[SVK Rider]

Wherever you go, go with all your heart... Confucius
Well this is a true line, if you don’t travel by your heart, you will never feel the thirst of exploring more.
Lava holds a very special place in my heart, and probably this is the 5th time I am visiting the place, and each and every time I visit I feel like staying here forever.
Lava have always welcomed me with different moods always.


Anyway let me come to the main travelogue, and this time me and my wife was planning to gift my mom & dad a surprise for their upcoming anniversary with a road trip. Since it’s the month of May, we didn’t wanted to visit any sea side in the peak summer. But we didn’t had lot of time to decide also since the moment we managed our leaves it was only 7 days left for the anniversary.
We tried to get some rooms in Darjeeling but dropped the idea as I didn’t get rooms in the location I wanted to. Suddenly I felt like taking them to lava if I get the rooms and it will be a wonderful experience. Upon looking into the bookings we found that only 3 rooms are available luckily.
So we started for the trip 2 days before the anniversary and 4 of us in our trusted Ford EcoSport a.k.a Romina in the evening. Till saktigargh it was pretty much uneventful drive, then we met Dbhpian Samba who was also on the way to Sikkim for his work. From Saktigargh two cars having fun through the route at night and man it was a drive to remember.

The morning stop after the night drive. Somewhere near Islampur.


However after this we had to part routes since our destinations are different from Siliguri and my parents needed to freshen up, so looked for a Dhaba/Food joint where we can have some morning tea also. Samba had work so they proceeded without delay.
We started towards Siliguri and probably after more than a decade my parents were travelling by road, so they were pretty much excited with the drive experience.

The tea Gardens of Bagdogra.


Whenever I visit these places my heart smiles

Yes we Live to Drive!


Soon after Siliguri we proceeded towards Sevoke and took the route via Damdim – Gorubathan- Lava. A mandatory snap in Sukna Wildlife Sanctuary. Probably I have a special affinity towards this forest. May be it was the first time when I came for the camping in my school days in this forest.


One of the most beautiful Railway Station North Bengal, Sevoke Rd. Station. My wife took the snap on the go.


We crossed the coronation bridge and immediately the route became scenic.


Fresh Morning Snap


Driving through the dooars towards Damdim, suddenly noticed this place and we stopped for some pictures there. My mom and wife were super happy with the location and on their demand got some nice photo sessions.




Truly it’s a magical place, makes everyone so happy.


Not every day you get to see this when you’re staying in a Metro City, feels like the scene from the Movies. (Though I am too bad at taking photographs)


The lush greenery, what a therapy for the eyes.


Our Trusted Partner, in the tea garden near Gorubathan.


Some Posing before we start climbing the hills.


The condition of the Gorubathan – Lava route was okay in 2019, the road is under construction with more to be done towards Lava.

The first glimpse of the Hills, while climbing through the tea estates.


And soon we were greeted by the mist and drizzle, what a sight it was.


Going through the mists.


After the fantastic drive eventually we reached our destination Lava. We had booking in WBFDC Lava which I feel is one of the best place if you are planning to stay in Lava.

The first view of WBFDC Lava


We stayed in Dhupka and Hill Mayna


It was already late afternoon and we were hungry. Had awesome lunch and the rest of the day was spent by relaxing in the lap of nature!
The next morning we went for the monastery and local market visits trying some local momos.
Unfortunately I don’t have snaps from the monastery taken in this trip, however for reference i have some old pictures also.


After the visit, we went for a walk in between the forests and light trek to the surrounding, man it was awesome. The beauty of the place, the calmness and the entire environment always makes me happy whenever I visit Lava.

Here are some snaps for the reference.


Mists of Lava


One of my favourite snap of my parents


Off-road, but this time walking it.


Some feelings can’t be described, it needs to be felt.


Roads that call for the walk.


Resting between treks, though we thought about trekking till Rishop, but somehow let go the plan for this time, as mom won’t be able to take it.


The magical forests of Lava

[SVK Rider]

My trusted EcoSport a.k.a Romina in the mists of Lava


The day ended with full time gossip and chatting and a rainy walk in the evening.
The next morning we were mainly visiting and exploring the local markets and just relaxing and doing nothing.


