Amidst the thickly dense forested area in West Sikkim, there lies a small yet mesmerising village called ‘Rinchenpong’ – popularly known as ‘Silent Valley’. Tucked in the lap of Himalayas, nowadays Rinchenpong has emerged as one of the most famous tourist destinations. Located at an altitude of 5576 ft from sea level, it offers the spectacular views of Mt. Kanchenjunga. The entire area is covered with lush green forests – natural habitat for birds and butterfly population. Once Tagore spent some of his lyrical days in a house here in Rinchenpong.

However, Rinchenpong has been famous in history for a very special reason. In 1860, the British Rulers of India sent an expeditionary force to Sikkim in a hope to conquer this beautiful State. The Lepchas, who were the then prime natives of Sikkim poisoned the water of a pond which was the main source of drinking water in that area by using some special herbs, thus killing almost half of the battalion. This act forced the army to reverse back. Since then, the pond is named as ‘Poison Pokhri (Lake)’.

Best time to visit : You can visit Rinchenpong any time of the year but the mighty Himalayas are best visible during the winter.