General Information About Srikhola
Srikhola (also known as Sirikhola) is a small scenic village located about 87 Km from Darjeeling town. It takes about 4-5 hours tiring journey from Darjeeling. Srikhola is amidst Magnolia, Chestnuts, Oaks, Birches, Pines and Rhododendrons is Srikhola or Sirikhola.
Srikhola is situated on the foothills of Singalila National Park beside Srikhola River. Srikhola is a sleepy village on the trek route from Manebhanjan to Sandakphu via Gurdum and Manebhanjan to Phalut via Gorkey and Rammam, you can also come here by road from Darjeeling or NJP/Siliguri.
It is, in fact, the last and the farthest polling station of the Darjeeling constituency. The nearest town is Rimbik, which is 8 Kms from the place, Rimbik itself is a least populated, small town with few shops and some houses, but most of the surrounding villages depend on this little town for their household commodities.
Enjoy the river with your beloved ones or alone to find yourself amidst nature. Visit the hanging wooden bridge of Srikhola. Enjoy the mesmerising landscape or else spent time engaging yourself in fishing Trouts. You may also get engaged in the process of spotting birds like sparrows or blue magpie. Visit the village's monastery and temple. Since this place located at the periphery of Singalila national park if you are enough lucky, you can spot Red Panda while taking a trail through the virid forest. Take a walk amidst Oaks, Birches and Pines filling your ears with the natural tune of birds to get freshen up.
Best Time To Visit Srikhola
April to May and October to November are the best times to visit Srikhola with little or no rainfall, relatively mild temperature and clear sky. In the winter month of December and January, the temperature drops down to minus degrees.
Srikhola falls on the famous Sandakphu, Phalut trek route, from Sandakphu it is 16 Kms steep downhill trail through the dense forest, and the only village on the way, likely to serve refreshment is a small place called Gurdum. Srikhola from Phalut is about 30 km through the thick forest of rhododendron and magnolia, it passes through the scenic villages of Gorkhey and Rammam.
Srikhola is preferred by most of the trekkers as a place for relaxation after trekking to Sandakphu and Phalut, it is an ideal location for spending some time and explore the beauty of this place. It is a thrill to plunge into the icy cold water of the Srikhola river or even try out fishing, there are trout as well as other fishes in the river. If time permits it is worth visiting jarayo lake, which is regarded as a sacred lake by the locals.
Srikhola is also a paradise for the wildlife enthusiasts, it is located in the foothills of the Singalila National Park which houses animals like red panda, Himalayan black bear, palm civet and barking deer. It is also a perfect destination for bird watching.
You can take a vehicle from NJP, Siliguri, Bagdogra or Darjeeling and reach via Manebhanjan, Dhotrey and Rimbik. Sometimes reserved taxis may not go all the way up to Srikhola. In that case, change to another one at Manebhanjan.
Alternatively, you can take a shared jeep from Siliguri at 'Darjeeling More' (leaves at around 1 pm). Shared jeeps are also available from Darjeeling (6am-7am, 11am-2pm). Note that shared jeeps from Siliguri usually go up to Rimbik, but if you pay a bit extra, they will drop you up at Srikhola. However, from Darjeeling, the shared jeeps always go up to Srikhola as their scheduled destination.
Siliguri/NJP to Manebhanjan route takes over 4 hours and goes via Mirik, while Darjeeling to Manebhanjan takes about 1.5 hours by car. From Manbhanjan, Srikhola is another 3.5 hours by car.
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