Eastern India
PaliGhar
PaliGhar is a charming countryside farm stay located about a 30-minute drive from Kalimpong, offering guests an authentic experience of Nepali culture, heritage, and cuisine. The property features two cottages designed in traditional architectural styles, using locally sourced materials and hand-made mud bricks crafted by local tradespeople. Guests can enjoy the serene environment, with stunning views of the surrounding hills and valleys, while indulging in organic produce from the hotel’s kitchen garden and farm.
The farm-stay provides a unique opportunity for guests to immerse themselves in rural life, with activities such as guided walks through agricultural lands, visits to nearby villages, and interactions with the local community. The rooms are designed to offer comfort without compromising on the rustic charm, featuring large French windows that allow natural light to flood in and provide picturesque views. PaliGhar also emphasizes sustainability, with eco-friendly construction methods and a focus on organic farming.
Local Wildlife
Most of the wildlife is concentrated around Lava Forest and Neora Valley National Park (Both just to the east of PaliGhar). Mammals present in these areas include: Clouded leopard, red panda, musk deer, five species of civet, leopard, Himalayan black bear, sloth bear, golden cat, wild boar, leopard cat, goral, serow, barking deer, sambar, Himalayan flying squirrel, thar.
Bird highlights include: Rufous-throated Partridge, satyr tragopan, crimson-breasted woodpecker, Darjeeling woodpecker, bay woodpecker, golden-throated barbet, Hodgson's hawk cuckoo, lesser cuckoo, brown wood owl, ashy wood pigeon, mountain imperial pigeon, Jerdon's baza, black eagle, mountain hawk eagle, dark-throated thrush, rufous-gorgeted flycatcher, white-gorgeted flycatcher, white-browed bush robin, white-tailed robin, yellow-browed tit, striated bulbul, chestnut-headed tesia, chestnut-crowned warbler, black-faced warbler, black-faced laughingthrush, chestnut-crowned laughingthrush, streak-breasted scimitar babbler, scaly-breasted wren babbler, pygmy wren babbler, rufous-fronted babbler, black-headed shrike babbler, white-browed shrike babbler, rusty-fronted barwing, rufous-winged fulvetta, brown parrotbill, fire-breasted flowerpecker, fire-tailed sunbird, maroon-backed accentor, dark-breasted rosefinch, red-headed bullfinch, gold-naped finch.
Other wildlife highlights: King cobra, common cobra krait, green pit viper, blind snake and various lizard species. Insects include butterflies, moths, beetles, bees, wasps and cicadas.
Jonathan Morris
Area Specialist
If you have any questions regarding our India tours, please feel free to contact me on +44 (0)1803 866965
This was a special holiday to celebrate our retirement and it lived up to our hopes and expectations. Given that we booked this holiday as we hadn’t seen Tigers in Ranthambore, having 5 Tiger sightings on this holiday was brilliant. Loved the Sloth Bears in Taduba and Satpura and a Leopard at Satpura at the eleventh hour. Also saw some unusual species like Giant Squirrels and the Wild Spotted cat. We saw a huge variety of birds but mammals are particularly special for us.