Sikkim
Sikkim is situated in the lap of the eastern
Himalayas below Mt. Khangchendzonga (8598m),
the world's third highest Mountain. To
the north of Sikkim lies the vast Tibetan
Plateau, to the west the Kingdom of Nepal,
to the east the Kingdom of Bhutan and
the Chumbi Valley of Tibet, while the
neighboring State of West Bengal stretches
along its southern boundary. Sikkim, formerly
a Buddhist Monarchy, is now the 22nd State
of India. A naturalist's paradise, Sikkim
is noted for its flora and fauna boasting
over 4000 varieties of flowering plants
and shrubs, including orchids. Her population
is made up of Lepchas, Bhutias and Nepalese
who form the major population, and who,
by nature, simple, polite and docile people
with a natural gaiety. Their culture and
customs are as fascinating as the verdant
mountain surroundings in which they live.
Tucked
away in the Himalayas, Bhutan remains
a country which evokes a sense of intense
mystery. With the coming of the first
surfaced road in the 1960s, Bhutan opened
its doors to a handful of tourists in
1974, mostly at the invitation of the
government. The Royal Bhutanese Government
has succeeded in maintaining its cultural
and spiritual heritage by strictly limiting
the number of tourists that visit the
Kingdom to a maximum of 5000 a year.
Remote
and isolated by the highest mountains
in the world, Tibet has always been the
most exotic of destinations. For centuries
a closed country visited by only a few
foreigners, it has now been open for over
a decade, although entry is still carefully
controlled. In the past, travel to Tibet
has tended to be problematic – limited
access, periodic closures for political
reasons, poor infrastructure and accommodations
that left much to be desired. However,
recent years have brought many improvements.