| Yumthang Valley of Flowers sanctuary | |
| Other Name: | Sikkim Valley of Flowers Sanctuary |
| Nickname: | Sikkim Valley of Flowers Sanctuary |
| Pushpin Map: | India Sikkim#India |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Sikkim, India |
| Coordinates: | 27.8268°N 88.6959°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  India |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Sikkim |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Elevation M: | 3700 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | IST |
| Utc Offset1: | +5:30 |
| Registration Plate: | SK |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Mangan |
| Demographics1 Info1: | Sikkimese, Hindi, English |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Official |
| Demographics Type1: | Languages |
The Yumthang Valley or Sikkim Valley of Flowers sanctuary, is a nature sanctuary with river, hot springs, yaks and grazing pasture on rolling meadows surrounded by the Himalayan mountains in Yumthang in the Mangan district of Sikkim state in India. It is approx. 75 km from Mangan town, the district headquarters. It is at an elevation of above msl at a distance of from the state capital Gangtok.[1] [2]
It is popularly known as 'Valley of Flowers'[3] and is home to the Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary, which has over twenty-four species of the rhododendron, the state flower. The flowering season is from late February and to mid June, when countless flowers bloom to carpet the valley in multicolored hues of rainbow.[4] A tributary of the river Teesta flows past the valley and the town of Lachung, the nearest inhabited centre. Yumthang is closed between December and March due to heavy snowfall. There is also a hot spring in the valley.
A forest rest house is the only permanent residence in the valley. During the spring months, the area blooms with rhododendrons, primulas, poppies, iris and other flora. During the summer months, villagers take their cattle to these heights to graze (a practice known as yaylag pastoralism). In view of increasing number of tourists, there is possibility of environmental degradation in near future.[5] Skiing is conducted in the valley.[6] [7]
Tourists may travel from Gangtok to Lachung (the nearest village where accommodation is available) by booking a full vehicle or shared one and stay over night. A direct journey to Yumthang is not feasible as roads are commonly foggy and it becomes dark very early around 5:30 pm. A trip to the Valley takes around two hours from Lachung, which is about 125 km from Gangtok.