Lhonak River

The Lhonak River originates from the snowy waters form the Northern parts of Sikkim. The Lhonak Chhu, as the locals call the river, is a small tributary of the turbulent Teesta River. The river's upper course is right beside the ancient valley of glaciers while its lower and middle courses have been created mainly by the movement of snow and ice. The side valleys have been formed by the icy waters which feed the Lhonak valley.

There is no vegetation found in the higher reaches of this river. Apline pastures have been sighted in the nearby temperate forests at lower elevations. The Lhonak valley is sparsely populated. Only grazers choose to visit these areas. Hardly any human population can be seen in these areas. Very few tourists come here to explore this part of Sikkim. The icy cold waters are hard to touch. From the Lhonak Glacier rises the Lhonak Chu.

The river looks beautiful with the kind of backdrop it has to boast. Tourists always click pictures if they do travel to these parts of Sikkim.

Course

With Poke Chhu receiving a river flow from the northwest - the Lhonak River, the two combines to be one. They form the Zemu Chhu at Zema. The Zemu Chhu will join the Teesta in the Northern part of the state. Essentially, the Lachung and the Lhonak are the two rivers which meet to form the Teesta at about 80 kms north of the state capital, Gangtok.

The river's upper catchment is carved mainly by the harsh action of the pearl white glaciers. The Himalayan wall creates the northern part of the catchment boundary. Miniature glaciers are created in the depressions lying amidst the mountain ridges right up till the valley. These create small streams which join the main Lhonak River channel later on.

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