Zuluk

Zuluk

Zuluk


Dzuluk or Zuluk or Jhuluk or Jaluk is a small hamlet located at a height of around 10,000 feet (3,000 m) on the rugged terrain of the lower Himalayas in East Sikkim of the Indian state Sikkim (Pincode 737131). This place is relatively an emerging and offbeat destination in East Sikkim. Today it is fast emerging as a new tourist destination. It derives its tourism importance due to the excellent view of the eastern Himalayan mountain range including the Kanchenjunga.

It was once a transit point to the historic Silk Route from Tibet to India. The silk route that connected Lhasa (Tibet) to Kalimpong was in use even a few decades ago until the Chinese invasion of Tibet. It was commonly used by traders traveling to Tibet through Jelep-la ("La" stands for mountain pass) as an overnight base. The route started from Kalimpong and passed through Pedong, Aritar, Dzuluk and Jelepla to Chumbi valley in Tibet.

Located at a height of around 10,100 feet on the rugged terrain of the lower Himalayas in East Sikkim, Zuluk or Dzuluk is a small village which was once a transit point to the historic Silk Route from Tibet to India. It is relatively an emerging and offbeat destination in East Sikkim. This small village accommodates a population of around 700 people. There is also an Indian Army base at Zuluk, which has been used as a transit camp for the army movement to the Chinese border, a few kilometres away. It is the very first village within this whole Silk Route circuit to offer home-stay facilities for tourists. 14 kms away from Zuluk, the Thambi View Point offers a panoramic view of the entire Mt. Khangchendzonga range. Zuluk is open to Indian nationals only who need to apply for Protected Area Permit.

Dzuluk is surrounded by wild forest, some of the forests are completely virgin. Sighting of Deer, Wild Dog, Himalayan Bear the red panda is not very uncommon. Some tigers have also reportedly been sighted in the area.

A variety of birds can also be seen such as Blood Pheasant, Himalayan monal, Kalij pheasant, Snow Pheasant and others.During the summer months, the area and its surrounding hills are covered with thousands of blooming rhododendron. Dzuluk during these months, is a riot of colors due to the variety of rhododendron that can be seen here.

Zuluk

Dzuluk at an altitude of about 10,000 ft offers pleasant weather during most of the year. The summer temperature would be near 20 °C (68 °F) with substantial difference between the day and night temperature. The rainy season is a little protracted and heavy to very heavy showers are common. The winter may see snowfall in the area of about 3–5 feet (0.91–1.52 m) of snow.

October to February — winter, cold and snow.
March to May — cold.
June to September — the monsoon season.

Zuluk, in East Sikkim, is located in the restricted area of Sikkim. A special Inner Line Permit is required to reach Zuluk. All tourists are required to carry-

-Passport or Voter ID card for Adult
-Passport or Birth Certificate for Child (Below 18) along with one Photo ID card (School ID / Aadhar etc.)
-4 Copies of Passport Size of Photo
-Photocopies - 4 No. of the above documents


The DO's
  • Clothing & Luggage: Travel as light as possible with least minimum clothes, toiletries and other essential commodities & as these areas is cold throughout the year it is advisable to carry warm woollen clothes, woollen mittens and gloves, cap etc. During the month of Dec to Feb, Zuluk is very cold and often experiences heavy snowfall. Please carry heavy woolen garments during winter.
  • Food and Drink: Drink only bottled water. Please carry your water from Rongli, Pedong, or Siliguri. Since this area doesn't have any single shop, it is always advisable to carry dry foods like biscuits, chips, dry fruits, fruits, etc. Foreign Liquors / Alcohols are not also available in Zuluk.
  • Health Facility & Health Precautions: It is advisable to carry specific medicines as there are no pharmacy shops in Zuluk. Always carry a kit of the basic emergency medicines you might need for diarrhea, fever, etc., also band-aids and an antiseptic ointment. The nearest health facility /medicine shop is available at Rongli.
  • Card Payment & ATM: Credit/Debit Card is not accepted in Zuluk. In Zuluk there is also no ATM. Please carry cash for all your transactions.
  • Telephone / Mobile phones: Mobile coverage in Zuluk is very limited and may not be available from all the places in and around Zuluk. Data connectivity is also very poor in Zuluk. It is advisable to carry mobile phones from two different mobile service providers.
  • Where ever you find Pine forest beware of leeches(jok). So, Walk carefully .
The DONT's
  • Do not expect modern facilities out there as this is an economically poor village and people out there are providing homestay for last few years only. Rooms are ok type, running water, commode in bath room but no TV and Geyser. Hot water will be provided on demand.
  • If you have breathing issues avoid staying at Gnathang Vally, stay in Zuluk. On the way to Kupup visit Gnathang.
  • Do not think too much just take precautions and enjoy your holoday