RAVANGLA TOURISM | TOURIST PLACES TO VISIT & TRAVEL GUIDE TO RAVANGLA
Hill Station | Pilgrimage
About Ravangla
#6 of 6 Places to visit in Sikkim
Ideal Trip Duration: 1-2 Days
Nearest City to Ravangla: Guwahati (536 Kms), Kolkata (667 Kms)
Best Time to Visit Ravangla: February to June & September to November
Peak Season: March to May
At a distance of 26 km from Namchi, 69 km from Gangtok, 71 km from Darjeeling, 74 km from Kalimpong, 89 km from Pelling, 115 km from Siliguri, 122 km from Lachung, 536 km from Guwahati and 667 km from Kolkata, Ravangla or Ravongla is a small hill town situated in South Sikkim district of the Indian state of Sikkim. At an altitude of 7000 feet, Ravangla is one of the picturesque places to visit in Sikkim and among the best places to experience Sikkim Tourism.
Located on a ridge between Maenam and Tendong Hill, Ravangla is a hot tourist destination blessed with spellbinding tea gardens, adventure activities and ancient monasteries. The town and its surrounding areas offer an undisturbed view of Mt. Kanchenjunga, Mt. Pandim, Mt. Sinialchu, and Mt. Kabru. Ravangla gets a romantic look with the colours and fragrance of the flowers which are in full bloom during April-May. Buddha Park, Rayong Sunrise Viewpoint, Ralang & Borong Hot Springs, Ralang Monastery, Doling Gompa, Tumlong monastery, Temi Tea Garden, Kheunpheling Carpet Centre, and Rangit Water World are the places to visit in Ravangla.
It also acts as the starting point for the famous Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary Trek. The 12 km uphill trek starts from Ravangla and takes 4 hours to climb up and 2 hours to climb down. The entire trek route passes through the Maenam Sanctuary which houses a rare collection of Himalayan species like red panda, Himalayan black bear, leopard cat, black pheasant cat etc. Another 1.5 km uphill trek leads to Bhaledunga, a hilltop offering beautiful view of the surrounding mountains.
Ravangla is known for its ethnic culture and festivals. A week long tourist festival at Cho-Dzo Lake is organized by Sikkim Tourism department every year in April. The festival hosts an exhibition cum sale of handicrafts from Sikkim, other North Eastern states and Bhutan. Also held are food, cultural, music and fashion shows. Pang Lhabsol is another major festival celebrated in Ravangla during the months of August and September. This is a three-day-long festival that ends with the performance of the 'Cham' dance on the last day.
There are several accommodation options available in Ravangla ranging from budget to luxury hotels. Apart from hotels, visitors can enjoy their stay in mid-range resorts or classic guest houses that offer their guests with decent amenities and warm hospitality at Ravangla.
Bagdogra Airport is the nearest airport, which is about 126 km from Ravangla. It has direct flights from Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi. New Jalpaiguri is the nearest rail head and has well connected trains from Patna, New Delhi, Mumbai, Guwahati, Howrah, Bangalore, Dibrugarh, Puri, Gaya, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Amritsar, Chennai, Chandigarh, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Cochin and Agartala. Ravangla is well connected by road with Gangtok, Kalimpong, Siliguri, Pelling, Namchi, Yuksom and Darjeeling and one can be easily reached by hiring a cab or Private buses.
Owing to its proximity to Greater Himalayan ranges, Ravangla weather is pleasant throughout the year. The best season to visit Ravangla is from March to June and from September to November. It is better to avoid visiting during severe winter months and monsoon.
Foreign nationals require Restricted Area Permit (RAP) or Inner Line Permit (ILP) to visit any part of Sikkim including Gangtok.