Lava : Pine Forest , Clouds , Birds , Monastery , Labha , Kalimpong , Darjeeling, Lava WBFDC ,
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Lava, Darjeeling , West Bengal , India
Hamlet in India , Elevation: 2,200 m . Lava WBFDC
Lava is a small hamlet situated 34 kilometres (21 mi) east of the town of Kalimpong near Algarah in Kalimpong district of the state of West Bengal, India. Lava is situated at an altitude of 7,016 feet (2,138 m) , Surrounded by virgin pine forests and often hidden in mists and clouds which is 4 kilometers away from Kalimpong on the old trade route to Bhutan.From New Jalpaiguri (NJP), the distance to Lava is about 105kms via Kalimpong and 119kms via Garubathan. It takes about 3.5 hours by car from NJP. From Kalimpong, both Lava and Loleygaon are close and ideal for day trips. Lava is about 34kms along Rishi Road and Loleygaon is further 22kms away (i.e. 56kms from Kalimpong). From Kalimpong Lava takes about 1.5 hours drive . Best place to stay at Lava in WBFDC cottages .
It is one of the few places in West Bengal to receive snow in winter. It is the entry point to the Neora Valley National Park from Kalimpong. The route to Lava is scenic with the change in vegetation from tropical deciduous to the wet alpine trees of fir, pine and birch. The verdant forests are a popular spot for picnicking, trekking , hiking and bird-watching. Lava has gradually become a favorite tourist destination.
It has a beautiful Buddhist monastery of Bhutanese origin and a Nature Interpretation Centre. Popular for nature exploration and bird watching, it is also the starting point for treks into the Neora National Park, which abounds with floral and faunal wealth. Wild animals such as the Himalayan black bear and barking deer are found in these parts. Notable sites include Changey Waterfalls , Ratnarishi Gumpha and Lava Jamgyong Kongtrul Monastery.
Lava is the base and the gateway for the famous Neora Valley National Park and surrounded by dense forest of coniferous trees. However, you should stay at least 1 or 2 nights at Lava or Neora Valley for a visit to the national park which is full of exotic flora and fauna. Entrance to the park is about 10kms from Lava.
Lava also attracts many trekkers. Trekking to Samthar Plateau starts from a place called Gompa Dara which is located close to Lava. The forested areas around Lava is also a paradise for bird watchers. You can see many different birds like Blue Robins, Fulvetta, Finch, Wren Babblers and lot more.
Close to the local market (bazaar) is Lava Monastery (the original name is Lava Jamgyong Kongtrul Monastery). This should be covered as part of your day visit. The ambience in the monastery with typical Tibetan architecture is serene and wonderful.
Go towards the backside of the monastery and you get lovely view of the surrounding and a playing field below along with that of Lava village itself with mountains in the backdrop. Outside and below the car park there are toilet facilities.
On your way back, visit the Nature Interpretation Center of Neora Valley National Park which is located in Lava itself. As you walk down the pathway and through the lovely plantations all around, the center is at the end. Here you will understand the nature and the flora and fauna that you can expect in the Neora Valley National Park.
The Nature Interpretation Center is open from 8am - 12noon, 1pm - 4pm. It remains closed on Thursdays.
Changey Waterfall is about 12kms from Lava. You should take a jeep type vehicle as the narrow winding road is full of boulders and can hardly be negotiated by a small car. It'll take about an hour to reach the Changey base and then walk down for about 20 minutes to see the wonderful waterfall gushing down from high above and disappearing into the lush foliage below. It's a quiet lovely place with nobody around.
Hotels in Lava & Loleygaon
You won't find luxury accommodations in Lava and Loleygaon. In Lava the most popular stay is at the forest lodge of WBFDC, while Loleygaon has several private hotels and small resorts. Visit Hotels in Lava & Loleygaon for details.
Transports to Lava & Loleygaon (Fare updated February 2017)
From Siliguri stands (at Darjeeling more and near the main bus stand at Hill Cart Road) you will get shared jeeps to Lava. Shared jeeps also ply between Lava and Loleygaon. There is also a bus to Lava from PC Mittal bus stand at Siliguri. From Kalimpong, buses leave for Lava in the morning at 6:30am and 10am. Reserved or private taxis are also available in plenty at Kalimpong, NJP and Siliguri.
From NJP/Siliguri the fare for Lava in a small reserved car via Gajoldoba-Gorubathan is Rs. 2,500/- and via Kalimpong is Rs. 3,000/-. It takes about 3 hours via Gorubathan and 3.5 hours via Kalimpong.
