How the story began for Rishyap/Rishop:
“Let’s plan our 10th Country, i.e., Bhutan, during the Paro Festival (Third Week of March).” Thankfully, in no time, we found a suitable agent to help us plan our trip and get a guide for Bhutan. We even booked confirmed train tickets one month ahead of our departure date. Finally, the day arrived when we reached Jaigaon (the Indian border town of Bhutan). To our utter surprise, everything came crashing down when we were informed that the Bhutan government were not allowing any walking travellers to enter the country.
The whole incident shook us. We pleaded to all the staff present at the Bhutan Embassy to allow us for the tour. We even went to the Indian Embassy, but unfortunately, everything fell on deaf ears. It took us some time to digest that we could not enter Bhutan. We had to change our plan to some other route.
Then, we decided to explore some of the best offbeat places in North Bengal. Trust us, we didn’t regret the fact. Let’s begin this offbeat adventure with you guys.
Have you ever been to any offbeat hill station in North Bengal? If not, let us take you to this pristine place amidst nature called “Rishyap“.
In case you don’t know who we are……
We call ourselves Travel Freaks……..
Table of Contents
Let’s start on with this blog with the very first question that might come to your mind….
1. Where is Rishyap located, and how can you reach it here?
Rishyap is a small village in Kalimpong’s district. One can take the train from Kolkata to New Jalpaiguri (NJP)/New Mal Junction (NMJ) and hire a cab or self-drive to reach this serene location.
Returning to our story, we were at Jaigaon. By 4 o’clock we could arrange a vehicle that could drop us at Rishyap.
We also chose the option mentioned above and hired a taxi from NJP. It is approx 110-115 km and would take around 4-5 hours to reach.
Next, you might wonder about the stay options…
2. What are the stay options available?
Various cosy and beautiful homestay options are available in this cute little village. Ours was also no different.
Returning to our story, we reached Rishyap at around 10 PM. It was pretty dark and raining heavily in the middle of March. Our stay manager at Suntec Eco Resort arrived in to show us our rooms. In the meantime, we could sense that the mercury was dipping. Soon, when we checked into our rooms, we discovered it was made of pinewood. It has all the necessary amenities that we wished for.
An interesting fact about this place is that the weather is so pleasant, even during summer, that you don’t require fans.
We got a call in no time that our dinner was ready to be served. Trust us, a hot meal at 10:35 PM with a night view of the hills felt heavenly. The food tasted homely. Having such a meal outside the home was such bliss. It made a memorable ending to our tiring day.
Apart from our stay, a handful of homestay options were available in and around Rishyap.
Tip: If you are planning a group trip, book the homestay well in advance.
Now, you might want to know about…
3. What to expect from Rishyap?
Rishyap is just the perfect place to escape the fast-paced city life. The locals are quite simple and friendly, and they always have smiles on their faces. Travellers prefer to stay at Rishyap to escape from the city hustle and relax in the village.
One can get immersed in nature and greenery. The best time to visit Rishyap is February, March, September, October and November. Most travellers prefer the Spring and Autumn seasons to visit this picturesque village. Snowfall lover can plan their trip during winter.
If you are fortunate enough to get clear weather, you might be able to spot Kanchenjunga from your rooms.
Returning to our story, we woke up early in the morning, only to find it still raining and covered with fog. We could barely see 50 meters around us. We were to depart from the place after breakfast. We decided to walk through the village’s alleys and immerse ourselves in the calmness of the place. It felt like staying there for a few more days before moving to our next offbeat destination.
Travellers come to this place to reach the Tiffindara View Point. The entry point for the trek was hardly 650 meters from the stay. It usually takes 45 minutes to reach the top. From there, one can view Mt. Kanchenjunga, Nathu La Pass & Jelep La Pass.
Unfortunately, it was raining quite heavily then. Hence, we dropped the plan to hike to the Tiffindara View Point.
Apart from this, there is one Shiva Buddha Temple in Rishyap that you might want to explore. It was a rainy day for us. So we decided to move to the next place on our list.
These offbeat places are preferred by travellers who look for serenity and isolated, untouched places away from crowds. Many people work remotely from such places and follow their passion for their hobbies. We wish to visit such places again in the near future.
To know more about such places, you can contact us. We will definitely help you plan out your itinerary. Till then, follow us for more such informative blogs.
4. What kind of help are we going to provide?
Let us inform you that we prepare itineraries not only for anywhere in India but also for Asia. We have been travelling since we were toddlers. So here in our blogs and stories, we will give you a glimpse of our journey and help you plan your trip.
Read about our Uzbekistan blogs.
Read about our Kazakhstan blogs.
Read about our Singapore blogs.
Read about our Vietnam blogs.
Read about our Cambodia blogs.
Read about our Bali blogs.
Read about our Kuala Lumpur blog series.
Read about our Sri Lanka blogs.
Read about our Nepal blogs.
Read about our Char Dham blogs.
Read about our Ladakh blogs.
Read about our day trip to Hyderabad.
Read about our Madhya Pradesh blogs.
Do follow our Instagram handle @mindfulllofvacations and watch for the next destination story of Kerala. For any query related to any trip, drop a mail at @mitkau007@gmail.com.
by mitkau