Daragaon Homestay

Daragaon Retreat was the first homestay in Darap village when Shiva and Radha Gurung opened it in 2008, and Shiva has since gone on to help lead the village's own ecotourism committee. Daragaon Retreat is located up a steep slope, with clear views of Kanchenjunga on a good day. Eight rooms sit across three traditional wooden and stone cottages.

Vegetables come from the family's own kitchen garden and the fields around the property, in a state that was the first in India to go fully organic. Radha does the cooking, and guests often end up in her kitchen learning how a dish was made. Meals are eaten together in the central hall.

There's no reliable phone signal here so spend time here walking around local villages, trekking out to Nup Dechenphu and Bazrey, or camping by the riverside, with a private bonfire and tongba, the local fermented millet drink, served warm in a bamboo mug. Sikkimese hospitality is warm and many state feeling like family rather than a hotel guest at Daragaon.