Suntalekhola


Suntalekhola or Suntaley Khola is a village and a tourist spot in the Gorubathan CD block in the Kalimpong Sadar subdivision of Kalimpong District in the state of West Bengal, India.

Etymology

In Nepali language, Suntaley means orange and khola means stream.

Geography

Location

Suntalekhola is located at.

Area overview

The map alongside shows the Kalimpong Sadar subdivision of Kalimpong district. Physiographically, this area forms the Kalimpong Range, with the average elevation varying from. This region is characterized by abruptly rising hills and numerous small streams.It is a predominantly rural area with 77.67% of the population living in rural areas and only 22.23% living in the urban areas. While Kalimpong is the only municipality, Dungra is the sole census town in the entire area. The economy is agro-based and there are 6 tea gardens in the Gorubathan CD block.In 2011, Kalimpong subdivision had a literacy rate of 81.85%, comparable with the highest levels of literacy in the districts of the state.While the first degree college in the subdivision was established at Kalimpong in 1962the entire subdivision, other than the head-quarters, had to wait till as late as 2015 to have their first degree colleges at Pedong and Gorubathan.
Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.

The place

The altitude of the place ranges from 650 to 950 m. It gets its name from a small stream: Suntaley Khola. This place is nearly 5 km from Samsing, which is also a small picturesque serene village. The green patch on the left side of the way to Suntalekhola is amazing and holds many varieties of birds and butterflies.
Species of birds are found here include: pond heron, black eagle, hill partridge, red-vented bulbul, ashy wood pigeon, bronzed drongo, white-throated fantail, blue rock thrush, scarlet minivet, lesser racket-tailed drongo, rufous sibia, grey treepie, spangled drongo and common green magpie. Many locals are involved in tourism-related business.

Tourism

There are WBFDC cottages for the tourists to reside. Several trek routes originate from Suntalekhola, most of which are within the Neora Valley National Park, which is located adjacent to this place. It is known for its beautiful landscape with green tea gardens, hills and forests, which attract a lot of tourists.
There is an attractive hanging bridge over the Murti river that provides access to the lodges or cottages of the Forest Department.