Amidst the thickly dense forested area in West Sikkim, there lies a small yet mesmerising village called ‘Rinchenpong’ – popularly known as ‘Silent Valley’. Tucked in the lap of Himalayas, nowadays Rinchenpong has emerged as one of the most famous tourist destinations. Located at an altitude of 5576 ft from sea level, it offers the spectacular views of Mt. Kanchenjunga. The entire area is covered with lush green forests – natural habitat for birds and butterfly population. Once Tagore spent some of his lyrical days in a house here in Rinchenpong.
However, Rinchenpong has been famous in history for a very special reason. In 1860, the British Rulers of India sent an expeditionary force to Sikkim in a hope to conquer this beautiful State. The Lepchas, who were the then prime natives of Sikkim poisoned the water of a pond which was the main source of drinking water in that area by using some special herbs, thus killing almost half of the battalion. This act forced the army to reverse back. Since then, the pond is named as ‘Poison Pokhri (Lake)’.
Best time to visit : You can visit Rinchenpong any time of the year but the mighty Himalayas are best visible during the winter.
If you are coming by train, then the nearest Railway Station is New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal. Pick-ups from the hotels in Rinchenpong are arranged from New Jalpaiguri for the guests. However, if you want to avail shared cars of public transport, then you would get them from Siliguri. These cars would take you to Jorethang from where you can take further shared cars to Rinchenpong. If you are travelling by air then the nearest airport is Bagdogra in West Bengal. The journey from Bagdogra or New Jalpiaguri is some 130 kms and takes some 5 hours along the banks of Rangeet and Teesta Rivers.