Lava (also known as Lava Bazar) is a small town in the Kalimpong district of West Bengal. All sorts of outdoor enthusiasts, including birdwatchers, adventurers, and photographers, will find their dream destination in this sleepy little town. If you’re looking for a serene and picturesque holiday resort, go no further than this tourist destination featuring verdant forests and otherworldly landscapes. The region’s woodlands remain mostly undisturbed and are home to a variety of species, including black bears and deer. Orchids of every colour and shape can be found here, blossoming in the hills and valleys.
Lava is situated at an altitude of 7,016 feet (2,138 m) which makes it quite chilly even during summers. It is completely surrounded by Pine forest. It is one of the few places in West Bengal to receive snow fall in winter season. It is the entry point to the Neora Valley National Park from Kalimpong. The route to Lava is simply amazing with the change in vegetation from tropical deciduous to the wet alpine trees of fir, pine and birch.
The best spot around Lava for bird watching is the Rachet Reserve Forest, Rang bang Valley, Upper Rishi Valley, and Neora Valley, providing good bird watching treks.
Local Attractions in the village
Two attractions within the village are easily accessible by foot. On the upper slopes of the village is the location of the forest range office and opposite it is the Neora Valley National Park Nature Interpretation Centre. Both places are within a few minutes’ walking distances from one another and can easily be visited by tourists without using a vehicle.
Lava Nature Interpretation Centre: Lava due to its proximity to Neora Valley is famous as the gateway to Neora. The distance between Lava and Neora Valley National Park is 2km. A Nature Interpretation Centre has been built in Lava to give an insight into the flora and fauna of Neora Valley National Park and it is situated at a short walking distance from Lava WBFDC Cottage.
The center offers a wealth of information about the flora and fauna of the area.
On the other side of the village towards the lower slope is the location of the beautiful Lava monastery. The official name of the monastery is Kagyu Thekchen Ling Monastery. The monastery was established recently with its first phase of work completed only in the year 1990. The monastery is a center of higher studies for the monks and is spread over an area of 4 acres of land. The monastery is well known for its peaceful surrounding and beautiful architecture.
Lava Monastery: At a distance of 500 m from Lava Jeep Stand, Kagyu Thekchen Ling Monastery is a Buddhist monastery situated in the picturesque Himalayan hamlet of Lava in West Bengal. Popularly called as Lava Monastery, it is one of the top places to visit in Lava.
Kagyu Thekchen Ling monastery was built in 1987 by the third Kongtrul Rinpoche, Karma Lodro Chokyi Senge, when the Buddhist community living here offered him three acres of land for the local community of Lava. Though the monastery started off with a mere handful of monks, over time, the numbers kept increasing and today, it houses over 110 monks. Today, the fourth Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche studies and trains here. One can see the monks are occupied in rigorous study of Buddhist literatures and meditation.
Built in Tibetan style of architecture, the monastery has various prayer halls, lawns, sitting areas and a huge Buddha statue. The monastery offers great view of the mountains and one can also see Aritar in Sikkim as well as the Jelep La pass from the monastery. Outside the main gate is the market with hotels, eateries and shops where you can purchase clothes, souvenirs etc.
Timings: 8 AM – 5 PM
Tourist attractions near Lava
Changey Waterfall
At a distance of 4 km from Kolakham and 10 km from Lava, Changey Falls is a mesmerizing waterfall situated near Kolakham in Kalimpong district of West Bengal. It is one of the gorgeous waterfalls in Kalimpong region and among the best places to visit in Lava.
Changey Falls is a small waterfall in the midst of hills and forests. Cascades down from a height of about 150 feet, the waterfall looks stunning with crystal clear water and thick green forest. Innumerous chirps of amazing Himalayan birds like White Capped Water Redstart, Verditer Flycatcher, Niltava, Blue Fronted Redstart, Grey Treepie, Indian Robin, Blue Whistling Thrush makes the atmosphere heaven like.
A four wheel drive of 1 hour from Lava will take you to Changey Falls. The distance from Changey Falls to Kolakham is around 4 km. One needs to trek 900 m from the last motorable point in order to reach the falls. Extreme calmness with huge waterfall sound makes a wonderful contrast. There is no public or private buses ply through this route. So, visitors need to hire a cab to visit the falls.
Timings: 6 AM – 5 PM
Neora Valley National Park
Lava is the gateway of Neora Valley National Park, a virgin, unexplored terrain in the Himalayas. A drive to Choudaferri inside the park through the pine-clad winding road and the Sunrise spot at Tiffin Dara is simply unforgettable. Rishyap, another popular tourist destination is only 5 km from Lava on foot.
Lava used to be the quintessential salubrious and peaceful tourist destination. Most tourists would visit here for its mountain and forest views and to spend a few days on the sojourn. As tourism grew, today Lava has transformed into a tourism hub with a small village full of budget accommodations. The tranquillity of the place has now been somewhat replaced with more touristy sightseeing spots. Still walking in the serpentine Lava main road just outside the limit of the concrete buildings will take you to a conifer forest with chirping birds.
Tiffin Dara and Ghanti Dara are sunset points where an evening is well spent observing nature’s bounty. Tiffin Dara, located close to Rishyap village, is about 4 km from here.
The nearest destination is Rishyap just 5 km from here. Rishyap is a tourist destination in its own right and can be visited as part of a day tour from Lava. You can also visit Kolakham, Kolbong, and Liblong areas from here which is just about a 15 km drive. You may also visit the Choudapheri area which is the starting point for treks deep inside Neora Valley National Park.
Accommodation
There is no shortage of tourist accommodation in Lava, almost the entire village has been turned into a tourist village with every house turned into a homestay/lodge or a hotel. Most of the accommodation is for budget tourists although there is a couple of accommodations where tourist service standards are better.
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