Sikkim Adventure Tourism Fest opens at Limkhimtar, runs till Nov 7

Sikkim's first Adventure Tourism Fest got under way on Sunday at Limkhimtar in the Namthang-Rateypani constituency of Namchi district, with the week-long event set to run until November 7.

The festival is organised by the state's Tourism and Civil Aviation Department, NE India Broadcast reported. It is meant to showcase the state as a destination for outdoor sports while giving local communities a share of the tourism business.

What's on

Visitors can try paragliding, parasailing, river rafting, mountain biking, zip-lining, camping and trekking, along with adventure obstacle courses and other outdoor activities. Organisers said trained professionals would supervise all activities and safety measures were in place.

Alongside the sports, the festival has space for local food, farm produce, traditional handicrafts and cultural programmes.

Plans for Limkhimtar and Namthang

Namthang-Rateypani MLA Sanjit Kharel, who opened the festival, said projects worth around Rs 200 crore had been sanctioned for the area under Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang. He spoke of plans to develop Limkhimtar as an adventure tourism destination, a proposed marriage hall, and a skywalk proposed for Namthang as a new attraction for tourists.

A first for the state

Raj Yadav, Principal Secretary of the Tourism and Civil Aviation Department, said this was the first time Sikkim had organised such a festival, with the aim of promoting its adventure tourism potential. He said the department was building adventure tourism infrastructure and opening new destinations across the state, and that Sikkim's mountains, rivers and forests offered big opportunities in the sector.

Lukendra Rasaily of the Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation said government initiatives in adventure tourism could create new opportunities for local communities and support the state economy.

Planning a visit

Limkhimtar is in Namchi district in south Sikkim. Package prices and booking details were announced earlier by the tourism department; visitors should check the latest information with Sikkim Tourism before travelling, as activities such as paragliding and rafting depend on weather and river conditions.

Sikkim has been pushing adventure tourism as a way to spread visitors beyond Gangtok and the high-altitude passes. Recently, 22 young people from the state completed a paragliding pilot course under a central programme, and a paragliding hub is being developed at Rhenock.