Rishi River View Unique Cottage at Rishikhola

Rishi River View Unique Cottage is a riverside homestay at Rishikhola, on the Sikkim bank of the Reshi Khola in Pakyong district, near Rhenock. The river is barely ten metres from the rooms, and its sound is with you all day and night.

Rishikhola sits low, at roughly 2,000 ft, where the Reshi stream marks the border between Sikkim and the Kalimpong hills of West Bengal. That makes it warmer and greener than the ridge villages above it: forest on both banks and birds in the trees from first light. It is a place to sit by the water, wade in when the river is low, and do very little.

There are two kinds of room, and every one faces the river.

• Private River View Cottage - three standalone cottages, each sleeping up to four, at ₹1,500 per person per night
• Family River View Rooms - four rooms, each sleeping up to four, at ₹1,300 per person per night

The cottages suit couples or a small family who want a little privacy; the family rooms work well for groups travelling together. With seven rooms in all, the property can host a sizeable group.

Check-in is from 1 pm and check-out is by 11 am.

Meals are not included in the room price. The kitchen serves vegetarian breakfast, lunch, dinner, evening tea and snacks, so you can take every meal here. Let us know your meal plan when you book.

• Riverside picnics
• Camping by the water
• Bird watching in the forest along both banks
• Village walks along the river road
• A bonfire in the evening
• Wading and shallow-water swimming in the dry months, and simple angling for those who bring a line

• Reshi Khola - right at the property
• Siddhi Vinayak Temple - 5.7 km, about 13 minutes
• Rangpo - about 23 km, the main town on the Sikkim side
• Pedong and Sillery Gaon - the nearest hill villages on the Kalimpong side, good for a half-day trip
• Aritar, Mankhim and the Old Silk Route - the homestay makes a relaxed first or last night on an East Sikkim or Silk Route circuit

Rishikhola can be reached from either side of the border.

• From NJP (New Jalpaiguri station): about 119 km, roughly 4 hours
• From Bagdogra airport: about 100 km, roughly 4 hours
• From Kalimpong: about 36 km, via Pedong
• From Rangpo: about 23 km on the Sikkim side

A reserved car from NJP or Bagdogra is the easiest way in. In the rains the last part of the road down to the river can get rough, and guests sometimes walk the final short stretch, so travel light and in daylight during the monsoon.

October to April is the easiest season, with clear water, dry roads and cool, bright days; winter nights are cold but pleasant by a bonfire. Summer is warm in the valley, which makes the river all the more welcome. From June to September the Reshi runs high and fast, wading is unsafe, and the approach roads suffer.

• Check-in 1 pm, check-out 11 am
• Prices are per person; meals are extra and vegetarian
• Pets are welcome
• Suitable for families, couples and senior citizens
• Free parking on site
• The river can rise quickly after rain upstream; keep children close to the bank

For a homestay in Rishikhola where you wake to the river rather than a road, this is the place. Send us your dates and group size and we will check the rooms for you.