In May of 2008, I visitied Neora Valley National Park as part of my trip to North Bengal. I stayed for 3 nights at the Neora Valley Jungle Lodge, perched at the edge of the forest at 6,600 feet and with bedroom views of Mt. Kanchenjunga. My first day was partially spoiled by rain, but it was because of the rain that the haze cleared, and the following morning views of Mt. Kanchenjunga were clear over the foothills of Sikkim. That day I had one of the best day hikes of my life as we hiked for 8 hours through lush jungle, rivers, plains, and bamboo forest. I had such a blast looking at the maginificent life everywhere in all forms, from bright orange fungi to snakes, to interesting ferns, to nervously walking in the footsteps of wild pig that were sharing the same path. I was hoping to get lucky and get a glimpse of the Himalayan Black Bear or the Red Panda, and although I didn't, I had a great time trying. I had planned on walking again the next day, but being too tired, I settled for a short drive and walk through the reserve forest, but was again treated to a 4:30 AM sunrise hitting the Himalayas. On my last morning, I took a nice walk through the local villages to the waterfalls and back. The waterfalls were fine, but the villages were better, as the people were sweet and friendly. I missed the rhododendron and orchid bloom by about 4 weeks, and would like to go back to catch it.

Home  Recent Events  Vacations  Our Friends' Sites   Miscellaneous  About Us

This site best viewed in 1024x768 resolution