Protectors of the Yuksam-Dzongri Trail

A group of tourists was trekking on the Yuksam-Dzongri trekking trail in Sikkim. They were accompanied by a guide, porters and cooks.  At the end of the day, the tourists were tired and cold. They requested the porters to build them a bonfire. For the tourists, this seemed like an exciting idea to get warm and cozy. However, much to their surprise, the porters refused to comply with their request. On being asked why, they were told that they had been taught during their training that wood should not be collected for bonfires along the trail since this led to its degradation. So amazed were the tourists with this insight that they wrote a letter to the Chief Minister of Sikkim commending these people and congratulating the state for its ‘ecosensitive’ attitude.    

Yuksam-Dzongri is a well-known trekking trail on the route to the mighty Khangchendzonga, the world’s third highest mountain peak. The trail runs along the periphery of the Khangchendzonga National Park, famous for the red panda and many other animal and bird species.  It starts from the village of Yuksam and winds its way to Dzongri and finally to Goecha La, covering a distance of 45km and reaching an altitude of 4940m.This is also one of the few trekking trails open for Indians as well as foreigners in Sikkim.

The village of Yuksam lies tucked away in the far western corner of Sikkim. It is highly revered (it is said that this was the place where the Gods first came and settled) and known to be the first capital of Sikkim. Two of the state’s sacred lakes, Kathok and Khecheopalri are also situated in this area. Local elders tell an interesting tale about these lakes. Kathok is supposed to be the male and Khecheopalri the female lake. Kathok was given more importance to the Kathok lake, while Khecheopalri was neglected and polluted by people dumping garbage into it. It is said that Khecheopalri became annoyed at this and went and settled away from Kathok lake. 

Yuksam used to be a sleepy little village. Tourists hardly spent any time at Yuksam before setting off on the trek. The villagers had very little interest in the tourists or the trail since only those who were hired as guides, porters or cooks earned from trekking activities. This remained so until 1995 when a project on Sikkim Biodiversity and Ecotourism started in this village. The aim of the project was to ensure that the people of Yuksam benefited from the trekking tourism on the trail, to address the threats that the biodiversity on the trail faced and to then try and influence the state government to have better policies for tourism in general and ecotourism in particular.

The project tried to achieve these aims through training of many different groups of people. There were training programmes for the guides who took tourists on the trail. These programmes made the guides aware of the ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ on the trail. The guides were also made to realize the importance of this trail because of its unique biodiversity. There were training programmes for porters and cooks, focused on how best they could carry on with their activities without causing much damage to the trail. As a result of the trainings, these people became aware of the significance of this trail and this knowledge instilled in them a sense of pride and responsibility towards it As feedback about these well trained and aware guides, porters and cooks went back to the state government, their wages were increased and this added as another incentive to do a good job.  

Most of the guides, porters and cooks belonged to the village of Yuksam. As the other villagers watched these trainings and the results from them, they also got enthused and wanted to contribute to the project. They realized that if they made their village and houses more attractive to tourists, then perhaps these people who spent only one night in the village might stay longer. Many villagers started giving out rooms in their houses for tourists to spend the night. Shopkeepers started storing more things in their shops. Residents opened a few more restaurants as tourists started spending more time in the village. Yuksam seemed to suddenly wake up and take pride in its existence!

The youth of the village then decided to get together and form an organization that they called the Khangchendzonga Conservation Committee (KCC). The Yuksam-Dzongri trail being on the periphery of the national park is managed by the Forest Department. The KCC, however, decided to help the Forest Department in keeping the trail clean, by organizing regular clean-up campaigns. The KCC also developed a Code of Conduct for all trekkers, very clearly pointing out what could and could not be done on the trail. Visitors to Yuksam were requested to follow the Code of Conduct. Planning for all these activities was carried out along with all the villagers, who had an equal say on what should be done. 

Once, while members of the KCC were cleaning the trail, they came across two foreigners collecting insects. When asked what they were doing, the foreigners said that they were scientists and were collecting insects for research. Members of KCC got suspicious and asked the foreigners if they had got permission from the Government to do so. At this point, the foreigners gave some excuse for not having permission and tried to get away. However, members of KCC were on the alert and caught them. These foreigners were handed over to the Forest Department officers in Yuksam. Investigations revealed that the foreigners were Russians who were part of a much larger gang smuggling insects out of India. The Forest Department officials thanked and congratulated the KCC members for their good work.     

The beautiful Himlayan state of Sikkim has a lot to offer to tourists in terms of natural beauty. Tourism planning at Yuksam for the Yuksam-Dzongri trail is now used as a model for Sikkim. The state government is using this model for planning tourism in different parts of Sikkim. Perhaps the most important impact this project has had on planning in government is to ensure that different kinds of people ranging from the villagers, tour operators and government officials all sit together and plan for a particular area.

If you visit Sikkim, don’t forget to trek on the Yuksam-Dzongri trail.