For a day trip from Kalimpong, you should ideally take a reserved car. A round day trip from Kalimpong covering Lava & Loleygaon will cost about Rs 2,700/- in a small vehicle
Lava : Monastery , Pine Forest , Clouds , Birds ..... Labha , Kalimpong , Darjeeling Himalaya , mountain , leech , kanchenDjunga .
Best places to visit in Darjeeling this summer | Darjeeling tourism
Darjeeling, popularly known. as the “Queen of hills” is situated at an altitude of about 6,800 feet. and is the only hill station in the state of West Bengal. A very popular destination tourist is for its natural beauty, tea plantation and tea processing industries. but also for many other activities including. adventure sports one can undertake during the tour.
Popular attractions in Darjeeling:
1) Tiger Hill
Tiger Hill in Darjeeling is located at the peak of Ghoom which is. the topmost railway station in the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. The views of Mt. Everest. and Kanchenjunga from Tiger Hill is simply breathtaking and spectacular. The scenery of the sunrise from Tiger Hill which begins.
2) Rock Garden.
The Rock garden or the Barbotey Rock garden is located about 10 Kms. away from the town of Darjeeling. It is a comparatively new to the beauty of the ambiance.
3) Peace Pagoda.
The Peace Pagoda in Darjeeling is essentially a Buddhist tomb constructed. to promote world peace among the people of all creeds and races. The tranquil atmosphere of the place trans where various stages of Buddha's life are depicted in the stone carvings.
4) Singalila National Park.
This national park is situated upon the Singalila. Ridge at a height varying from 8000 feet to 12,000 ft. It lies on the Sandakphu trekking route. Originally a wildlife reserved sanctuary this was later converted to a national park. The amazing fauna and flora and the magnificent views of the Everest and Kanchenjunga in the Himalayan ranges draw huge tourists
More than 600 types of orchids in full bloom claim to be the largest world. The park also boasts of some of the exotic and rarest fauna. Among the animals which are found here are Red Panda, the long-tailed Pangolin, wild boars, the Himalayan black bear, leopards and occasional tigers even
5) Toy Train
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway or popularly known as Toy train made its debut run in 1881. The narrow gauge train connects Darjeeling town with the plains at New Jalpaiguri. A journey by the toy train will be cherished by all in memory for a long time to come
The approximate distance of 69 Kms from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling is completed in roughly six and a half hours by the toy train. This is perhaps the only train which still now is hauled by a steam engine. Train Ride is must go for your Darjeeling Tour.
6) Mountain Biking
Mountain biking has almost come of age in Darjeeling as an adventure tourism. Though this was not done with any seriousness in the past day trips and recreational rides are organized in recent years.
7) Himalayan Mountaineering Institute
The institute which was founded in 1954 came into existence after the historic climb of Mt. Everest in 1953 mountaineering whether they adopt this as an adventure sport or for scientific exploration or for any other purpose.
8) Monasteries Around Darjeeling
There are several monasteries in and around which could be a pa Dali monastery was started in 1971 with the solemn promise for the upkeep of Dharma, Tibetan traditions and culture. The newly built complex was inaugurated in 1993 by the Dalai Lama.
The name Darjeeling is derived from this monastery.
A yoga-cooling Buddhist monastery is situated at a height of about 8000 ft. A 15 ft. statue of the Maitreya Buddha is worshipped here.
Japanese temple or the Peace Pagoda was opened in 1992 and offers a grand view of Mt. Kanchenjunga and Darjeeling town.
9) Kalimpong
Kalimpong at an elevation of 1250 metres commands a majestic view of the mysterious snow-capped mountains. green valleys, the furious Teesta river and the refreshingly beautiful Samthar Plateau 10) Pudong
Pudong is situated at a height of about 5000 ft and is about 21 Kms from Kalimpong. This is perhaps the greenest with deep and extensive forests covering from all sides. 11) Sandakphu
Sandakphu is located at an elevation of 3636 meters on the Singalila Ridge between the borders beautiful views of the Mt. Everest, Makalu, The sunrise and sunset scenes will simply mesmerize you.
Some facts on Darjeeling:
Activities possible: Trekking, Mountain Biking, Rafting, Rock Climbing, Day Hiking.
Best Season to visit: September to June.
What to Expect in your Darjeeling Tour: World famous tea, 12) Gangtok
Gangtok is the capital city of Sikkim and situated an altitude of 5500 ft. You get a majestic view of the third highest peak in the world, the Kanchenjunga. At some point time, it was the transit route for traders between India and Tibet. The Namgyal Research Institute of Tibetology offers rare collections of Tibetan, Lepcha manuscripts. The distance between Darjeeling and Gangtok is about 98 Kms.