Some nature shots, though all are taken by smartphone only,




The rooms for the day


The next day it was our returning day, we started from WBFDC Lava around 9.30 am after having the breakfast. And with a promise to return again we started our downhill descend.

Some snaps on the way


Once more in the tea gardens of Gorubathan.


My Trusted one


After this not much of events on the road. From Damdim to Bagdogra via Fulbari was excellent and we drove along the way.
Reached home in Kolkata around 12.30 and man was damn tired.
The rest of the drive was pretty much uneventful.
Mom wanted to have some fresh mangoes from the trees itself while passing through Malda, and bought some back home.


With the promise to go back again ending my travelogue here.
Parting snap

[BlackPearl]

Beautiful pictures and crisp travelogue! Lava is truly a lovely place. What was the feedback from the backseat passengers regarding the ride comfort in the Ecosport? I don’t have much experience with the Ecosport and have heard that the ride quality is quite firm at the back and can become a bit of trouble on bad roads over a long distance.

[Fordlover88]

Lovely crisp travelogue and excellent pictures dada. Thanks a lot for sharing. It brought back memories of my North Bengal trip few years back. Sharing few pictures of the same.

[SVK Rider]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Beautiful pictures and crisp travelogue! Lava is truly a lovely place. What was the feedback from the backseat passengers regarding the ride comfort in the Ecosport? I don’t have much experience with the Ecosport and have heard that the ride quality is quite firm at the back and can become a bit of trouble on bad roads over a long distance.

thank you very much Dada.
Yes the ride quality is on the firmer side, but in this trip I had no complains about tiredness. however from my Uttrakhand trip on bad roads I had some complains. But they are not that troublesome. At-least I didn't got much of complain from my past trips.

[Travelmania]

Cute Travelogue. Fresh and fast. An ideal approach to gift an anniversary to Parents. Your photos uncover the quietness of the place and remind me of our visit to Rishyap and Kolakham this year. Your travelogue gave a fresh feeling in this challenging situation of our battle with Covid-19.
Sharing two snaps of mine from Gorubathan

[Samba]

Excellent travelogue. The pics are superb. Rated 5*.
Now visiting these places are like daydreaming. All thanks to Covid-19. Hope this crisis gets over quickly and we can be back in the laps of Himalaya very soon.

Originally Posted by SVK Rider

Till saktigargh it was pretty much uneventful drive, then we met Dbhpian Samba who was also on the way to Sikkim for his work. From Saktigargh two cars having fun through the route at night and man it was a drive to remember.

That was a fun drive. If two 1.5L, 100+ Bhp cars do not have fun together, Team-Bhp wont be the right place for us!

Originally Posted by SVK Rider

Samba had work so they proceeded without delay.

'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy' & Samba don't want to be Jack! So amidst of all the work, we had some fun and play on the way to Gangtok!

[SVK Rider]

Originally Posted by Fordlover88

Lovely crisp travelogue and excellent pictures dada. Thanks a lot for sharing. It brought back memories of my North Bengal trip few years back. Sharing few pictures of the same.

Thank you for the appreciation. eagerly waiting to get back to hills.

Originally Posted by Travelmania

Cute Travelogue. Fresh and fast. An ideal approach to gift an anniversary to Parents. Your photos uncover the quietness of the place and remind me of our visit to Rishyap and Kolakham this year. Your travelogue gave a fresh feeling in this challenging situation of our battle with Covid-19.
Sharing two snaps of mine from Gorubathan
Attachment 2032971

Attachment 2032972

Thank you very much dada. seriously missing the days of freshness. Hopefully this will end soon.

Originally Posted by Samba

Excellent travelogue. The pics are superb. Rated 5*.
Now visiting these places are like daydreaming. All thanks to Covid-19. Hope this crisis gets over quickly and we can be back in the laps of Himalaya very soon.



That was a fun drive. If two 1.5L, 100+ Bhp cars do not have fun together, Team-Bhp wont be the right place for us!

Indeed !

Originally Posted by [I

'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy'[/i] & Samba don't want to be Jack! So amidst of all the work, we had some fun and play on the way to Gangtok!

Attachment 2032991

Wow. That's awesome fun in the river.

