Lava: Lava is located under the Kalimpong district and at an altitude of 7,200 Ft. from the sea level. It is a beautiful hamlet and full of pine forest covers. It is only 30 kms from Kalimpong and a traveler’s paradise. One can go for a birdwatching walk, village walk and also can experience the living Buddhism here. There is an old beautiful Buddhist monastery and it is under the upper Neora Valley National Park. The vegetation of this area is full of tropical deciduous and wet alpine trees especially pine, oak, birch, and tree ferns. It is an ideal place for bird watchers because of the availability of many bird species like Ashy Wood Pigeon, Yellow-throated Fulvetta, Red-faced Liocichla, etc. From Lava one can visit Rishop by a soft trek and it’s only 4 kms from Lava. The spectacular view of Mt. Kanchenjunga is a lifetime experience from Lava and apart from that, there is a Nature Interpretation Center of the forest department which is a very important sightseeing place. One can get various information about the flora and fauna of Neora Valley National Park which is a lesser-known tourism destination. From Lava one can visit Changey waterfalls which is only 12 kms from Lava and a beautiful site of Eastern Himalaya. While traveling to Changey waterfalls there is a beautiful mountain village called Kolakham. This is a beautiful stopover point and you can enjoy the view of Mt. Kanchenjunga from this village.
