Pema Homestay at Sillery Gaon

Pema Homestay is a small family-run homestay in Sillery Gaon, a hamlet of a few dozen households at about 6,000 ft in the Kalimpong hills of West Bengal. It has five rooms, sleeps up to 20 guests across the house, and starts at ₹1,200 per person per night, which makes it an easy pick for a family weekend or a group of friends who want the whole place to themselves.

Sillery Gaon sits on a forested ridge a little over 20 km from Kalimpong, past Pedong, at the end of a rough gravel track. There are no shops to speak of and no traffic, just pine and cinchona forest, slanting tin roofs, birdsong in the morning and, when the clouds part, Kanchenjunga filling the northern sky. People come here to do very little, and Pema Homestay is set up for exactly that.

Pema has five homestay rooms. They are simple, clean village rooms rather than hotel suites, and the house as a whole takes up to 20 guests, so a large family or two or three families travelling together can book it out. Rates are ₹1,200 per person per night including taxes. Couples are welcome, and so are children.

Sillery Gaon has no restaurants, only the occasional tea stall, so village homestays cook for their guests. Expect home-style Nepali food, vegetarian and non-vegetarian, often cooked over a wood fire with vegetables from the village. The rate shown here is for the room; tell us how many meals you need and we will confirm the meal plan and cost when you book.

The best of Sillery is seen on foot, and a village walk is included in your stay.

• Ramitey Dara - about 2 km from the village, by vehicle up a dirt track or on foot. From the cliff edge you look down on the Teesta river curling through the valley in a long run of bends, with Kanchenjunga behind on a clear day. It is especially good at sunrise and sunset.
• Tinchuley View Point - a steep half-hour climb above the village, with a wide sweep of the eastern Himalaya on clear mornings.
• Damsang Fort - about 3 km away. Only ruins remain of the fort a Lepcha king built around 1690, but the walk through the forest is the real reward.
• Silent Valley - about 3 km away, an open meadow ringed by pines and a favourite spot for a quiet sunset.
• Sangchen Dorjee Monastery - near Pedong, one of the oldest monasteries in the area, dating from the period of Bhutanese rule.

Back at the house, there is a bonfire on clear evenings, and on those nights you can sometimes see the lights of Gangtok across the valley.

Sillery Gaon is reached from Siliguri by way of Kalimpong or the Pedong road. The nearest railhead is New Jalpaiguri (NJP) and the nearest airport is Bagdogra; from either, plan on three to four hours by car. A narrow gravel road branches off the Pedong road through the forest, and the last 4.5 km or so to the village is unpaved and bumpy. A vehicle with good ground clearance, such as a Bolero or Scorpio, makes this stretch far more comfortable. Kalimpong, a little over 20 km away, is the nearest town for ATMs, fuel and a hospital.

After you book, we send a map pin and last-mile directions on WhatsApp.

October and November bring the clearest mountain views, and December to February adds crisp, cold mornings with the best chance of seeing Kanchenjunga at sunrise. March to May is spring, when rhododendrons and orchids flower in the forest. The monsoon, roughly July to September, brings heavy rain, cloud that hides the peaks for days, and leeches on the forest trails.

• Check-in is from 12 PM and check-out is by 10 AM.
• Free parking at the homestay.
• Free Wi-Fi, though mobile data in the village can be patchy; calls generally work.
• Electricity in Sillery Gaon can be erratic, so bring a torch and a power bank.
• Village walk and evening bonfire are included.
• Family and couple friendly.
• Payment by cash or UPI.
• Free cancellation up to 15 days before arrival.
• Pack warm layers in every season; nights at this height are cool even in summer.