North Sikkim Tour Packages Yumthang And Gurudongmar Gurudongmar Lake is one of the highest lakes in the world and in India, located at an altitude of 5,425 m (17,800 ft), in the Indian state of Sikkim. It is considered sacred by Buddhists, Sikhs and Hindus. The high altitude lake is located 190 kilometres (120 mi) away from Gangtok, the capital city of Sikkim, and about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of the Tibetan (Chinese) border, in the district of North Sikkim. The lake can be reached by road from Lachen via Thangu. The road from Thangu to Gurudongmar passes through rugged terrain with moraine, which has high alpine pastures covered with many rhododendron trees. The lake, fed by glaciers, is located to the north of the Kanchengunga range, connected with the Tibetan Plateau. It provides one of the source streams which joins the Tso Lahmu and then form the source of the Teesta River. The lake remains completely frozen in the winter months, from November to Mid-May. The area surrounding the lake, also known as Gurudongmar, is inhabited by Yaks, blue sheep and other wildlife of high altitude. The Yumthang Valley or Sikkim Valley of Flowers sanctuary, is a nature sanctuary with river, hot springs, yaks and grazing pasture on rolling meadows surrounded by the Himalayan mountains in the North Sikkim district of Sikkim state in India. It is at an elevation of 3,564 metres (11,693 ft) at a distance of 150 kilometres from the state capital Gangtok. It is home to the Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary, which has over twenty-four species of the rhododendron, the state flower. The flowering season is from late February and to mid June, when countless flowers bloom to carpet the valley in multicolored hues of rainbow. A tributary of the river Teesta flows past the valley and the town of Lachung, the nearest inhabited centre. Yumthang is closed between December and March due to heavy snowfall. There is also a hot spring in the valley. During the spring months, the area blooms with rhododendrons, primulas, poppies, iris and other flora. Skiing is conducted in the valley.