a Lepcha family in Dzongu
Dzongu
₹8,500per personabout ₹2,100 a day
Comfort
North Sikkim8 nights · Reserved car
North Sikkim end to end, slowly, in 8 nights
Phodong · Singhik · Lachen · Lachung
₹48,000per personabout ₹5,350 a day
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