The Shikha range, a mountainous ridge between the Drichu (Yangtze) and the Gyalthang plateau, is the “Protector Mountain” of many settlements in the Gyalthang region. It offers wondrous treks of two to seven days.
 It is said that when Gyalthang traders got lonesome or “revealed the donkey inside” (i. e. went bankrupt) in some far-off land, they remembered the "white rocky mountains" standing sentinel over their hometown.
The Shikha range boasts spectacular wildlife, forests, alpine lakes, and the aroma of rhododendrons, azaleas, and wild irises. If you are lucky, you may see the fabled blue poppy in bloom.
Shortly after harvest and right until spring, the marsh-land at the foot of Mt. Shikha welcomes back the endangered Black-neck crane. For centuries, the bird has come to nest here in the winter at the end of a long journey that starts south of the Himalayas as far as Bhutan's Gangten valley.
.gif) Treks, combined with visits to Gyalthang's Sumtsenling Monastery, to Gyalwa Ringa temple, and evenings savouring hotpots by the fireside at the Trinyi Community Center will give visitors an intimate glimpse into people's lifestyles in this frontier region.
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