Chances are you haven't heard of Chemchey. But this small village nestled in the Eastern Himalayas in south Sikkim has been slowly gaining the attention of mountaineers and trekkers due to the presence of the Indian Himalayan Centre for Adventure and Eco-Tourism (IHCAE).
It was established in September 2009 with the goal of setting up a national-level adventure-mountaineering training centre. Sikkim has emerged as a hub for people interested in mountaineering, trekking, eco-tourism, jungle survival, and other adventure activities in recent years.
Adventure sports enthusiasts can benefit from world-class facilities and training at this institute located at the base of Tandong Hill and surrounded by beautiful tea gardens, rhododendrons, and cherry trees. Its mission is to raise awareness about the preservation of the Himalayan environment and ecology as well as to create opportunities in the fields of mountaineering, trekking, tourist guides, and knowledge about the fundamentals of tourism anywhere.
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If you have a yen for the mountains and outdoor sports, you can sign up for their basic mountaineering or advanced mountaineering courses. They even have courses on mountain biking, trekking, paragliding, and parasailing. IHCAE also conducts paragliding training (P1 and P2) in Gangtok. The highlight of the institute is, however, the training given on sport wall-climbing. Over the years, IHCAE has become a well-known hub in the northeastern states for their world-class sports wall-climbing courses.
The Information
IHCAE takes a maximum of 40 students for every course. For admission, an individual needs to submit a medical certificate. You can stay here through the duration of your course. The institute is completely solar-powered and has separate hostels for boys and girls, each with a capacity of 100 people.
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More about the institute here.
