North Bengal never disappoints us when it comes to experiencing nature and the wild in its full glory. The Singalila National Park in Darjeeling is one such place, which offers a superb combination of both. Whether it's for getting away from the din & bustle of city life or just to beat the heat, north Bengal has always been a saviour.
Located at a height of 7,000 feet, Singalila is the highest national park of West Bengal. Being surrounded by hills, mountains and lush green alpine vegetation, this region is invaluable in terms of biodiversity. Due to its altitude, the region has three separate biomes with three corresponding ecoregions namely, the Himalayan subtropical pine forests ecoregion, the Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests ecoregion and the Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests ecoregion.
With dense oak, bamboo, magnolia and rhododendron forests, the natural beauty is almost inconceivable in scale. Best time to visit? March to May, i.e Spring, because that's when the rhododendrons, orchids and magnolias are in full bloom. Singalila is also home to rare red pandas and has one of the highest concentrations of the mammal in Asia. This apart, you can spot the Himalayan black bear, pangolin, pika, yellow throated marten, clouded leopard, and 120 species of Himalayan and Indo-Burma birds like scarlet minivet, kalij pheasant, blood pheasant, satyr tragopan, fire-tailed myzornis and more.
The entry fee to the park is INR 100. You need to obtain a permit from the Forest Department.