The nearly 10,000-foot-high trail leads to a new watchtower in Neora Valley National Park, with limited tourist access to protect wildlife and fragile forest habitats
Our Correspondent Published 21.10.26, 07:52 AM
A view of Lava town from Rachela Peak
The Gorumara wildlife division of Jalpaiguri will open a trekking route to a new watchtower at Rachela Hill in Kalimpong district’s Neora Valley National Park in November.
Nearly 10,000 feet high, the viewpoint offers panoramic views of the Kanchenjunga range and the Himalayan landscape stretching towards Sikkim, including the ‘sleeping Buddha’ formation. On clear days, visitors can enjoy an exceptional sunrise.
Snowfall at Lava and Rachela in December and January would make the trek exciting for adventure enthusiasts.
Rajib De, the additional divisional forest officer of Gorumara, said: “The Rachela Peak offers an even better vantage point for watching the sunrise and observing the Kanchenjunga range than the popular Tiger Hill.”
“The snowfall in December and January could make the experience particularly thrilling, although trekkers would need to prepare for extremely cold conditions,” he added.
Tourists can buy tickets from the entrance of Neora Valley National Park at Lava and travel by vehicle to Rachela Peak and Chaudda Feri.
At a fork in the hilly road at Dumukha, after 8km, visitors must leave their vehicles and trek a little more than 2km to reach Rachela Peak.
The forest department began constructing the watchtower at Rachela around two years ago.
However, the project was put on hold a year and a half ago after former chief minister Mamata Banerjee waived all forest entry fees.
The forest department suspended its plans to open the route amid concerns about an uncontrolled influx of visitors.
De said the remaining work is expected to be completed in early November. Wooden planks will be installed over the concrete pillars and a tin-sheet roof will be put up.
Foresters said the trail passes through dense vegetation and offers several scenic spots along the way. Tourists may also encounter Himalayan black bears, deer and the elusive red panda.
The department will allow only a limited number of tourists to undertake the trek to protect the fragile forest ecosystem. Drivers going there will be instructed to avoid unnecessary honking and refrain from using headlights unless required, a source said.
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