4.30 a.m. and it is bright outside the tiny hotel room in Lachen, North Sikkim, the base village for the trip to Gurudongmar Lake. At just less than 9000 feet, Lachen feels pleasant; teeth chatter, hands feel numb but everyone is excited about the trip to the lake and ignores these minor inconveniences. Gurudongmar Lake, just over 60 km from Lachen entails a tough journey of over four hours on mostly non-existent roads.

The first half of the drive is easy; there is a halt at Thangu Village around 7 a.m. for a rest and breakfast. Thangu, at 14000 feet, is a new dot on the Sikkim map, having appeared only after tourism towards Gurudongmar Lake opened up in the last few years. Thangu is a small hamlet with a few homes, and mid-way to the lake, also serves as a spot to acclimatize before carrying on towards an even higher altitude. In a tiny room in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by snowy peaks, we are fed piping hot momos and endless cups of tea by smiling shy locals.

An hour later, there is another pit stop, this time at a small military establishment which also has a café managed by the army. "Welcome to the best-managed world's highest café at 15000 feet", says the board, probably exaggerating: you would most likely find cafés at a higher altitude here. This is a very short break, unlike the one at Thangu, since the drivers (and the visitors) are eager to get on. Furthermore, it is said that it is essential to return from Gurudongmar Lake by noon, since stones start flying in the severe wind after that!

Sikkim has several lakes at high altitude and the biggest and most beautiful of them, Gurudongmar Lake, is at a breathtaking (literally!) altitude of over 17000 feet. Named after Guru Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Dongmar, this is the most sacred of all the lakes in Sikkim. The approach is through rough, pebbled paths over terrain that feels partly desert and partly lunar, along the Khangchengyao range, whose snow-capped mountains feel so close, just as you could touch them. And at the end of the arduous drive, a bright blue patch appears in front of the travelers, with sunlight glinting on the placid water. The lake remains frozen for most of the year except the short summer months.

We are not – nobody can really be – prepared for the kind of disorientation that such altitude creates. Our ears are ringing, our eyes are watering, our feet are freezing and all the hot tea provided by the army (they are present everywhere in this region) cannot make it any better. However, the sight of the lake is mesmeric and sitting by its shore, watching the colorful prayer flags fluttering in the breeze is a wonderful experience. The actual lake is reached by walking down a steep 50 odd steps and only the truly adventurous attempt it. The rest of us are content just sitting by the edge and feeling the peace.