Five Beautiful Homestays in Offbeat Sikkim

The essence of our whole Sikkim tour with Our Guest Diary was to experience these beautiful homestays run by various ethnic groups of Sikkim and located in absolutely offbeat locations throughout Sikkim.

Take a look at these 5 homestays in which we stayed in.

1. DORJEELEE HOMESTAY

Location:- Gangtok, Below West Point School, Arkya Area, Upper Tathangchen, Sikkim

An old ancestral homestay in Gangtok restored by one of the most versatile hosts, Pempo, is located away from the hustle-bustle of Gangtok. Tucked away in some quiet corner of Gangtok, Dorjeelee Homestay takes you back in time within minutes you step in.

You will stay busy in listening to the interesting stories which Pempo narrates with utter proud, who also performs as one of the masked-warrior dancers during The Pang Lhabsol Festival.

The homestay which is a mix of both Bhutia and Lepcha architecture has got wooden carvings all over the place reminding us of how many years old the house actually is.

It was built in the 1930s by the present owner`s great-grandfather who was the Muktiyar of King Tashi Namgyal and in charge of royal private estates and monastic lands of the north. The rooms on the ground floors were used as imprisonment cells after the civil suit.

We were pretty surprised by such historical knowledge about the place we were staying at.

2. MUNLOM NATURE RESORT

Location:- Hee-Gyathang, Dzongu, Sikkim

Gyathang kept the best secret for us. We were quite stoked after looking at our hidden resort in a village of Dzongu.

We reached here after having a 4km off the road ride and quickly realised it was 5100 ft where we will be spending a few nights at.

ALL ORGANIC is what Munlom Nature Resort is all about, be it from the food to the resort structure and from guest amenities to the overall experience.

Our Lepcha host, Kim, had so much to tell us about Dzongu as an ecologically sensitive area and Lepcha as nature worshipping tribe. He made sure we go back with bundles of knowledge and awareness about the area.

We were given this huge royal tent room to actually experience what living amidst nature looks like. And we were equally surprised and elated to see all this comfort and a royal bathroom attached to the tent.

Apart from the tent room, there are other log-cabin styled rooms as well and the resort is completely made out of felt -wood and preserved by an application of engine oil over the wood.

The porch area remains my favourite, from where these lofty peaks are easily available.

The happy tribe with our host Kim

3. THE MAZONG RESORT

Location:- Forest Colony, Gangtok,Sikkim

Another Gangtok homestay where you can stay away from the city rush, The Mazong House provides you with various experiential opportunities like gardens, gazebos, firepits, organic farm produce and absolutely cosy rooms.

We were only 10 minutes away from the MG Marg and yet miles away from the city noise. Another amazing night spent close to nature.

4. GNATHANG RESIDENCY

Location:- Nathang Valley, Sikkim

Getting a chance to stay near to Indo-China border doesn’t knock your door every day and here we were standing in the coldest valley of East Sikkim.

We were 70kms away from Gangtok living in the cosiest place of Gnathang, The Gnathang Residency.

The homestay is run by the warmest family who still herds Yaks and welcomed us with some Yak butter Tea.

A small family, also consisting of Baby Hissey, Amla and others, kept us engaged throughout our stay since we couldn’t get enough of playing with Hissey.

Even at such an altitude, the homestay had all the amenities ranging from hot water to cosy beds. The food was specially cooked with love by Hissey`s mother who wasn’t surprised to see how hungry we all were.

5. DHUNGKAR HOMESTAY

Location:- Lingtam, Sikkim

A Bhutia home tucked in an absolute corner of the wilderness, by the flowing river, the Dhungkar Homestay completed the circle of taking us back in time as our first homestay in Sikkim did.

By the vicinity of the Silk route, Lingtam village sits quietly and peacefully in the lap of untouched bits of nature. That’s exactly where we were going to spend our last days in Sikkim.

We were also welcomed by a pet dog who was relaxing in the balcony area. The rooms made us feel at home with the cosiest vibe.

The kitchen was separate as per the Bhutia architecture.

Hosted by Rinchen and her parents, we were greeted and treated in the warmest way with home-cooked momos to an extensive Sikkimese meal.

The surroundings were perfect to camp or have a bonfire night as the sound of the flowing section of the river constantly reminded us of our closeness with the authentic Sikkim.
Written By: The Iffy Explorer (Niharika Arora)