Known for
The Kitam Bird Sanctuary is a guarded sanctuary between Namchi and Melli and is one of the oldest and most renowned bird sanctuaries in Sikkim. This sanctuary is 1200 feet to 3200 feet over sea level and encompasses a huge area of 6 square kilometres with extensive vegetation of shrubs and sal.
Two rivers, Rangit and Manpur, flow through this sanctuary, and two villages, Sumbuk and Kitam, are nested. This is the sole low-elevation bird sanctuary in the area, making it appealing to bird enthusiasts. Kitam is famed for its brilliant flying butterflies and is home to over 200 different kinds of birds.
The declaration of Kitam Reserve Forest as Kitam Bird Sanctuary in 2006 was an important step in building the groundwork of Village Tourism and Ecotourism in Kitam. Some exercises were done in 2007, and the Department of Forest launched an organisational threshold approach in collaboration with WWF (World Wildlife Fund) India and the Tourism Department. Still, the initiative utilised time to grow, and Gram Panchayat intervened in 2014, formed a team of tourism enthusiasts, and benefited various agro-tourism organisations.