My visit to Pedong was an unexpected one. I was thinking of visiting a place, preferably in North Bengal, when the offer of visiting Pedong came from my friend.

Pedong is a small village about 26km from Kalimpong bus stand. “Pe” means scented tree and “Dong” means resting place. So the word “Pedong” means resting beneath scented tree.

We reached New Jalpaiguri by Kamrup Express and then went to Pedong by bus and Tata Sumo.

It was quite cloudy by the time we reached Pedong. Cold breeze was blowing across the place that was surrounded by high hills which were covered with lush green trees.

The peace and tranquillity of the place charmed us at once.

We had made accommodations at Dodul Guest House at Chumir Chen village — a small place free from bustle and noise. Its owner welcomed us with warmth and a smile.

Next day, we visited Lava and Lolegaon.

At Lava, we visited the Lava Wildlife Interpretation Centre.

The Neora Vally National Park is situated here. It is a compact block of forests with Sikkim and Bhutan on the north and the duars of West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district on the south.

The altitude of the place varies from 183 metre to 3,200 metre.

This dense forest, which covers an area of 88 square km and gets an average rainfall of 4,000 to 5,000 mm, is rich in flora and fauna. All the wild animals, except lions, are found here.

One can also visit Chhange falls, which is 14km from Pedong, the Tibetan monastery near Lava bazar, Rikisum viewpoint, Crossing Hill point and the ruins of Damasang Durg.

Next day, we visited Aritar Lake and Rishi and enjoyed a picnic on the bank of the Rishikhola.

The beauty of the place can only be described as magnificent.

It is said Kanchenjunga, which is close to Pedong, can be seen best from this place. But we could not see the mountain because of bad weather.

However, we enjoyed every moment of our stay at Pedong.

As we returned to Kalimpong, I felt a little sad. See you again, Pedong.