This birding haven lies east of Lava, a town 30km east of Kalimpong, and its luxuriant forests are home to a few red pandas and leopard cats and countless species of woodpeckers, owls, pigeons, eagles, warblers and finches. Birding, jeep tours and walking are the main activities here. Entry permits are issued at the forest office in Lava, from which it's about a 10km, one-hour drive to the park entrance at Kolakham. You can hire jeeps with drivers in Lava (₹1600 per day).
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
26.27 MILES
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, known affectionately as the toy train, made its first journey along its precipice-topping, 2ft-wide tracks in 1881 and…
24.63 MILES
With a breathtaking backdrop of Himalayan peaks, the gigantic, 41m-tall Buddha statue is one of Sikkim's most iconic sights. Finished in 2013, it's…
26.91 MILES
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19.48 MILES
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Namgyal Institute of Tibetology
15.63 MILES
The NIT's 1958 core building feels like a Tibetan fantasy palace, with corner towers, colourful mural frontage and a forest-glade setting. The main hall…
21.27 MILES
This unmissable feast of colour is a remarkable Hindu religious theme park crowning Solophuk hilltop, 5km southwest of Namchi. It brings together replicas…
16.13 MILES
Gangtok's 'royal' monastery has a very impressive centrepiece temple whose superb interior incorporates a pair of carved dragon columns flanking the main…
15.04 MILES
Rumtek is Sikkim's most spiritually significant monastery complex. It's essentially a self-contained village with a colourful main prayer hall that was…
Nearby Kalimpong attractions
11.18 MILES
On a clear day, the morning views of Khangchendzonga from this hilltop park, about 500m higher than the town centre, are simply superb. After savouring…
11.78 MILES
This orphanage and school was built in 1900 by Dr JA Graham, a Scottish missionary, to educate children of tea-estate workers, and now has 1300-odd…
12.49 MILES
Built from 1912 to 1922, the main temple of this Gelugpa-school Tibetan monastery of 50 monks contains statues of past, present and future Buddhas. Don't…
12.74 MILES
A short distance below the junction of RC Mintri and Rishi Rds is this charming Nyingmapa-school monastery, also known as the Bhutanese Monastery. The…
5. Himalayan Handmade Paper Industry
12.95 MILES
Visitors are welcome to drop into this small workshop to see traditional paper-making processes, from boiling and pulping of the local argayli (daphne)…
13.27 MILES
This offbeat collection of Lepcha treasures could be likened to rummaging through the attic of your grandfather’s house (if he were a Lepcha elder). A…
13.28 MILES
This handsome 1891 church was severely damaged by a 2011 earthquake, when pinnacles from its tower came crashing to the ground. After renovations, the…
13.61 MILES
Walk down to Shanti Kunj to view its greenhouses full of interesting plants from begonias and cacti to anthuriums and araucaria-tree seedlings. Bulbs of…