13) Shillong
Shillong is the capital city of another north-eastern Indian state, Meghalaya. The town is covered all around with pine-covered mountains. The place is also known as the Scotland of the East and boasts of several waterfalls. Shillong has the dubious distinction of receiving heavy rainfall.
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Samthar village is a small village deep inside the remote part of kalimpong. The plateau of Samthar at a hight of 1600 meters. It is a starting point of some trekking points. Samthar an offbeat destination in the kalimpong hills. The Samthar community comprises of Lepchas, Nepalis and Bhutias.
Lava | Loleygaon | Paparkheti | Gorubathan Tour
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Gorubathan:-
Among the locals, the place is also known as Sombaray. The name has its origin in the weekly village market (haat) which is organized every Monday (Sombar). Gorubathan is situated on the east bank of the Chel river. There are ruins of a fort known buit by Lepcha King Gaeboo Achyok as Dalim Fort on the top of a hill near Gorubathan. Gorubathan is known for its landscape of the Neora river, mountains and forests, which is a destination for tourists.
The town is 90 km from Kalimpong town and 59 km from Siliguri.
It has an average elevation of 417 metres (1,368 feet).
Lava & Loleygaon Tours:-
Lava and Loleygaon are two quaint mountain hamlets in Darjeeling district under Kalimpong block and surrounded by forests. Altitude of Lava is 7,700ft while Loleygaon (also known as Kaffer village) is at a lower altitude of 5,500ft. Since they are close to each other (about one hour driving distance between the two), most tourists make a combined visits to these two places.
You can reach via Kalimpong or Garubathan. If you are visiting Kalimpong, you can make a great day trip to Lava and Loleygaon from there.
From New Jalpaiguri (NJP), the distance to Lava is about 105kms via Kalimpong and 119kms via Garubathan. It takes about 3.5 hours by car from NJP. From Kalimpong, both Lava and Loleygaon are close and ideal for day trips. Lava is about 34kms along Rishi Road and Loleygaon is further 22kms away (i.e. 56kms from Kalimpong).
From Kalimpong Lava takes about 1.5 hours drive and Loleygaon about 2.5 hours. Since Loleygaon is further away, on a day trip from Kalimpong you can visit Loleygaon first, then visit Lava and return via Algarah along Rishi road.
In order to take a short cut, the driver will invariably take the Relli road from Kalimpong towards Loleygaon. And the moment he does that, you should be prepared for an ever increasing bumpy ride along roads that haven't been repaired for ages. And that route should not be traversed by a small car other than a Jeep. After a while Relli road leads to some unnamed village roads which are even worse.
So if you want to avoid a continuous backbreaking road journey, ask the driver to stick to Rishi road, although the route might be a bit longer but actually takes less time.
However there is one advantage of taking the Relli road though. It crosses the Relli river (on which the road is named) and you can see the beautiful meandering river from the bridge. The river side is a popular picnic spot for the locals.
Finally a narrow road branches off the main road towards Loleygaon, which is also not well maintained. You can not avoid this last stretch (of about 12kms or so) which is full of potholes and passes through dense Dhupi forest. While returning from Loleygaon and heading towards Lava, the driver will again try to take a short cut (which is probably the bumpiest ride I have ever experienced). Like before, ask him to take the main road instead and then the diversion to Lava.
LAVA - A QAINT HAMLET NESTLED IN FOREST
Lava is a small sleepy village located at an altitude of 7000ft. From Loleygaon the distance to Lava is 22kms and takes over 1 hour drive. From NJP station, Lava is about 105kms via Kalimpong and takes about 3 hours by car.
Lava is the base and the gateway for the famous Neora Valley National Park and surrounded by dense forest of coniferous trees. However, you should stay overnight at Lava or Neora Valley for a visit to the national park which is full of exotic flora and fauna. Entrance to the park is about 10kms from Lava.
Lava also attracts many trekkers. Trekking to Samthar Plateau starts from a place called Gompa Dara which is located close to Lava. The forested areas around Lava is also a paradise for bird watchers. You can see many different birds like Blue Robins, Fulvetta, Finch, Wren Babblers and lot more.
Close to the local market (bazaar) is Lava Monastery (the original name is Lava Jamgyong Kongtrul Monastery). This should be covered as part of your day visit. The ambience in the monastery with typical Tibetan architecture is serene and wonderful.
Go towards the backside of the monastery and you get lovely view of the surrounding and a playing field below along with that of Lava village itself with mountains in the backdrop. Outside and below the car park there are toilet facilities.
The Nature Interpretation Center is open from 8am - 12noon, 1pm - 4pm. It remains closed on Thursdays.
