The Sikkim government has announced that Dok-La and Cho-La will be opened for domestic tourists from the 1st of next month under Battlefield Tourism.
The state government has issued guidelines for security and environmental protection in this regard. The order said that daily, 25 tourist vehicles and 25 bikers will be allowed to visit both places.
The Army, Police and state Tourism department will look after the checkpoints, and escorts have been made mandatory for tourists. All vehicles have been instructed to must carry garbage bags that can be disposed of at Tsomgo and Kupup sites.
Three sites-Nathula, Dok-La and Cho-La- have been identified by the Centre under the Battlefield tourism in Sikkim. While Nathula is already a popular tourist destination, the remaining two sites have been developed by the concerned departments recently.
In a landmark development for both tourism and public history, the Sikkim government is set to open two more sensitive locations—Doklam and Cho La—to civilians starting September 2025, following approval from the central government. These additions mark a significant step in India’s battlefield tourism initiative, aimed at offering insight into key military standoffs along India’s frontiers.
The announcement follows the Defence Ministry’s January 2025 launch of the Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan App, which enables visitors to explore historic war zones across India.
“We are planning to open the places in the first week of September”
“One is Nathu La. We have been using that place for many years… In addition to it, two more places have been identified. One is Doklam, second place is Cho La. We are planning to open the places in the first week of September,” C Subhakar Rao, Additional Chief Secretary, Sikkim Tourism and Civil Aviation, said, as reported by ANI.
Limited Access, Sustainable Approach
On a pilot basis, access to these sensitive zones will be restricted to 25 vehicles and 10–15 motorbikes per site per day, helping preserve the terrain and maintain security, as per ANI. Rao confirmed that infrastructure development at both locations will be completed by early September to support controlled civilian access.
