As if the Almighty has spread all his blessings in the beauty of nature. I could never find it in the jungle of bricks and mortar. To get a taste of it I repeatedly find myself in the lap of mountains. Not only by the Indians but mountains of the Himalayas are revered and loved by all. The third highest peak in the world is situated in Himalayan range of West Bengal. As a result of which we, the Bengalees can come closer to it at a lesser expense.
You may take a train from Howrah or Sealdah to NJP. From there you will get bus, jeep or reserved car which will take you to your favourite hill stations like Darjeeling, Pelling or Gangtok through the extremely scenic routes. Just ask google for the treasures you may find here.
But this time we had something a little different in mind. Our destination was Rishyap. This is a tranquil little mountain village in the Kalimpong district at an altitude of 8500 fts . Several small and colourful two or three storied cottages are spread across the slopes of this mountain giving a dream like feel. It reminds me the miniature mountain making ceremony ( jhulan) we used to perform in Janmastami during our childhood.
We travelled from Lava to Rishyap through Neora Valley National Park. The road is quite dangerous. This is also a trekking route. Due to rain and landslides the road condition worsened. But an avid traveller does never bother about these but on the contrary it is actually a bliss for them. Although our 4X4 Mahindra Max did an excellent job but faint hearted may prefer the alternate way. There is another much better concrete road to Rishyap albeit it will take a few miles extra.
We had our booking done at Monisha Cottage by our travel agent Onno Route in Kolkata. It was a nice and colourful two storied wooden cottage with two rooms in each floor built on the slope of the muddy mountain of Rishyap. I was both thrilled and excited to see the locale of this cottage once we got down from our jeep. The surrounding was exceptionally beautiful. The view of the mountains from the balcony is breathtaking. The caretaker Rabi was a nice guy although shows a little toughness on the tourists. But in our case it has almost no effect as we had faced so many situations in so many destinations in our journeys and we are quite seasoned. We just enjoyed the surrounding beauty. The cooks are from the plains and the quality of food was just o.k. The cottage had no geyser in the rooms. Hot water is supplied in the morning for bath. We had our electric kettle and power bank with us which are sometimes life saver. Electricity goes on and off frequently here in Rishyap. Better amenities were expected in the price we paid to our agent.
Although I am not complaining about this place. Rishyap has very scant human population and so naturally the essentials are also scant. Any heavenly place is devoid of much human population. This place is strictly for nature lovers. Others may travel to much crowded hill stations where you will get all the amenities and a lot of people and all their litters.
Wooden cottages, colourful flowers, various unknown birds, empty roads and pure oxygen will surely intoxicate you.
The highest point of Rishyap is named Tiffindara. From here one can see the Kanchenjunga in all its glory. Although the lofty Kanchenjunga can be seen from anywhere in Rishyap. You can also get bird’s eye view of Kalimong. If you walk downhill you may have some fantastic freshly prepared roadside momo. You may also trek or stroll throughout the day if your legs permit. It is really a very cute place.
It is not exactly possible to describe the essence of this place in words. You need to be there to feel it. Once visited you will most likely want to come here again and again. I still remember sitting in the balcony of our cottage with a glass of scotch and looking at the sun soaked view of the majestic Kanchenjunga. The only sound I could hear was the sound of the cold air.
Tips: There are almost no shops here. Even if you get something it will be highly priced. Better bring your basic essentials and water if possible before entering Rishyap.
Happy Travelling.