What can Pedong offer You

Pedong is a great place for those who like slow travel and a relaxed vibe in a place according to us.

The entire region out here is surrounded by forests with some very unique hidden sights and scenes. And exploration through Hiking & Biking is something that we really promote.

You will have plenty of opportunity to explore single day hikes for a couple of days and with biking all of this is made even more accessible.

Most of the routes can easily be done by self and safety is of no issue at all out here.

If I am available, I can take you there myself.

The things and places that we showcase to all travellers are usually not in the regular list of places of Pedong like what the driver union or hotel association would promote as a list of sightseeing places. What we have done is curated our own list of places & spaces which will help one to truly experience the region. In the same, there are some places that everyone knows but also special spaces which only the locals know & go.

Here are a few places, some of which are out of range for regular tourists.

The pipeline Short Hike

This short beautiful walk/hike starts from a location just below Algarah at 18th Mile about 5kms from the retreat. The land mark for starting the same is a cafe by the name of Thansing Cafe. Its a cafe that serves bhutanese cuisine. Just beside the cafe if you ask them, there is a water pipeline supply that goes towards kalimpong. Since pipelines go through some quite areas, this walk lets you see some of the most beautiful sights of the surrounding mountains and the valleys down below. One thing to note though is that there is an army camp below Enroute. Just make sure you are not taking any pictures of the same of in their line of sight. This is relatively a straight walk with no inclines or declines giving you some awesome views and hiking along some rock face.

Upto the cafe is is the main road and can be accessed by a car or bike.

The Sunset ViewPoint Hike Sample DARA( Short)

There is a place called Sample Dara on top of Algarah Bazaar 3kms from the retreat. Very accessible. Once you reach the starting point, there is a little gate types and a way that is cemented pathway which has a steep incline in the beginning. You are take this route and keep walking. You may reach the top where the cemented pathway ends but you can keep walking and you will come across a second gate, cross this gate as well and go further and you will be rewarded more. This is an amazing location for sunsets and on a clear day you can see all the mountains and valleys down below snaking their way down.

The Magical Pine Forest

This location is kinda just beside the Sample dara location. It is just above the Forest Dept office at Algarah Bazaar. It is one of the most serene spots to simply sit and chill among the pine trees. That is why we call it the magical Pine forest. It is truly magical. Usually only locals come here. There is also a forest route just above it that you can hike along. If you take the hiking route to walk along the forest route, almost an hour of walking time can be spent to & fro.

The Tinchuley Cliff

This one would require you to have a guide and like I said before, if available, I can take you there myself. This hike takes you to one of the most amazing spots, a cliff that oversees everything below at the end of it. On a clear day the majestic Mt. Kanchenjunga is on full view. Also this is one of the best places for both sunrise and sunsets. This hike can be accessed in two ways. First directly starting the hike from the retreat. The walking time taken to & for for the same would be 2 hrs minimum all through the forest area. (Walking time excludes any rests or leisure time). Second you can drive or ride to its nearest starting location and then start the hike from there. This will cut the walking time by half.

The Damsang Gadi (fort)

The Damsang hike is the more complicated one. Although a route may be relatively simple but this place has multiple routes starting at various places and ending at the other or vice versa. And sometimes it is a combination of a few to get the maximum out of it. Mostly all of it is through the forest and it usually takes at least half a day or a full day of a hike. A guide would be the best to showcase the same. The Damsang Gadi (fort) has old ruins of a kingdom long gone of the region.

It can be accessed to the nearest point by a vehicle through the forest road, it should be a bigger vehicle that can off road or an off road bike.

Silence Valley

This is a beautiful pasture land in the middle of the jungle surrounded by a pine forest. The beauty and its pasture land dynamics varies according to seasons. Best times are from December to May. There is the road to Sillery Goan which reaches you right at the starting or entrance to this place. You walk down through the pine tree with its roots almost working like a staircase to this place. One can also hike upto to this place from the retreat using a different more vertical route which goes through the village first and then through the forest. Walking time is about 40 mins from the retreat gate.

Sillery Gaon

Sillery Goan is a very popular destinations for tourist in the middle of the Jungle. It used to be a small beautiful hamlet right in the middle of the forest with only a few years ago. But it has now transformed into a more touristy spot with the entire village having homestay in every household along with much larger buildings now. There is now a road upto Sillery Goan and one can reach there in about 20-25mins on a bike or car. There entire route is through the forest.

Ramitey Dara

Ramitey Dara gives you one of the longest views of rivers Teesta, approximately 14 turns along with Mt. Kanchanjunga on a clear day. This makes it one the most popular viewpoints out here.

It is located a little further away from Sillery gaon. One has to reach Sillery Goan first and hike from there through the forest road. Bikes can reach right upto the place, however the route after Sillery is off-road. One can also hike upto the place. It would take your entire day or 3/4th of the day at least. Walking time is 2 - 2.5 hrs upto the play, one way.

Cross Hill

This is a cross that was erected on a hill in the year 1882 by a certain French missionary by the name of Fr. Augustine Desgodins. Pedong was the centre of the South Tibet Mission, a mission wherein the Roman Catholic Missions attempted to enter Tibet through the south starting in the late 1800s . Although the mission was a failure, this was erected by Fr. Desgodins in memory of all the missionaries lost in Tibet. The cross faces Tibet directly from here and the story goes that it was erected as such for anyone to see from tibet to find their way home upon seeing it. The location offers beautiful views of the surrounding region along with Mt. Kanchenjunga at one end. There is also a beautiful cafe called Hebrew cafe just below it offering beautiful views of the sunset along with some good coffee and some great Jhol momo.

