Description
Located in the Kalimpong Hills of Darjeeling district surrounded y Neora Valley national park and huge greeneries and facing the majestic Kanchanjungha & family touching the sky Kolakham ( climate – summer 10 degree Celsius to 19.5 degree Celsius, winter 0 degree Celsius to 6 degree Celsius, altitude – 6500 ft. ) is a silent hill station. It is a paradise of bird watchers, nature lovers and adventure seeking tourists. So keep your camera ready to click for all the time in this tour. It is a village of 60 to 65 Nepali families belonging to the ‘Rai’ community. Languages are spoken at Kolakham are Nepali, Bhutia, Hindi, English and Bengali. Most of the houses are made by wood. This village dwellers are really guest-lovers and helpful enough. Cardamon & ginger is a major crop and guests can observe the processing of the fresh fruit into the roasted spice. Some villagers still know the techniques of weaving maize and paddy straw into sitting mats.
How to Reach
Take a train to NJP station and then hire a car to Kolakham. It is almost 5 hrs. journey from New Jalpaiguri or Siliguri. From Malbazar you can come here via Lava. A separate car is to be taken from Lava travel syndicate only. One can also fly to Bagdogra and then take a car to Kolakham via Kalimpong or Dam Dim.
Places to Visit
Neora Valley National Park:
Neora valley national park is situated at the conjunction of West Bengal, Sikkim and Bhutan. Tourists are attracted by its natural beauty. Come here through a deep silent forest of pine, birch, fir and orchids with companion of chirps. It is enriched with beautiful flowers and the species like red panda, clouded leopard, Himalayan Thor, Indian Gaur & the Himalayan black bear and different birds such as flycatchers, Hill Maynas & owls. Butterflies and insects and many colourful orchids also add beauty to this park. In this park sunlight cannot touch ground. It is an adventurous place for the nature lovers and trekkers.
Nearest places of interest:
Take a short trip to Changey falls ( 5 km ) and Lava, Lolegaon & Rishop can be visited by one day trip each.
1) Change Falls:
Changey falls ( 50 mtrs ) is rapidly growing into a must-showing-destination from Kolakham. Here extreme calmness with huge waterfall sound makes a wonderful contrast. Some rare birds are visible here.
2) Lava:
Lava ( altitude 7200 ft. ) is a centre of business and communication. The people are well behaved and soft spoken. It is a cool, calm, small place of hills & jungles. In Lava enjoy clouds & clouds & clouds. Must visit Lava Jamgyong Monastery. It was set up in 1987. It is remain covered with fog throughout the year. Monks residing in this region concentrate upon topics of Buddhist literature. Here you can engage in shopping also.
3) Lolegaon:
Lolegaon is often called Kafer. It is a small silent village on the lap of nature. It is basically a Lepcha village always attract people for its superb natural beauty, wide views of Himalayas, deep as if endless forest and watching one of the most beautiful sunrise which can be enjoyed from the Jhandidara sunrise point ( 4 kms from Lolegaon ). It is little lower in altitude than the other beauty spots of this region. But the view of Kanchanjungha with all its zing bang of snow-white peaks is no less breathtaking. A mystic cloud floating around Lolegaon gives a great feeling of thrill. Heritage forest which is enriched by oak, cypress, pine & numerous named and unnamed trees is a protected forest and also a place for some beautiful species of birds & wild animals such as mountain goats and black bears. Newly rebuilt wooden hanging foot bridge is an unforgettable experience for the life.
4) Rishop:
Rishop is a Himalayan hamlet in Darjeeling, West Bengal. Nature lovers should feel and enjoy the picture post card silent village Rishop. Here, the sun, clouds, hills and forests, altogether gives a magical view to all of its visitors. More than 180 degree left to right view of the Himalayas is the main attraction of Rishop at bright sunlight. Become witness of changing colours of light reflected on the snow-caped peaks at dawn. At cloudless moonlit night the beauty of the Himalayan range is a lifetime experience. The big sky seems to come closer at night. Beneath the sky the twinkling lights of Gangtok and Pedong are similar to the twinkling stars above. Tiffindara is a beautiful sunrise point which was initially known by the name of ‘Sherpadara’. It is an ideal site where travelers can explore the beautiful view of Himalayan Ranges. It offers 360 degree view of mountain peaks leading by Kanchanjungha.