Bhaichung Bhutia’s Tinkitam Homestay, South Sikkim

Imagine immersing yourself in Sikkimese culture with Bhaichung Bhutia, India’s first international footballer. Sounds like a dream – a dream that can actually come true because Bhutia now runs a charming homestay in Tinkitam, South Sikkim.

The farmlands of Tinkitam is where Bhutia was born and raised and learnt football. And his homestay is the closest you will get to a local Sikkimese home. If you are from a big city and planning a holiday in this North-eastern state, chances are that organic farming is close to your heart. At Bhutia’s homestay in Tinkitam, you will get the unique opportunity to get up close to nature - working the fields with a traditional plough, collecting eggs from the chicken coop, milking the cows and then, after a hard day’s work, eating delicious hearty home-cooked food made from the farm’s fresh organic produce. Most important of all, you will have the unique opportunity to learn about nature’s bounty from the “gurus” who have worked the land for generations. Described as the “gurubas’ homestay, this is eco-tourism in the truest sense of the term where you learn about conserving the environment, even as you empower the local communities by staying with them and understanding what it takes to work the land while also protecting it. This is Bhaichung Bhutia’s commendable effort to give back to the state that has nurtured him.

Rooms

The homestay was constructed in 2000. It has three bedrooms that can house six persons at a time on a twin-sharing basis. All rooms have modern bath fittings and other upgraded amenities.

Dining and Experience

Perhaps the most charming experience of staying at the Tinkitam homestay is that you will get to be with Bhutia’s mother and eat the food she lovingly cooks for you. Watch her, or better still work with her, as she tends the garden and oversees the upkeep of the cows and the chicken. Apart from milk from the cows, cheese - a central ingredient in many of the local dishes – is also made here. If you are a football fan, play a game on the field where the former Indian football captain first learned the sport. There are also nature walks and small hiking trips that can be organized to experience Sikkim’s stunning undulating terrain.