This place is 4.5 kms from the retreat.

Rikkisum

A beautiful 360 degree viewpoint on the Lava Rd. About 7kms from the retreat. On reaching the entry rd enroute the Lava Rd you will have a bit of bit of off-road for about 5mins which reaches you to this location that gives you amazing views of the entire surrounding mountains & region.

Duka Waterfalls

There is this beautiful village called Duka and it has a waterfall that is flowing most of the year.

One can just enjoy the waterfall or also explore the village. It takes about 15mins to reach the same on a bike or car.

Cinchona Plantations Area

On the other side of the mountain of Pedong is the Cinchona Plantations. It can be accessed via a route following and going further down the crossbill route. As this route is not really traversed by tourists, it makes for one of the most beautiful places to explore on a bike or a scooty. It goes through villages and mountain sides and finally connects to the Munsoong Rd. There are some really nice sights & scenes on the route for one to enjoy or simply take the thrill of the ride.

The entire route is about 15-20 kms to and back or back the Munsoong Algarah Route.

Raniban Forest & Riverside

The Raniban forest area is right below by the riverside. The other side of the river is Sikkim, however this is not to be confused with Reshi. It is not the same location. The Raniban area can be biked or driven and offers river side locations with forests and peacocks and the likes. For locals this is mostly a picnic spot. It is about 14 kms from the retreat and if you follow the road right through, you will be connected to the Munsoong rd again.

Reshi River

Reshi river is a popular destination for most travelling this route. It features riverside retreats and restaurants. It is about 19kms from the retreat all through the main road and a lil off road at the end to enter Reshi river. You will have to check-in and cross into Sikkim for the last kilometre to reach reshi river.

Hiking or Biking is the way to go

In all the experiences that I have gained, there is one most important thing that I learnt and that is, experiencing a place in its actual reality.

Most of us usually have a route that we have charted out for our trip and most even have a fixed time limit on the same. There are actually very few real vagabonds out there.

So in following our fixed route, sometimes we miss out on some of the most awesome things which may have been right before us but we did not know or we were in a hurry due to time.

So, I would like to tell you, a motorcycle or hiking may be one of the best modes of exploration out here at Pedong. Every day you can wander off to some new place spend some time and come back. There is nothing like going to one of these routes finding a chill location and sitting back until it soothes your soul. Pack light - a backpack with water, some edibles like a sandwich and some fruits, maybe some music etc.

Of course, we we would be very happy to guide you with these type of routes. And if possible, I myself will take you to some of these awesome locations all free of any charge.

And for the motorcycle enthusiast, we do of course have bike dirt track as well at the retreat which is great fro the likes of Himalayan, Xpulse, KTM Adv, etc. all dual sport and off-road bikes or some big ADVs as well, depending upon your level of skill.

Village Walks

In our property, as you go past the tent area, you will find little arrows pointing towards areas for you to explore more. But as go below and a little further down, you will discover a a different scene altogether. There is an entire village for you to explore as you go further down. This area or said village cannot be seen from the Retreat. You have to cross our little forested area to explore this. Above pics shown are a actual depiction of the same. There are pathways throughout village areas wherein you can go and explore. But be wary of peoples privacy when doing so. Not that anyone would mind you exploring a village, just don't be too intrusive without permission. Having said that, this village exploration which is usually by self, is an absolute must. You can go as far as you want, exploring one village to the next, right to the end of the mountain. Mobile networks are available throughout.

The Retreat - How to really enjoy or take full benefit of Silk Route

This is an interesting way to put things and I feel it will really benefit you.

So, where do I start.. Yes we have an in-house restaurant which will serve you amazing woodfired pizzas and others and you can just chill in the various areas of the retreat.

The Retreat itself offers multiple quiet corners by a rock, under a tree in its private area outside the main immediate retreat area. This is due to the pretty large area that you will have access to and we have put little arrows to help you find your own little serene space. Along with or within this expanded area is also our private bike track that all in-house guests will have access to for free as of now. Motorcycle enthusiasts especially with bikes like Xpulse, Ktm Adv, Himalayan and the likes of the same will be able to take full advantage of the same. However, please note that his said private area and bike track is closed during the rainy months from July to October as it becomes extremely difficult for us to maintain the same during the monsoon months.

You can pack yourself a pizza or some food, get a few beers choose a nice spot in the expanded area and chill your heart out. We are thinking of starting little picnic basket especially for this particular activity.

And in all this, if you have any questions that may pop up in your mind regarding anything like exploring etc. you can call or WhatsApp me directly, Bidhan @ 9932828753

And of course, there are other things at Pedong for you to explore, like...

Hebrew Cafe - A cafe that serves good coffee and great Jhol momo located on one of the popular sightsee place called Cross-Hill with great sunsets to enjoy the same with.
Cafe Khangsing - A bhutanese cafe with one of our little hikes starting right beside it.
Unique Restaurant - Located at Pedong Bazaar for the best momo, chicken, pork, beef in town along with shafalays, a local meat filled delicacy.
Hotel Dendrobium 20th mile - For unique big rounded pork momo like the ones in Kung fu Panda. Absolutely delightful served with at least 2 types of chutney.
The Town Bakery & That Baker Girl - Local bakeries for all your sweet tooth cravings. Located at Pedong Bazaar giving you solace for all your baked goodies all locally made.

Local Donuts - Freshly made everyday local donuts, absolutely scrumptious. Located at Pedong Bazaar, just below That Baker Girl bakery.