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.
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