Lava – Loleygaon
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.
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.
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.
LOLEYGAON – A QUAINT VILLAGE
Loleygaon is a quiet and peaceful hamlet located at an altitude of 5,520ft and surrounded by towering dhupi and cypress forests. Several locations in the village offer sweeping views of Kanchenjunga range. You can also see a range of orchids and other flowering plantations here. It’s also a great place for bird watchers.
From NJP railway station Loleygaon is about 125kms and can be reached in about 4 hours by car via Kalimpong. The route via Gorubathan takes a bit lesser time.
At the center of the village there is a flat land opposite to the Eco-Park, where there are few small tea stalls and shops. This is the only bazaar area where you can buy small stuffs or eat. On a day trip, you may carry your packed lunch.
At a short distance from here is the most popular attraction – The Canopy Walk. There is a 180-meters long hanging wooden tree-top bridge that goes through the dense jungle. The bridge slowly rises in height and you will find yourself walking through the tree tops amidst dense forest. At the start, there are few stairs to climb to the bridge and then you start the fairly long walk at a height and through the jungle.
The bridge swings at times and you need to catch the wired fence on both sides. Look around in the forest and you can see many different kinds of birds here. It’s an amazing experience.
This is only a one way walk and lasts for few minutes. There is also restrictions to the maximum number of persons who can walk simultaneously on the bridge. You get down from the other side and walk back below the bridge.
There is a ticket counter at the entrance. Once you buy the entry ticket (Rs. 25 per person), you will need to walk through the forest for few minutes before you reach the hanging bridge to take the Canopy Walk. If you want, you can explore the forest even beyond the bridge after getting down at the other end.
After Canopy walk, you can visit the Jhandi Dara Viewpoint. It’s actually a sunrise point where you get wonderful view of sunrise amongst the Himalayan range.
While cars can go up to a point (very bad road though), it’s essentially a pathway that leads through the dense jungle, then to a stairway and then to the elevated view point. If you plan to stay at Loleygaon, trek up to this view point early in the morning to see sunrise.
Visit the VIP Bungalow View Point. It’s a manicured lawn area below the VIP bungalow which has nice viewing galleries. Unfortunately they are not well maintained, but you still get excellent views of Kanchenjunga snow peaks from here.
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