Changey Waterfall is about 12kms from Lava. You should take a jeep type vehicle as the narrow winding road is full of boulders and can hardly be negotiated by a small car. It'll take about an hour to reach the Changey base and then walk down for about 20 minutes to see the wonderful waterfall gushing down from high above and disappearing into the lush foliage below. It's a quiet lovely place with nobody around.
kalimpong tour.kalimpong city.second part.
Kalimpong Sightseeing Tours
Local sightseeing in Kalimpong area includes visits to famous monasteries that have old rare scriptures & Tibetan architecture, lovely view points offering sweeping views of Kanchenjunga snow peaks, rivers & landscapes, visits to museums, parks, flower nurseries, historical missionary schools and so on. You can also make great day trips to near by areas like Pedong, Lava, Loleygaon, Rishyap, virgin villages etc.
All taxi drivers and tour operators in Kalimpong offer standard package tours for local sightseeing in Kalimpong. It could be half day or full day package covering the major attractions in and around Kalimpong. However such local package tours will take you to places and attractions within 8-10 kms of the town center. If you like to reach out to places further away, you will either need to work out the cost with the taxt driver or go through a tour operator.
The easiest way to avail a tour in Kalimpong is to walk down to the taxi stand on the main market area (Rishi road) and choose a taxi of your choice. Taxis here are mostly private cars that are used commercially. They come in various makes from small to large vehicles like Alto, Maruti Van, WagonR, Santro, Scorpio, Sumo etc. The tour operators & hotels can organize luxury vehicles like Innova, Tavera etc.
Rates are different depending on the vehicle you take. A small car like Alto would be the cheapest. But keep in mind that road conditions in some places like Rishyap, Loleygaon etc can be very bad and small cars can be very uncomfortable on such roads. You should check beforehand about the current road conditions before deciding on a vehicle. Sumos, Jeeps and Scorpios can negotiate bad roads much better. However there is no problems taking a small car for local sightseeing though.
Note that while local sightseeing tours (half or full day) have standard rates, the rates offered for day trips and non conventional tours can vary widely. So always talk to a few drivers and negotiate before zeroing on one. Low season rates are lower.
Below I have described the different tours that you can undertake in Kalimpong.
LOCAL SIGHTSEEING (EAST KALIMPONG) - HALFDAY, 4 HOURS
1) Dr Graham's Homes: This missionary school was set up by Dr. J A Graham in 1900 as an orphanage cum school for the destitute Anglo Indian children. It started only with one cottage that accommodated up to 35 children. Over the years it has grown as a well known multi religious and co-educational school spanning over 500 acres of lush landscape and having some 50 cottages. It is located on the way to Deolo Hills. You can walk across to various parts of the school.
Dr Graham's Homes, Kalimpong

2) Lord Buddha Statue: Close to Deolo there is a small rock garden in which you will find this nice statue of Lord Buddha sitting in a lotus position. This is only a quick stop over point and a good place to click a picture.
Buddha statue & park, Kalimpong

3) Sherpa View Point: This is a watershed near Buddha statue from where you get great views towards both north and south. You get excellent views of Sikkim hills and Mount Kanchenjung if you look north, towards south is the beautiful view of a valley and the Relli river flowing through it as well Loleygaon (Kafer) and also the hills of Samthar plateau. This view point is unfortunately not well maintained.
4) Durga Mandir: This is a Hindu temple of Goddess Durga located near Sherpa View Point. A nice garden full of flowering plants and a viewing gallery. The temple is small but quite nice. Good place to relax for a while.
5) Hanuman Temple: Right after Durga Mandir is a huge statue of Lord Hanuman perched on the hill. Climb several flights of stairs to reach up to the temple.
6) Deolo Hill: This is the major attraction in East Kalimpong. The tourism department has created an 8-acre lush parkland with manicured flower gardens and several view points with breathtaking views of Kanchenjunga, Durpin hill, Kalimpong Township and the valley with rivers flowing through them.
Deolo, Kalimpong

Deolo hill is the highest point of Kalimpong with an altitude of about 5,500ft. There is a GTA (erstwhile DGHC) lodge here and a multi cuisine restaurant. Children can also take pony rides. At one corner of the lawn are stalls offering coffee and snacks. Overall a great place to have a picnic or just relax. Entry fee: Rs. 10/- for day visitors.
7) Mangal Dham: An excellent temple complex built in the memory of late Guruji Mangal Dasji and dedicated to Lord Krishna. Devotees come from far away places.
Mangal Dham, Kalimpong

8) Thongsa Gompa: This is the oldest monsatery in Kalimpong which was built in 1692. It's also known as the Bhutan Monastery and located close to Mangal Dham.