A four hour drive from Pelling in west Sikkim takes you to the picturesque village of Soreng. Surrounded by lush green hills, Soreng is located amidst scenic splendour. The area is famous for the wide variety of flowers and birds available here. A trip to Jhandi Danra, Chuli Dara and Mahabhir Dara is highly recommended for nature lovers.
Soreng is one of the three gateways to the Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary. Sandwiched between the Singalila National Park in the south and Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve in the north, this small 104-sq-km sanctuary is at an altitude of 10,000 ft and supports a wide variety of bio-diversity. But the main attraction of the sanctuary is the rhododendron which blooms in April-May.
A traveller from Kolkata Animesh Ray says, 'Soreng is a small sleepy town in the foothills of the Himalaya in West Sikkim. It has no particular claim to fame, but the thing with quaint hill towns is that they don't need one. The beauty of the Himalayas, the pureness of the air, and the laid back lifestyle is enough to warrant attention. Big city folk can just stand by the side of the road and get lost in the vista all around them. It's not a place on the tourist on the tourist map of Sikkim, yet it's charms are more than a few. It is close to Pelling which is a very popular tourist spot in Sikkim. Agriculture and the government are the major sources of employment.'
Soreng is about 45 kilometres by road from Darjeeling and 104 kilometres from the capital Gangtok. From Siliguri/New Jalpaiguri one can reach Soreng in a shared taxi. You might have to change cars at Jorethang. The whole journey of around 110 kms takes around 4-5 hours. Sundays can be a little slow due to less availability of the shared taxis.
Call us for Soreng Tour and we will assist you with best of our services
Soreng at West Sikkim
Besutiful Flower at Soreng, West Sikkim
Soreng at Sikkim
Foreigners must obtain Inner Line Permit (ILP) to visit Sikkim. These can be obtained from all Indian Missions, Sikkim Tourism Offices at New Delhi, Kolkata, District Magistrates Office of Darjeeling, Siliguri, and Rangpo on the strength of an Indian Visa. The 30 days duration Permit is issued on the spot without any delay provided photocopies of the passport and visa along with two pass port photos of the applicants are made available. The permissible duration of the stay for foreign tourists is 30 days initially.
The State Government is authorized to extend the same by a further period of 30 days. The extension of the permit can be obtained from FRO at Gangtok and office of Superintendent of Police of the North, West and South Districts.
For those interested in going for trekking in the interior region of the state, the Tourism and Civil Aviation issues Protected Area Permit (PAP) at Gangtok which is available for certain specified area for groups consisting of two or more foreigners subject to condition that the trekking programme is arranged through a registered travel agency.