NATHULA
Nathula located at the Indo China border at an altitude of 14,100 feet asl is a favorite hotspot place of visit for visitors coming to Sikkim. It is 56 km East of Gangtok and connects the Indian state of Sikkim to Tibet Autonomous Region in China. Nathu means "listening ears" and La means "pass" in Tibetan. It is one of the highest motorable roads and is covered with rich alpine flora and fauna. The road to this pass is breathtaking and the landscape is dotted with army settlements.
From NathuLa, the fenced Indo-China border is just few meters away and you can see both Indian and Chinese soldiers guarding the border. There is also a memorial here which was constructed in the honor of the Indian soldier who died in the Indo China war of 196
On the way to Nathula, you will come across a place called Thegu which has an ATM. This is the highest altitude ATM in the world. It operates with a generator and a special fuel that does not freeze in such high altitude. You can withdraw cash or just check your balance & take the slip as a souvenir.
TSOMGO LAK
Tsomgo Lake, also known as Changu Lake is a glacial lake in Sikkim and located at an altitude of 12,310 feet. The name Tsomgo means 'Source of water'. It's located 40kms from Gangtok town and on the steep route known as Jawaharlal Nehru Road which leads all the way to Nathula Pass.

In the morning, we will drive to Lachen (9,400 ft, 118 km). On the way, we will visit the Seven Sister Waterfalls. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant on the way. Check in at the hotel in the late afternoon. An overnight stay at the hotel in Lachen.

Lachen is the sister town of Lachung, tucked away in the Himalayan wonders, surrounded by the Lachen Chu river and mountain ranges. The town carries all the charm of a small hill town, with wooden houses, narrow curvy roads, grazing cattle, and beautiful vistas of the hills. A walk around the town in the early morning or evening is a light exercise as well as a delight for those who love nature. Lachen monastery is a short walk, and a beautiful site showcasing Buddhist culture. The inhabitants of Lachen are mostly Bhutias or Tibetan Buddhists but they understand Hindi.

Today morning, we will drive towards Gurudongmar Lake (17,000ft). Gurudongmar Lake is one of the highest situated lakes in North Sikkim. Considering the high altitude we need to make sure we are acclimatised well before proceeding .
Later return back to the hotel and leave for Lachung. Enjoy an overnight stay at Lachung.

Lachung
Lachung means the 'Small Pass'. Lachung is a small mountain village At an altitude of 8,610 ftand located about 118kms from Gangtok. 
Throughout the entire journey we are accompanied by the Teesta river and numerous waterfalls and mountain springs.Chungthang is where we can watch the lovely confluence of the rivers Lachung Chhu and Lachen Chhu which then join the river Teesta. Nearby there is a sacred stone (Naydo) having footprints of guru Padmasambhava. We will visit the Chungthang Monastery. The Monastery is surrounded by stone houses and large edifices. The monastery has rich collection of rare Buddhist paintings.

About 11kms ahead of Chungthang and towards Lachung (30 minutes drive) we will come across a wonderful waterfall along the way known as Bhim Nala (also known as Amitabh Bachchan Waterfalls because a scene of the film 'Ankhen' was shot here with Amitabh in it). We take a short break here before heading off to our final destination for the day, Lanchung Village.

Yumthang valley is about 25kms from Lachung located at an altitude of 11,800ft and takes about 1.5 hours of drive. The name Yumthang Valley means 'Valley of Flowers'. So you know what to expect. But the name would have been more appropriate if it said 'Valley of Rhododendrons'. Because here as the tree line ends, the vast stretch of flowering valley exposes a dense bed of rhododendron flowers for miles and in many different colors like purple, blue, red, pink etc.

The rhododendrons bloom between March to May. We will visit the Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary which spans across 34 square kilometers area here near Lachung and has over 38 different varieties of rhododendrons.
Other than the wonderful views of vast valley of flowers, Yumthang also offers lovely views of the mountain peaks such as Pauhunri and Shundu Tsenpa forming the backdrop of the river Teesta.
Further up and about 23kms from Yumthang at an altitude of over 15,000 ft is the place Zero Point (also known as Yumesamdong). It takes another 1.5 hours from Yumthang by vehicle (about 3 to 3.5 hours from Lachung). This is where the civilian road ends and you can't drive any further and hence the name Zero Point. A short distance away from here is the border with China and tourists are not allowed to go any further shortly after Zero Point.
While the road is quite treacherous, the rewards are awesome. Zero Point or Yume Samdong is the place where three rivers meet with surrounding snow-clad mountains and offering marvelous scenic views. You can often see yaks grazing in the snow. There is hardly any vegetation in Zero point other than some stretches of grassy land which becomes visible when the snow melts.

We bid googbye to North Sikkim today and drive to Gangtok. Overnight at Gangtok.

After breakfast, we head  back towards Bagdogdra with lots of happy memories of the trip :)