Cloud forest, a canopy walk, and Kanchenjunga from a quiet ridge
When people say the hills have got too crowded, this is where we send them. Lava sits at 2,350 m on the edge of Neora Valley National Park, wrapped in pine and cardamom and mist that arrives every afternoon at about four.
Rishop, a short and rough drive above it, is a ridge hamlet of perhaps thirty houses with a Kanchenjunga view that holds its own against Pelling. Loleygaon has a canopy walk suspended through old forest and a sunrise point at Jhandi Dara.
Small stays, wood fires, and short driving days. It is not a sightseeing trip; it is a place to stop moving.
This is the plan as we would run it. Days can be swapped, dropped or added — say what you want changed and we will rebuild it before you pay anything.
Day 1
Met at Bagdogra or NJP and driven up via Gorubathan and the Algarah road, about three and a half hours, the last hour through thickening forest. Lava is cold and quiet and smells of pine. Walk to the monastery before dark.
Day 2
Up to Rishop for the ridge walk and the Kanchenjunga view, which is at its best in the first hour after sunrise. In the afternoon, the forest track down to Changey Falls. Neora Valley proper requires a forest permit and a guide, which we can arrange if you want the full day inside the park.
Day 3
A short and lovely drive through forest to Loleygaon, sometimes written Lolegaon. The canopy walk is a suspended wooden bridge threaded through the tops of old trees; the Jhandi Dara viewpoint above the village catches the range at dawn.
Day 4
Off the ridge to Kalimpong, with Deolo Hill, Durpin Monastery and the nurseries in the afternoon. A warmer night and a proper hot shower.
Day 5
Down to the plains, about three hours. This is the shortest last day of any trip on this site, so a midday flight is comfortable.
Hotels are named on your written itinerary before you pay. The properties below are the ones we normally use in this band; if one is full on your dates we substitute a hotel of the same standard and tell you which, rather than leaving you to find out at check-in.
A proper hill vehicle throughout. The last stretch to Rishop is rough enough that we send a Bolero or a Scorpio rather than a sedan, and in heavy rain we may park below and walk the final few hundred metres.
Up to 4 travellers normally ride in a Wagon R, Swift Dzire or similar; 5 to 7 in an Innova, Xylo or Scorpio; 8 and above in a Tempo Traveller or a second vehicle. On the North Sikkim and Silk Route legs the vehicle is always a Bolero, Sumo or Scorpio, because that is what those roads take.
Your written confirmation carries the exact advance, the balance date and the cancellation schedule for your trip. Those numbers, not this page, are the ones that apply. Full terms are on the booking conditions page.
General questions: permits, seasons, packing and how to get here
Enquire
Fill this in and we will come back with a proper day-by-day itinerary for your dates, with named hotels and one all-in price. No payment is taken at this stage and nothing is confirmed until you say so.
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Dates, how many of you, and anywhere you have your heart set on — that is enough for us to start. You will get a day-by-day plan with named hotels and one all-in price, in writing, before you pay anything.
