Neora Valley National Park is a beautiful
place, located in the Darjeeling district of
the state of West Bengal. Neora Valley
National Park was established in the year
of 1986. Total area of the park is 159.89
Km 2 .
The entire forest is crisscrossed by
mountain streams. The name Neora
Valley is given after the river Neora
flowing through it.
The park is one of the richest biological
zones in the entire Northeast. It is the
land of the elegant red panda in the
pristine undisturbed natural habitat with
rugged inaccessible hilly terrain.
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The park is famous for the virgin forest
patch and its unique bio-diversity. The
National Park enjoys the distinction of
being situated over one of the oldest
Reserve Forest in India.
This park falls in the catchment area of
the Neora River. The Northern boundary
of Neora Valley National Park is
contiguous with the forest of Sikkim and
Bhutan.
The National park comprises tropical &
temperate vegetation. The rich diverse
flora and fauna making this park an
important wilderness zone.
Neora Valley National Park is distinct for
its pristine scenic beauty and rich bio-
diversity. The park is home to the many
species like Himalayan Tahr, Black Bear,
Sambar, Barking Deer, Goral, Tiger,
Leopard, Chinese Marmorata Pangolin,
Malayan Giant Squirrel, Wild Boar, Wild
Dog, Clouded Leopard etc.
The park is also an ideal place for birds
like Redstart, Whistling Thrush, Golden
Headed Black Finch, Pheasants, Cuckoos,
Minivets, Flycatchers, Maynas, Orioles,
Owls, Parakeets, Partridges, Sunbirds,
Swallows, Swifts and Woodpeckers etc.
Due to wide range of altitude variation,
the climate condition of the park varies
from tropical to temperate or even Sub-
alpine in Rachilla Danda area.
Its floral diversity is noteworthy with
mixed species of rhododendrons,
bamboo, sal etc. along with several
species of orchids.
The forest in Neora Valley has such a
luxurious growth that even sunlight finds
it difficult to touch the ground. Much of
the park is still inaccessible making it an
adventurous place for the nature lovers /
trekkers who can take the challenge to
explore the still-unknown terrain in the
Kalimpong hills.
Neora Valley is particularly well known
for wild orchids. A number of orchids
hidden in the deepest parts of the valley
are yet to find a place in the records.
The park is one of the last remaining
pristine ecosystems of the Eastern
Himalayas with its amazing Bio-diversity,
and is home to many rare and
endangered plants, animals and birds.
It exhibits a rich variety of habitat as the
area comprises the catchments and
watershed of the Neora River with its
tributaries. The Park with its dense
forests is located on the tri-junction of
Bhutan, Sikkim and West-Bengal, and its
boundary extends from 30 m of altitude
up to 3200 m.
The Neora Valley National Park has two
entry points: one is from Lava and the
other from Samsing. The trek route
through Lava starts from Zero Point
which is about 25 km from Lava. There is
no forest safari or forest trail treks inside
the National Park.
The popular tourist destination Lava is
located quite close to Neora Valley
National Park. The entrance to the park
at a village named Kolakham is about
10kms from Lava.