Tsomgo (East Sikkim): A cable car that climbs to
14,500 feet on the snow-covered slopes near Changu Lake is fast becoming
a major attraction for tourists to Sikkim.
Built after an almost a decade-long struggle, the Tsomgo Passenger Ropeway started operation in July 2017.
In a short span of less than a year, the ropeway has become an
added attraction for tourists visiting Tsomgo Lake, which over the
years has become a tourism hotspot of the Himalayan state.
Tsomgo is about 40 kilometres from Gangtok and 15 kilometres short of
Nathula, the border pass between India and China, which has become a
must-visit for tourists in Sikkim.
Given the fact that Tsomgo -Nathula is designated as a
sensitive nature area, tourists need a special permit to visit the
rugged mountain terrain which for better part of the year is covered
with snow.
K. B. Gurung, the local partner of the company that built and
operates the ropeway, said people are drawn to the cable car service
because of what they get to see on the upper station of the ropeway.
"The upper station opens up to a flattish hillock from where you, on a
clear day, can get a majestic view of the Kanchenjungha mountain. Even
if the weather is not clear, the visitors have a whale of a time playing
with the snowflakes. The Tsomgo ropeway at its upper point is the
highest ropeway in Asia," he said.
On Saturday, scores of people were seen taking a ride on the
ropeway. "We feel like we are in Europe. This is incredibly beautiful,"
said Tribhuvan Prakash Dubey, a visitor from Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
" Aisa jaga hamara India may hai (such a place exist in
our country)," chimed Ashok Purohit. Both Dubey and Purohit are police
officers from Gujarat and were in Sikkim to spend their holidays with
their families.
"To set foot on snow after descending from the cable car is
incredible. We have a ropeway in Nepal that takes you to the Manokamana
temple (in Gorkha district), but this short ride is wonderful," said Ram
Kesar Bogati, the president of Nepal Film Artistes' Association.
The Telegraph