Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

in Gangtok district,

Sikkim Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Silig ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is situated around the area adjoining the Tsomgo (Changu) lake along the

Nathula Nathu La (, ) is a mountain pass in the Dongkya Range of the Himalayas between China's Yadong County in Tibet, and the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal in Bengal, South Asia. The pass, at , connects the towns of Kalimpong and Gangtok ...

Road. Located about east of Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, this sanctuary covers an area of about , and extends from the "15th Mile" police check point up to and along the ridges bordering the Rong Chu Valley and

Lake Tsomgo Tsomgo Lake'','' also known as Tsongmo Lake or Changgu Lake, is a glacial lake in the East Sikkim district of the Indian state of Sikkim, some from the capital Gangtok. Located at an elevation of , the lake remains frozen during the winter sea ...

. Rich in both flora and fauna, rare, endangered ground

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

and rhododendrons interspersed among tall junipers and taller

silver fir Silver fir is a common name for several trees and may refer to: *''Abies alba ''Abies alba'', the European silver fir or silver fir, is a fir native to the mountains of Europe, from the Pyrenees north to Normandy, east to the Alps and the Car ...

s are among the important plants present. ''

Rhododendron niveum ''Rhododendron niveum'' () is a rhododendron species native to northeastern India (including Sikkim), Bhutan, and southern Tibet in China, where it grows at altitudes of . It is an evergreen shrub or small tree that grows to in height, with leat ...

'' (the State Tree of Sikkim) and ''

Cypripedium tibeticum ''Cypripedium tibeticum'' is a species of orchid in section ''Cypripedium'' in the subsec. ''Macrantha'' It is native to Bhutan, Sikkim, and Western China (Gansu, Guizhou, Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan). Description 13-35 cm tall. Leaves 3, 7-15 × 3 ...

'' (the ground slipper orchid), which is on the verge of extinction, have also been introduced here. Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary is part of the

Sacred Himalayan Landscape The Sacred Himalayan Landscape is a large trans-boundary landscape in the eastern Himalayas encompassing temperate broadleaf and conifer forests, alpine meadows and grasslands, which harbour more than 80 mammal and more than 440 bird species. I ...

. The best time to visit the sanctuary is in May, June, October and November, when the climate is pleasant, dry and warm.

References

* Protected areas of Sikkim Gangtok district Wildlife sanctuaries in Sikkim Protected areas established in 1977 1977 establishments in Sikkim {{India-protected-area-stub