India is one of the most overwhelming countries in the world. A place of immense beauty that will leave you with everlasting memories. Its aromas, colours, flavours, wonderful landscapes, chaotic cities and peaceful rural areas, but above all, the friendly and smiling people. Your vision of the world will not be the same after visiting this incredible country.

Sadly, at Nomadic Tribe, we have put reservations on standby due to the terrible pandemic that affects us all, but especially India at the moment. Our hope and best wishes are with all of them, with our collaborators and with our tribes.

We are confident that we will travel again soon, and our itineraries to India, unique and tailor-made for us, will be the experience of a lifetime for our adventurers.

Sikkim, your next destination

Bordered by China, Nepal, and Bhutan, Sikkim was a monarchy before merging with India in 1975. Today it takes pride in being the only state of this country that practices 100% organic food production. Some of the leading tribes of Sikkim are Limbu, Lepcha, and Bhutia.

The unique itineraries that you can experience with Nomadic Tribe in this small state in North East India will let you discover the daily lives of these tribes. Enjoy the delicious cuisine, local dances and music, customs and traditions, festivals, agrarian practices, religion, environment and much more.

Our tours will be conducted so that they will have a positive social, economic and environmental impact, helping local communities recover from the tremendous crisis caused by the pandemic. The revenue generated from your travels will be shared directly with the local stakeholders, thus providing ongoing support and well-being. People in many local communities are trained in hospitality to provide them with an alternative income.

Live like a local…

From the first day of arrival in Kolkata you will live in local homes to learn about their traditions first hand. Starting with a Bengali family, you will learn the actual tricks of traditional cuisine, customs and the way of life of urban tribes.

In the following days, travel to Bagdogra to continue your journey through the Sikkim region and meet some local tribes. With Nomadic Tribe, you can choose whether to visit the Limba and the Lepchu or the Buthia. After experiencing one itinerary, you will most likely be so in love with this place that you will want to meet the other tribes in the future.

…with the Buthia

If you choose to visit the Buthia, you can enjoy spending free time chatting with the community and perhaps sharing a glass of their local millet-based wine.

During your stay, tribe members will teach you about the forest herbs and how they are used while you learn to cook a delicious dinner. You can learn about the local festivals and customs of the village.

Your hosts will introduce you to other villagers and take you to remarkable Buddhist monasteries. You may even meet the Lama if he is available, who might tell you some local legends. You can visit the handicrafts centre and learn about wood carving, carpet and shawl making out of sheep wool. The handicrafts centre is an initiative by local self-help groups to provide an alternate source of living for village men and women. We will facilitate a brief interaction with the local craftspeople. The artisans can be wary of people but very friendly once they open up.

Sikkim is well-known as a trekking destination, so take some time to explore the landscapes with your hosts, as well as visiting the Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary, where you will see deer, fox and the rare red panda.

Without a doubt, the most fun will be to dance the Bhutia cultural dance in a starry evening with the community families and relax with a traditional herbal bath at sunset. This is a traditional Bhutanese body healing bath where the water is prepared by soaking herbs and heating over hot stones. It is excellent for relaxing the muscles and was used by Bhutia farmers after long days working on the farms.

…with the Limbu and Lepcha

With your Limbu family, you will have a hands-on farming experience just the way they do. Depending upon the season, they will involve you in sowing, harvesting, or processing black cardamom, potatoes, or maize which are the main crops of this area.

You will also visit the local Shaman in the evening and learn about the local religion that worships a chief god, Niwa Buma, and mountain and river deities.

Do not worry because it will be not all work, and they will also take you for a walk to visit the ruins of Rabdentse, which was the second capital of Sikkim until the Nepalese kingdoms raided it. Further, there will be time to visit the Pemayangtse monastery, where you might see the monks studying in a monastic school or the prayers in progress.

But our itineraries to Sikkim offer you much more than that …

During the trip, you will also have time to discover beautiful cities such as Kolkata or charming Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim. Here you can enjoy the ancient markets and unforgettable landmarks. You will also have free time to relax and reflect on the feelings and learnings from your experience.

But above all you can have the peace of mind that these itineraries are socially sustainable. Because we make sure that the homestays consistently contribute towards the sustainable development of the community. Our village experiences are based on ‘storytelling’ rather than sightseeing. We encourage the participation of women in decision making and entrepreneurship and we facilitate the interaction of our travelers with local artisans.

We also make sure these trips are environmentally friendly, making sure that the vehicles we use are compliant with the latest emission standards in India. We use recyclable materials and we encourage plastic-free trips. Wherever solar power isn’t available, we encourage energy-efficient LED lights and all the raw material we use for cooking is sourced locally.

If you want to know more about our itineraries, visit our travel and tribes sections. There you will find all the details of these unique experiences and much more information about our ethical practices.

Get ready to travel to Sikkim soon!

Nomadic Tribe team

Cover photo / Photo by PRATAP CHHETRI on Unsplash. Sikkim