Situated at an altitude of 6000 ft Sillery Gaon is a picturesque village in Kalimpong district West Bengal. The village is located close to the Bengal Sikkim border with Sikkim in its North & East, and West Bengal in the South.
The entire area was once used for the Cinchona plantation by the British, the Cinchona plantation here was used to produce quinine, which used to be the medicine for Malaria. The main occupation of the villager here is agriculture but with changing times tourism is now playing a vital role in the village economy.
Surrounded by lush green dense forest & amazing view of Mt. Kanchenjunga Sillery Gaon provides an amazing ambience for the tourists. The rustic atmosphere & offbeat location provides enough reasons for tourists to visit this place & have a peaceful holiday. Sillery Gaon is just around 23 Km from Kalimpong Town & is well connected to Silk Route. People visiting Silk Route also stay in Sillery Gaon. Most of the accommodations available here are basic homestays with clean infrastructure, by staying with the local people tourists get to know the culture & foods & history of the place.
Getting There
By Road people can hire a private car from Siliguri, it takes around 3 Hours 22 Minutes which is around 89 Km. The on-road journey provides an amazing view of hills, forests, and rivers all at the same time.
NJP is the nearest station, to reach Sillery Gaon from the station it takes about 4 hours to cover the 95 Km distance.
Bagdogra Airport is the only nearest airport & it takes around 100 Km i.e 3 Hours & 41 Minutes to reach Sillery Gaon.
To See
• Ramitey ViewPoint:- One of the major sightseeing points near Sillery Gaon is this viewpoint. It's easily accessible by car or by little trekking. Surrounded by snow-peaked mountains & a great view of Mt. Kanchenjunga. From this viewpoint, an amazing view of River Teesta can be seen.
• Pedong:- Pedong is just 9 Km away from Sillery Gaon, it's also a small village in the Kalimpong District. Peodong is a popular destination due to its offbeat scenic beauty.
• Damsang Fort:-The fort was built in 1690. It turned into all ruins with time, This place is also known as Damsang Gudi. It's also a popular sightseeing point.
• Silent Valley:- This place is just 3-4 Km away from the Sillery Gaon. Surrounded by the lush green pine forest this place is a spectacular view.
• Cross Hill:- Approximately 10 Km away from Sillery Gaon, Cross Hill is a great sunset point. A view of Mt. Kanchenjunga can also be visible.
A Day excursion to Kalimpong (23 Km) can be done from Sillery Gaon.
Hike to Icche Gaon
There is a short hike of about a couple of hours that will take you to Icche gaon from here. The two villages are physically quite close, though the motorable road goes in a very roundabout way and takes almost equal time.
The trek is through dense forests overlooking hills. This can be a good activity for anyone interested in soft adventure.
Nearby Places
Sillery Gaon is surrounded by various tourist places some of the famous tourist places are Kalimpong (23 Km), Zuluk (74 Km), Gangtok (75 Km), and Aritar (39 Km).
