Want to work remotely? First village for WFH in Himalayas is ready for you

India Today

15 hours ago

Yakten, a small village in Sikkim's Pakyong district surrounded by emerald hills, has just been declared India's first Digital Nomad Village. Once known only to its residents, this quiet settlement is now at the heart of a pilot project under the state's Nomad Sikkim initiative, a bid to draw global remote workers into the Himalayas while boosting local incomes.The project, a collaboration between the Pakyong district administration and NGO Sarvahitey under the 'Nomad Sikkim' initiative, aims to transform select locations, like Yakten, in the Himalayan state into spots for digital professionals from across the country and even abroad. The initiative is also aimed at providing sustainable income opportunities for homestay owners.advertisementThis is a time when India's digital nomad population is growing. According to the 2025 State of Digital Nomads report by Nomad List, about 1.7 million Indians, or roughly 2 percent of the global nomad community, now combine work with travel.
A 2022 Deloitte India Workforce and Workplace survey further found that nearly 80% of Indian professionals prefer remote or flexible arrangements.LAND OF NATURAL BEAUTY SIKKIM MEETS DIGITAL NOMADSYakten offers a cool Himalayan climate, with summer highs around 24 degrees Celsius and winter nights dipping to about 4 degrees Celsius.There are currently 8 homestays with 18 rooms in the village where digital workers can spend months working in peace. For a private homestay with fast Wi-Fi and coworking access, the 6,000 per week plan is ideal for shorter stays. For longer stays, the 15,000-per-month plan offers a dedicated workspace, cultural activities, and full support.Yakten's nearest railhead, New Jalpaiguri (NJP), lies about 140 km away, while Bagdogra Airport is 125 km away, and the state capital Gangtok is just 30 km from India's first nomad village."Sikkim has always been a land of natural beauty and rich culture. What Nomad Sikkim is doing is connecting that cultural strength with the global digital economy," the state's Lok Sabha MP Indra Hang Subba told India Today Digital.For Subba, the Nomad Sikkim initiative is not just another tourist scheme."This is tourism with purpose, where visitors don't just come and go, but become part of the local story, supporting livelihoods and preserving heritage," the representative added.For the founder of NGO Sarvahitey, Prem Prakash, the idea is bigger than just tourism; it is about helping the local communities thrive."With Nomad Sikkim, we're not just offering work-friendly stays in stunning locations; we're building an ecosystem where local communities thrive alongside global talent. Our goal is simple: to make Sikkim the most inclusive and sustainable hub for digital nomads in South Asia," Prem Prakash told India Today Digital.
These homestays, surrounded by mountains and lush greenery, offer an escape in sharp contrast to the pollution and bustle of city life. (Image: Prem Prakash)
The initiative also addresses a local challenge, which, in a way, is not too local and applies to most tourist destinations across the world.For years, homestay operators have struggled through the long off-season, which stretches nearly half the year. With very few visitors arriving in Yakten between April and September (monsoon in the Eastern Himalayas), incomes often dried up.The initiative now enables homestay owners and allied local sectors to have a steady income all-year round.DIGITAL NOMADS AS NEW KINDS OF TRAVELLERSNomad Sikkim, by welcoming new kinds of guests to remote work with reliable internet, offers more than a holiday calendar. It lets professionals stay there for months rather than days, while also getting their work done."By opening these homestays to remote professionals, we are transforming local families into digital entrepreneurs and helping them increase their income by three to five times through a regular stream of income throughout the year," District Collector of Pakyong, Rohan Agawane, told India Today Digital.The idea has already struck a chord online, and people are already in awe of the idea of spending months working in the lap of nature.advertisement"Love seeing this! These kinds of nomad villages are exactly what we need more of, especially ones that are actually needed," wrote one person on social media, as word of Yakten's new identity spread.
People go to Sikkim for its pristine mountains, monasteries, and rare calm.(Image: Sikkim Tourism)
Another person shared their own memory."Was in Sikkim six years ago. Great place, very different from the rest of India I've been to. Not much pollution at all, not much noise, etc. very chill. Highly recommend it," they said.Yakten itself has undergone a remarkable transformation in the last few years, which has aided in its appeal to tourism.Once cut off by poor infrastructure, it now offers high-speed Wi-Fi with dependable backup, uninterrupted power supply, and eight homestays redesigned with work-friendly spaces."It's a village ready to welcome the modern digital worker," Pakyong's DC Agawane said.advertisementHOW YAKTEN'S PILOT PROJECT COULD BECOME A MODEL PROJECTThe project is being treated as a pilot, to be closely monitored for three years. If successful, more villages across Sikkim will be brought under the initiative.Yakten is set to become a trendsetter for tourist destinations across India.Places like Dharamshala, McLeod Ganj, Spiti, and Rishikesh have already become informal hubs for remote workers. With such an initiative, such as the one in Sikkim, more nomad villages could come up in the near future, for professionals from nearby cities to opt in.Abroad, Portugal's Madeira has set the benchmark with its Digital Nomad Village in Ponta do Sol, while Ubud in Indonesia's Bali, Chiang Mai in Thailand, and initiatives in Spain and Italy show how remote work is being used worldwide to revive rural economies and reimagine community life.For Yakten, the experiment is just beginning. In the coming days and months, this quiet Sikkimese village will test whether a place once defined by cardamom fields and bird calls can also hum with keyboards and video calls.- Ends