Kupup lake nestled at an altitude of 14600ft above sea level, amidst the snow cladded Himalayan mountains of Sikkim. The shape of the lake looks familiar to that of an elephant, so that's why the lake is also called "Elephant's Lake".The locals call it by different names which are "Bitan Cho" and "Hathipokhri" and consider it as a sacred lake. If you are traveling through the old silk route of Sikkim which is from Dzuluk and Jelep La Pass. This lake will fall in between your route, which is extremely alluring. It is situated close to the Indo-China border, so it is always highly protected with the military.
It comes just before Baba Mandir which is another popular tourist destination in East Sikkim. The silk route tour offers several such high altitude beautiful lakes and one of those is Kupup lake. But if you ask me Kupup lake is my favorite. You will completely get astonished by its first glance. The gleam of the crystal clear water body will definitely make you exhilarated. Nobody is allowed to go near the lake except military as it is situated in a risky surrounding in middle of the snow-covered mountains and it is also considered very sacred.
SPECIALITY OF THE
The shape of the lake resembles that of the elephant. The right side of the lake looks like an elephant trunk and on the left side, it looks like the tail of the elephant. The nearby village is known as Kupup, which contains few houses and police check. Kupup village was recognized as the transit point during the silk trade between India and Tibet. Kupup has been recognized in the world map for its "Yak Golf Course".The golf course is an 18 hole golf course affiliated to Indian Golf Union since 1985 situated at an altitude of 13,025 feet above sea level and has been recognized in the Guinness book of world record.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
Kupup is completely frozen from January to mid may. October to December the lake is semi-covered with the ice sheet. From April to July, you can witness a good view of the lake. The temperature stays around zero degrees in summers and falls down to (-) degrees in winter.
WHERE TO STAY
There is no accommodation available near Kupup lake .However, one homestay will be developed very soon.
THINGS TO DO
Enjoy the tranquility of the place.
· Visit Baba Mandir which is nearby.
· Visit Tukla Valley to witness the panoramic view of Mt.Kanchenjunga.
· Visit 18 hole yak golf course.
· Visit the ice hockey ground and play hockey.
HOW TO REACH
· To reach Kupup you have to stay at a homestay in Zuluk.
· To enter Zuluk you need to apply for an inner line permit at Rongli as to visit any place beyond Rongli you need permission.
· You can hire a car to reach there.
· You can also go directly from Gangtok or Siliguri.
