Sherpa Home Stay Sillery Gaon

Sherpa Home Stay is a six-room, all-meals-included homestay in Sillery Gaon, the hill village above Pedong in West Bengal's Kalimpong district, at roughly 6,000 ft. Half the rooms face Kanchenjunga, the world's third-highest peak, and the other half are traditional wooden cottages, with rates from ₹1,000 per person per night including breakfast, lunch, dinner, evening tea and snacks.

Sillery Gaon is a scatter of cottages with tin roofs strung along a forested ridge, home to a few dozen families who farm the slopes. It is a village for slow mornings: tea on the porch while the light reaches the snow peaks, a walk to a viewpoint before lunch, birds in the trees all day. Sherpa Home Stay keeps things simple and homely, and the kitchen does the rest.

There are two kinds of room, three of each:

• Kanchenjunga View Room - three rooms facing the mountain, each for up to four guests, at ₹1,300 per person per night. Pick one of these if waking up to the range is the point of the trip.
• Traditional Wooden Cottage - three cottages in the old village style, each for up to three guests, at ₹1,000 per person per night.

All rooms have hot water, towels and toiletries, with daily housekeeping. The house sleeps up to 21, so it suits a family reunion or a group of friends as well as a couple.

Every meal is part of the rate. Breakfast, lunch and dinner come with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options, and evening tea with vegetarian snacks is served as the light fades. This is home-style hill cooking, and since Sillery Gaon has no restaurants, it is also the only cooking for miles, so come hungry. On clear evenings there is a bonfire after dinner.

• Silent Valley - 2 km, about 10 minutes by car. A wide meadow fringed with pine, very peaceful in the late afternoon.
• Ramitey View Point - 2.5 km, about 15 minutes. The Teesta winds through the valley far below in a long run of bends, with Kanchenjunga beyond it when the sky is clear; many guests walk here instead of driving.
• Tinchuley View Point - a short, steep climb of around half an hour from the village, with a broad view of the snow peaks.
• Damsang Fort - about 3 km. The ruined fort dates to around 1690 and the Lepcha king Gyabo Achyok; it makes a good half-day forest walk.
• Sangchen Dorjee Monastery - near Pedong, among the oldest monasteries in the area.

Sillery Gaon is also known for its birdlife, so bring binoculars if you have them. The village walk and the evening bonfire are both included in your stay.

• NJP Railway Station - 93 km, about 3 hours by car.
• Siliguri Junction - 89 km, about 3 hours.
• Bagdogra Airport - about 99 km, around 3.5 hours.

From Siliguri the road climbs into the Kalimpong hills towards Pedong. The final 4.5 km or so into Sillery Gaon leaves the tarmac for a narrow gravel road, so a high-clearance vehicle such as a Bolero or Scorpio is the comfortable choice. There is free parking at the homestay. Kalimpong is the nearest town for ATMs and fuel. Once your booking is confirmed, we send directions and a map pin on WhatsApp.

From October to February the skies are at their clearest and you have the best chance of a sunrise view of Kanchenjunga. Spring, from March to May, is greener, with rhododendrons and orchids in flower. July to September is monsoon: the rain is heavy, the peaks hide for days, and the forest trails get leeches. Winters are cold, so pack proper woollens.

• Check-in is from 12 PM and check-out is by 10 AM.
• All meals, evening tea and snacks are included.
• Children aged 3 to 8 pay half the rate.
• Pets are welcome for an extra charge.
• Free parking and free Wi-Fi; mobile data in the village can be patchy.
• Power in Sillery Gaon can be erratic, so carry a torch and a power bank.
• Payment by cash or UPI.
• Free cancellation up to 15 days before arrival.