Quieter than Darjeeling, warmer than Sikkim, and the gateway to the cloud forest villages at Lava, Rishop and Loleygaon.
Altitude
1,250 m to 2,350 m
Getting there
Bagdogra (IXB) 80 km, about 2.5 to 3 hours by road
Best time
All year; clearest October to December
How long it needs
2 to 3 nights
About Kalimpong, Lava & Loleygaon
Kalimpong keeps the pace that Darjeeling has lost. It was a trading town on the Tibet route and it still has the feel of one, with flower nurseries, colonial schools, and a hilltop monastery looking straight down the Teesta.
The real find is the country above it. Lava sits at 2,350 m inside Neora Valley National Park, wrapped in pine and mist. Rishop is a ridge hamlet with a Kanchenjunga view that rivals Pelling. Loleygaon has a canopy walk through old forest.
This is where we send people who want the hills without the crowds, and families who want short driving days.
What people come for
Deolo Hill and Durpin Monastery
Dr Graham’s Homes and the old town
Lava Monastery and the Neora Valley forest
Sunrise over Kanchenjunga from Rishop
The Loleygaon canopy walk
Cactus and orchid nurseries, a Kalimpong speciality
Know before you go
Lava and Rishop are cold and simple. The stays are good homestays and small resorts, not city hotels, and that is the appeal.
The Rishop road is rough for the last stretch and needs a proper hill vehicle. We send the right one.
Packages
2 trips that include Kalimpong, Lava & Loleygaon
Each of these can be lengthened, shortened or recombined. If you want Kalimpong, Lava & Loleygaon on its own, or bolted onto something else entirely, just ask.
Tell us roughly what you want. We will send back a real itinerary.
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.