[Sounak04]

I have to say that is an amazing travelogue. The place looks so stunning.
I'm a bit curious. Is this place still untouched by tourists? I'm originally from kolkata but from last 12 years i have been settled in Mumbai and rarely visit Kolkata. Maybe that is the reason that i have not heard much about this place.
I have to say Lava is added to my bucket list and probably i visit it soon. How far is it from Kolkata by road?
Once again, an amazing write up and good photos.

[Heart_Revs]

That's a wonderful travelogue. I have been to Lava and Lolegaon in 2018 and the trips were nothing short of wonderful. The road conditions were extremely bad at that time and we often felt that he nuts of my vehicle would separate from the bolts. However, I thinks that the untarnished natural views are well worth it.
During my stay at Alipurduar, I made several such memories . Posting a snap of myself in the bed of Jayanti River.

[Samfromindia]

Lava is one of my most favorite places in North Bengal. Last time i could cover Lava & Rishyap only & skipped Loleygaon. Your travelogue brought back fond memories of the trip

[SVK Rider]

Originally Posted by Sounak04

I have to say that is an amazing travelogue. The place looks so stunning.
I'm a bit curious. Is this place still untouched by tourists? I'm originally from kolkata but from last 12 years i have been settled in Mumbai and rarely visit Kolkata. Maybe that is the reason that i have not heard much about this place.
I have to say Lava is added to my bucket list and probably i visit it soon. How far is it from Kolkata by road?
Once again, an amazing write up and good photos.

Thanks a lot for the complement.
Presently due to the Pandemic situation maximum of the places are lonely now. however this place is to some extent less crowded by tourists till date.

Lava is around 680 kms from my place in Kolkata, if you're taking the route through Burdwan-Moregram-Raigaunge-Botolbari-Siliguri route.

Originally Posted by Heart_Revs

That's a wonderful travelogue. I have been to Lava and Lolegaon in 2018 and the trips were nothing short of wonderful. The road conditions were extremely bad at that time and we often felt that he nuts of my vehicle would separate from the bolts. However, I thinks that the untarnished natural views are well worth it.
During my stay at Alipurduar, I made several such memories . Posting a snap of myself in the bed of Jayanti River.

Awesome snap. Thanks a lot for sharing.

Originally Posted by Samfromindia

Lava is one of my most favorite places in North Bengal. Last time i could cover Lava & Rishyap only & skipped Loleygaon. Your travelogue brought back fond memories of the trip


Attachment 2034722

Yes indeed. I am in Love with Lava long back. probably after the Coronavirus thing first place in the hillls will be again Lava with my Daughter this time.

[ABHI_1512]

Wonderfully and crisply written travelogue of a place which holds a special place in my heart. That side of Bengal is still untouched in terms of usual tourists though things have changed over the years. I hope we all can hit the high roads sooner. Kalimpong is the last place I visited just before the pandemic and I got a beautiful snapshot from Lava. Sharing it here, I am sure you won’t mind.

Regards.

[SVK Rider]

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

Wonderfully and crisply written travelogue of a place which holds a special place in my heart. That side of Bengal is still untouched in terms of usual tourists though things have changed over the years. I hope we all can hit the high roads sooner. Kalimpong is the last place I visited just before the pandemic and I got a beautiful snapshot from Lava. Sharing it here, I am sure you won’t mind.

Regards.

Attachment 2034923

Yes indeed!
Hopefully this ends soon and we get to ride/drive once again.
the picture is breathtaking
wish i could get back there and have nested there through this pandemic.

[sayakc]

Great travelogue SVK Rider. Rated 5 stars.

Lava hold a special place in most of Bengalis' heart. Three years back we had stayed at place Samabeyong Tea Garden . Lava is around 20 mins by car from that place. Old styled tea bungalow with a crackling fire place and great food. They even arranged for a picnic by the river side and it was a great time which we shared. Your travelogue brought back those memories.

You mentioned that you had travelled in May - so was it May 2020?

If yes, did you require any vehicle passes while entering/exiting districts? What precautions did you take? Did you have any contigency plan, if there was sudden lockdown enforced again etc.?

Best Regards,
Sayak

Originally Posted by SVK Rider

Attachment 2032856
Lava holds a very special place in my heart, and probably this is the 5th time I am visiting the place, and each and every time I visit I feel like staying here forever.
Lava have always welcomed me with different moods always.