LAVA TOURISM | TOURIST PLACES TO VISIT & TRAVEL GUIDE TO LAVA
Hill Station
About Lava
Country: India | State: West Bengal
#5 of 9 Places to visit in West Bengal
Ideal Trip Duration: 1-2 Days
Nearest City to Lava: Guwahati (467 Kms), Kolkata (650 Kms)
Best Time to Visit Lava: October to April
Peak Season: February to April
At a distance of 21 km from Pedong, 30 km from Kalimpong, 80 km from Darjeeling, 82 km from Namchi, 87 km from Gangtok, 118 km from Pelling, 467 km from Guwahati and 650 km from Kolkata, Lava is a small hill town located in Kalimpong district of West Bengal. It is one of the popular tourist destinations near Kalimpong and among the pristine places in West Bengal.
Situated at an altitude of 7,016 feet, Lava is surrounded by dense forests of Berch, Pine, Fir and Juniper trees. It is one of the few places in West Bengal that sees snowfall in the winters. Untouched by modernity, Lava is the entry point to the Neora Valley National Park, an unexplored terrain in the Himalayas. The route to Lava is scenic with the change in vegetation from tropical deciduous to the wet alpine trees. Lava is known for the magnificent view of Mount Kanchenjunga.
Lava is well renowned for its natural beauty and it attracts large number of nature enthusiasts and adventure buffs. Lava Monastery or Kagyu Thekchen Ling Monastery is one of the main attraction of Lava, located closed to Lava local market. Built in Tibetan style of architecture, the monastery is serene and beautiful. Spread in 4 acres of land, it is home to hundreds of monks. Besides, Changey Falls, Neora valley National Park, Tiffin Dara View Point, and Nature Interpretation Center are the other popular places to visit in Lava.
Lava is said to be a haven for bird watchers and numerous species of migratory. Some of them include the rusty bellied short wing, blue robin, finch, wren babbler and many more rare birds. The forests of the region are relatively untouched and they are teeming with wildlife like black bear and barking deer. Here one can see a wide variety of orchids, blooming at the hillsides and valleys. There are several trekking routes in the nearby forests and are worth exploring.
Bagdogra International Airport is the nearest airport, which is about 117 km from Lava. It has well connected flights from Kolkata, Guwahati and New Delhi. About 97 km from Lava, New Jalpaiguri is the nearest rail head and is well connected by trains with Patna, New Delhi, Mumbai, Guwahati, Howrah, Bangalore, Dibrugarh, Puri, Gaya, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Amritsar, Chennai, Chandigarh, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Cochin and Agartala. Pre-paid taxis are available outside the station to reach Lava from Bagdogra and New Jalpaiguri. Lava is well connected by road with Siliguri, Kalimpong and Darjeeling.
The small village, surrounded by forests, has multiple hotel options. Almost all of them are budget tourist lodges which provide basic service. WBFDC has decent accommodation in town that can be recommended although not very highly.
Lava has pleasant climate throughout the year. However, the best time to visit this attractive hill town is from October to April.
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