West Bengal

¶ Neora Valley National Park

General Information
Place : Darjeeling District
Best time to visit : March to June and September to November
Nearest town : Kalimpong (32 km)
Main Attractions : Red Panda, Clouded leopard, Musk deer

The Neora Valley National Park, spread over an area of 88sq.km. in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal was established in April 1986. The park, a unique area of rich bio-diversity lies in the Himalayan foothills and is bordered on the east by Western Bhutan and the forests of Neora Valley, one of the least tracts of virgin wilderness in the country sustains a unique eco-system where tropical, sub-tropical, sub-temperate, and temperate vegetative system still harbours a wealth of flora and fauna. The forests consists of mixed species like rhododendron, bamboo, oak, ferns, sal etc. The Valley also has numerous species of orchids. The fauna consist of such endangered species as the clouded leopard, red-panda, and musk deer. Other species are leopard, five species of civet, black bear, sloth bear, golden gat, wild boar, leopard cat, goral, serow, barking deer, sambar, Himalayan flying squirrel and thar. The park rich in bird life houses the bearded vulture, Himalayan griffon, red legged falcon, pigeons, doves, great pied hornbill and a large number of migratory birds like whistling thrush etc. King cobra, common cobra krait, green pit viper, blind snake and lizards are also found. Many colourful insects such as butterflies, moths, beetles, bees, wasps, bugs cicadas are added attraction of the valley.

The main entry point to the park is Lava (7016 ft), a small village adjacent to the park. There is a nature interpretation centre here. The other entry point is Samsing (3000 ft). There is no motorable road inside the park. Visitors should take an entry permit from the park authorities in Lava or Samsing.

Accommodation
Forest bungalows at Lava (32 km from the nearest town Kalimpong) and at Samsing ( 18km from Chalsa) are available for stay. Tented accommodation is available in the forest resort at Suntale Khola from where there is a trek to Neora valley.

How to get there

Air: Nearest Airport is Bagdogra (100km)

Rail: Nearest railhead is NJP ( 130km. )

Road: There are buses available from Siliguri to Kalimpong (100km) which is 32km away from the entry point Lava. Another route is from Siliguri - Chalsa (65km) - Samsing (18km). The park can be reached by road from Samsing.