The cavity does not have a very attractive appearance. In fact, it seems like the entrance to an unfinished human work more than a passage to the bowels of the Earth. The path is on a steep slope and now there is no sign, but among the few tourists who come to Lachen, many come to visit it. They want to check if there are any traces of Alexandra David-Néel's passage left on it. The result, for practical purposes, is disappointing: there is no trace of the three years that the mythical Parisian explorer spent here meditating and rehearsing techniques such as warming her semi-naked body to remain undaunted by blizzards and snowfall.
The Lachen Valley (Sikkim) has a very powerful set of attractions. But many of the foreigners who come there do so dazzled by the aura of the first foreign woman who set foot in the mythical Lhasa when the Tibetan capital was prohibited to foreigners. Precisely in 2024 the centenary of the feat will be celebrated, although the celebrations will possibly be more colorful in the Parisian museums than in Tibet itself.
The Lachen monastery, which served as a spiritual reference for David-Néel and which was the starting point of his legendary journey, today offers a pristine appearance. Its exterior walls are repainted every year, and it shows the rustic fortress features that Tibetan Buddhist shrines have. Here, so close to the steppes of the Roof of the World, the mixture of normative religion and shamanism typical of nomadic shepherds is captured at the entrance, where a string of colored threads serve as a trap so that evil spirits do not enter. sneak inside.
The Lachen Monastery, aesthetically located on a hill overlooking the city of the same name, is usually the starting point to the Zemu Glacier and the Green Lake, located at 5,050 meters above sea level. The landscapes are typical of Sikkim, an ancient independent kingdom – it was not incorporated into the Indian Union until 1975 – which is distinguished by the generosity of its rains and, therefore, lush forests where red pandas, black bears, and tigers hide. and other even more elusive beings.
You can ask any citizen of Lachen: the Green Lake is one of the Himalayan enclaves preferred by the yetis, and anyone who has the courage to walk for eight days to reach it will have the opportunity to stumble upon that mythical hairy and gigantic being, whose old popular name, Abominable Snowman, has no meaning to the local population. If you are not lucky with the enormous ape, at least you will be able to enjoy one of the most wonderful and virgin landscapes of the Kanchenjunga National Park.
The third highest mountain in the world (8,586 m) from which it is named dominates the entire horizon of Sikkim and northern West Bengal. The trek that approaches the Five Treasures of the Snows (that is the meaning of its name) is one of the most rewarding that can be done in the eastern Himalayas, although it requires continuous effort from walkers for two weeks. The landscape prize is huge, in addition to the fact that at the end you go down to the Sikkimese capital, Gangtok, a haven of Gurkha and Tibetan culture where you can spend a few relaxing days.
Lachen is located west of the main road 310A that connects the lowlands of Sikkim with the remote Yumthang Valley, already on the border with the kampa territory of Tibet. It is accessed with an all-terrain vehicle and a lot of patience.
