Sillery Gaon

Sillery Gaon is a small farming hamlet of around 45 families at roughly 6,000 ft in West Bengal's Kalimpong district, about 23 km from Kalimpong town just short of Pedong. People come for Kanchenjunga filling the view from the front porch, pine-forest walks to ridge-top viewpoints, and nights so quiet that the only sound is the wind in the trees.

The village is often sold as part of a Silk Route tour, but it sits on the West Bengal side and needs no permit. The name is usually traced to a wild green that grows abundantly on these slopes.

There are no hotels here: a homestay in Sillery Gaon is a family house with a few guest rooms and a kitchen that cooks for you. We list four:

• Sherpa Home Stay: six rooms, three of them Kanchenjunga View rooms and three traditional wooden cottages. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea and evening snacks are all included, which makes it the simplest choice for a first visit.
• Meghpiyon Home Stay: four rooms and a 180-degree panorama of Kanchenjunga from the property itself. Meals are arranged separately.
• Sumiksha Homestay: five rooms among pine and greenery, with bird watching, village walks and bonfire evenings. A quad room suits a family of four, and veg and non-veg meals are ordered as you go.
• Pema Homestay: five simple rooms with Wi-Fi and parking, and the same village walks and bonfire evenings, from ₹1,200 per person.

Prices start at about ₹1,100 per person a night.

• From NJP: about 95 km via Sevoke, the Teesta valley and Kalimpong, roughly 3.5 to 4 hours by car.
• From Bagdogra: about 100 km, around 4 hours.
• From Siliguri: there is no direct shared car to Pedong. Take a shared jeep to Kalimpong, then a Pedong-bound shared car.
• From Kalimpong: about 23 km, a little over an hour. Leave the Pedong road at Bish Mile, about 3 km before Pedong. The last 4.5 to 5 km is a narrow, bumpy gravel track, so a high-clearance car such as a Scorpio or Bolero is the better choice. Shared cars can drop you at Bish Mile, and most hosts will collect you from there.

• October to November: the clearest mountain views and comfortable days.
• December to February: crisp and clear, but very cold after dark.
• March to May: pleasant, with rhododendrons and orchids flowering in March and April.
• July to September: heavy rain, cloud, leeches and a muddy approach road. Best avoided.

Durga Puja brings crowds from Kolkata, so book well ahead for those dates.

• Ramitey Dara: a viewpoint about 2 to 2.5 km away at around 6,400 ft, where the Teesta's bends lie below and Kanchenjunga stands above. It is a 40-minute walk or a short drive.
• Tinchuley Top: a steep 30-minute climb to an almost all-round view. On a clear day you can pick out the Jelep La and Nathu La passes.
• Damsang Fort: the ruins of an old hill fort about 3 km away, roughly an hour on foot. Carry on uphill to Hanuman Top for a view over Kalimpong.
• Silent Valley: an uninhabited meadow fringed with pine, about 2 to 3 km from the village.
• Icche Gaon: the twin village over the ridge, about an hour away by forest trail but some 15 km by road.
• Sangchen Dorjee Monastery at Pedong, which dates from the Bhutanese period.

• Permits: none needed for Sillery Gaon. Going on to Zuluk and the Sikkim Silk Route needs a Protected Area Permit from Rongli, and that is open to Indian nationals only.
• Power: supply can be erratic, and some homestays run a generator for only part of the evening. Bring a torch and a power bank.
• Network: calls and SMS generally work; mobile data is patchy.
• Cash and supplies: the village has almost no shops, so carry cash, snacks and water from Kalimpong.
• Comforts: hot water often comes in buckets, and nights are cold for much of the year.

Stay two nights. Arrive via Kalimpong by mid-afternoon for sunset on the range. Next morning, walk to Ramitey Dara at first light, then go to Damsang Fort and Silent Valley. On the third day, walk over to Icche Gaon or carry on towards the Silk Route.

Is Sillery Gaon in Sikkim or West Bengal?
It is in West Bengal's Kalimpong district. It often appears on Silk Route itineraries, but no permit is needed.

How far is Sillery Gaon from NJP?
About 95 km via Kalimpong, roughly 3.5 to 4 hours by car.

Can you see Kanchenjunga from Sillery Gaon?
Yes, on clear days, and most reliably from October to February. Ramitey Dara and Tinchuley Top give the widest views.

Does a homestay in Sillery Gaon include meals?
It depends on the house. Sherpa Home Stay includes all meals, tea and snacks. At the others, home-cooked meals are ordered separately.

Is the road to Sillery Gaon good?
The road is paved as far as Bish Mile. The last 4.5 to 5 km is a rough gravel track, so a higher car helps.

How many days are enough?
Two nights is enough to see the viewpoints at an easy pace. Add a night in Icche Gaon if you want to walk between the two villages.