Dzongu, North Sikkim

Dzongu is a protected reserve in North Sikkim, set aside for the Lepcha — Sikkim's indigenous people, and one of the oldest continuously settled communities in the eastern Himalayas. Entry is restricted. The forest is intact in a way that almost nothing else in mainland India is. The reserve borders the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve and rises from sub-tropical valley floor at 700 metres to alpine pasture above 6,000. In a single day's walk, you cross five distinct forest types. We have been working with Lepcha beekeepers in Dzongu since 2024, slowly and on their terms. The first commercial harvest is expected in the coming season. We are not in a hurry — Dzongu honey is the slowest, rarest jar we will ever produce, and we would rather it arrive late than arrive wrong.