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By Root 2260 0

everyone is up at the crack of dawn to welcome the early morning rays and contemplate another relaxing day. You’ll spend your time soaking in views, or getting fat on Sikkimese cuisine. (Growing everything from mandarin, plums, pears, and peaches to spinach, radish, cauliflower, and cardamom, this is one place you won’t be going hungry.) Burn it all off with long, lovely walks around the countryside, coming across monasteries, ancient lepcha houses, and fog-filled forests (not to mention a leech or two). Of the four rooms, the heritage and the mud cottage are the best—spacious with curtains fashioned out of silks, thangkas on walls, and tiny balconies overlooking the fields with the range in the backdrop.

Yangsum Farm, P.O. Rinchenpong, West Sikkim 737 111. 94-3417-9029.www.yangsumfarm.com. 4 units (with showers). $81 premier heritage double with balcony and mountain views; $75 double; price includes all meals; $60 singles. No credit cards. Amenities: Doctor-on-call; hot water. In room: Heater, no phone.

Walking the Eastern Himalayas: Discovering Rural Life on Foot

While the tougher mountain trails have always lured serious trekkers to Sikkim, ambling through local villages and getting a taste of traditional life and culture along with the stunning terrain and views, with the mighty Kanchenjunga for company, wasn’t commonly found on the agenda until now. Shakti has changed all that with its foray into the eastern Himalayas ( 0124/456-3899;www.shaktihimalaya.com; info@shaktihimalaya.com; Oct–Apr except Jan). Village Walks are $1,356 per person on twin-share basis for 4 night/5-day experience, and rates include transfers to/from Bagdogra airport, private guides, porterage, meals/drinks, room, and service charge for staff. The 4-day walks are designed to suit even the unfit—5 to 6 hours of walking (can be adjusted to suit your needs) lead you to a new village each day, where a local house has been refurbished sensibly and sensitively to suit western travelers without robbing its authenticity. The families are a delight to interact with, meals prepared by the Shakti chef are simple and delicious, and the accompanying staff and guide well versed in giving you an insight into this enigmatic part of the country. Shakti’s prices are always as steep as the hills they traverse but the returns are as joyous and rewarding. For more on Shakti, .

TREKS THROUGH WESTERN SIKKIM

Treks around western Sikkim are justifiably popular, not least because of the spectacular views afforded throughout, but they are challenging. If you want something relatively short and undemanding, the 4-day trek from Pelling to Tashiding and back is ideal, covering both cultural sights and majestic scenery. Far more challenging, and requiring more time and extra stamina, are the high-altitude treks to Dzongri (3,861m/12,870 ft.; 6 days) and Goeche La (4,740m/15,800 ft.; 9–10 days). There are also other treks to Singalila and Versay in the west, Greenlake in the north, and Kedi and Teenjure in the east. Trekking here is only allowed with a recognized trekking operator in Gangtok; a daily fee of $50 to $75 will include guides, porters, yaks, tents, and food. March through May, the fabulous—and less strenuous—5-day Rhododendron Trek through the exotic forests of the Singalila Range, near the border with Nepal, become possible. For trek operators, see “Essentials: Guided Tours & Travel Agents,” earlier. (Note: Due to the damp climate and vegetation, Western Sikkim is notorious for its leeches; local techniques of applying limestone chalk or tobacco help but aren’t foolproof.)

EXPLORING THE WILDS OF ASSAM

To most, Assam means tea, and indeed some 20% of the world’s tea is grown here. But Assam’s remote location (best reached by plane from Kolkata or Bagdogra, flying into Guwahati, after which you need to travel by road, with the closest park approximately 4 hr. away) has meant that it remains one of India’s best-kept secrets, despite boasting two out of India’s five World Heritage environmental sites—Manas and Kaziranga. In Manas, apart from a small and extremely