Khangchendzonga National Park


Khangchendzonga National Park also Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve is a National Park and a Biosphere reserve located in Sikkim, India. It was inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in July 2016, becoming the first "Mixed Heritage" site of India. It was recently included in the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. The park gets its name from the mountain Kangchenjunga which is tall, the third-highest peak in the world. The total area of this park is.

Human history

There are a few Lepcha tribal settlements inside the park.
The park contains Tholung Monastery, a gompa located in the park's buffer zone. It is considered one of the most sacred monasteries in Sikkim.

Geography

The Kanchenjunga Park is situated in the North and West Sikkim districts in the Indian state of Sikkim. It has an elevation of to over and has an area of. It is one of the few high-altitude National parks of India and was recently included as a mixed-criteria UNESCO World Heritage site.
In the north it adjoins the Qomolangma National Nature Preserve in Tibet, and in the west the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area in Nepal.

Climate

Snowfall is heavy during the winter months and monsoon showers occur from May to mid-October.

Flora

The vegetation of the park include temperate broadleaf and mixed forests consisting of oaks, fir, birch, maple, willow. The vegetation of the park also includes Alpine grasses and shrubs at higher altitudes along with many medicinal plants and herbs.

Fauna

The park contains many mammal species including musk deer, snow leopard, Himalayan tahr, dhole, sloth bear, viverrids, Himalayan black bear, red panda, Tibetan wild ass, Himalayan blue sheep, serow, goral and takin, as well as reptiles including rat snake and Russell's viper.
A recent study revealed, that the dhole has become very rare in the area. The wild dogs in the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve are thought to belong to the rare and genetically distinct subspecies C. a. primaevus.

Avifauna

About 550 species of birds are found inside the park including blood pheasant, satyr tragopan, osprey, Himalayan griffon, lammergeier, Western tragopan, green pigeon, Tibetan snowcock, snow pigeon, impeyan pheasant, Asian emerald cuckoo, sunbird and eagle. A new species of bird named Himalayan Forest Thrush has been found in 2016. Its scientific name is Zoothera salimalii.

Park specific activities

Trekking

Most of the trekking routes starts from Yuksom in West Sikkim. Necessary Permit can be obtained from the Wildlife Education and Interpretation center at Yuksom or from the check post. State Tourism Department along with other travel agents organize treks to Dzongri and other places. The popular trek routes are:
Another popular trekking point includes trekking to the Green Lake with Lachen, a village in North Sikkim as the starting point.
Foreign nationals would require a restricted area permit from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, Delhi to visit the park and the associated region. Indian nationals are required to obtain an Inner-Line Permit from the State Home Department. Permission of the State Chief Wildlife Warden is also mandatory for everybody visiting the park.
The important and popular routes are:
Most of these trekking routes pass through the Kanchenjunga National Park and is shown in the film Singalila in the Himalaya

Transport