Sikkim Trekking

[bwak]

Just wondering...Has anyone done much trekking in Sikkim?
Im thinking of going to Nepal then India in October for the first time and have been reading about Sikkim, and a few walks there sound interesting.
The Goechala trek and the Zemu Chu Greenlake areas sound nice, and caught my eye.
If anyone has done them or can tell me anything else about Sikkim and the surrounding areas it would be great!

Bwak

[kolobar]

Goecha la is the most popular trek in Sikkim and takes you to the pass (Goecha) just in front of unclimbed southern wall of Kanchendzenga about 5.000m high. It is not restricted area but you need to pay entrance fee to national park. After initial climb to Dzongri (great morning views) it is an easy trek and takes min. 8 days to complete. You should have a spare day or two in case there is bad weather on the day when you should reach the top of Goecha la. Having clear weather on that day makes this trek an amazing experience.
It could be probabely done individually (if you can carry all that stuff by yourself) but everybody goes with a local agency. There are trekking huts on the way but they are very basic (just roof&floor, no beds, no food) therefore you need "all inclusive" service of an agency including tents since huts can be booked by agents from Gangtok for his trekking clients.
It is easy to book a trek in Gangtok. There are many agencies and you can go even if you are not in a group. In 2001 I was charged 35usd/person/day for the party of 2.
Zemu glacier trek (=Green lake trek) is the route to the east face of Kanchendzenga (from where the peak was approached from Sikkim side). It is a trek in the restricted area of northern Sikkim therefore a permit must be obtained (arranged by local agency). It is expensive trek (I was told 50-75usd/person/day) since people from Lachen (starting point settlement) should be hired to support the trek and they keep their prices high.
It seems following Singalila ridge (from Darjeeling) into Sikkim is becoming popular but since it is not legal entry for foreigners into Sikkim (at least it was not in 2001) it should as well be prepared by local agent. Otherwise Singlalila ridge trek can be done individually if you remain in West Bengal i.e. returning to Darjeeling.

[bwak]

Thanks Kolobar,
Sounds like some good options.