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| The Green Heaven-Lava |
It was pretty cold for an early October. The mist was everywhere on the road as we headed towards east of Kalimpong to Lava, 32 km, at the height of 7,755 ft ASL. It was a slow climb on the winding road with an awesome sight of thick forests of Berch, Pine and Juniper and the variety of orchids.
Yes, we were in orchid country.
LAVA
The place of our stay was in true wilderness and near
Neora Valley National Park-
The Nature Education and Wilderness Resort run by WBFDC.
My goodness! What a stunning place! It was the most picturesque spot. There was a total serenity! We were assigned a cottage amidst the towering Dhupi forest. We found that the resort had tented accommodation also.
After a generous helping of
onion pakoras (deep fried onion rings mixed with gram lentil batter) with the
spicy mint sauce and washing down with hot ginger tea, we left to explore the wilderness.
Neora Valley National Park
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| Neora Valley National Park. |
We were just trekking- into Neora Valley National Park. The park reaches up to an elevation of 10600 ft at
Rechela Danda, the highest point of
Neora Valley National park, which borders
Sikkim and
Bhutan.Although due to time constraint it wasn't possible to undertake a 4 days mesmerizing and pristine trek to
Rechela Danda, we walked for about 4 hours on the thick forest trails enjoying every minute of thrill and discovery-virgin natural forests, dense bamboo groves, colorful canopy of Rhododendron trees, lush green valley, meandering rivers and streams with snow-capped mountains in the backdrop form a picturesque landscape.
Then we had a very pleasant surprise! Suddenly our guide snapped a finger up towards a tree and there the cute baby was. A pretty little animal with reddish brown body and a bushy ringed tail-
The Red Panda!!
The Neora Valley National Park was the home of
Red Panda.We didn't see any other wild animal though the park was the home for many including The Royal Bengal Tiger!
LOLEGAON
Next day we went to one of the least trodden hamlets in the hidden
Kalimpong hill, 12 KM from
Lava. We found
Lolegaon was
a stunning offbeat destination. A break from the modernized travel destinations. A vast natural canvas thrown open before you. Nestled atop of a flat hill on a forested ridge at an altitude of 5500ft Loleygaon / Lolegaon was a place of ethereal wilderness and tranquility.
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| The wooden hanging foot bridge of Lolegaon |
We headed towards The Heritage Forest a 15 minutes walking distance from the village. It was a place where we felt the exquisite wealth that nature had showered. The wooden hanging foot bridge over the canopy of the huge trees was a really out of this world!. Popularly known as 'The Canopy Walk' it offered an unforgettable experience, so close to the trees.
At nearby hilltop,
Jhandi Dara, offered us an unforgettable panoramic view of the
Kanchenjunga and other snow peaks!
This was the end of our magnificent and the most memorable trip to unexploited north-eastern part of my country.
How to reach
- Take any of the regular flight from Kolkata to Bagdogra and then take a taxi to Kalimpong/Lava/Loleygaon or ask your travel agent to arrange.
- Take trains from Kokata to New Jalpaiguri and then buses/taxi from Siliguri to Kalimpong/ Lava/ Loleygaon
Do not forget to visit the forest department website for Nature's wonders!