Lava is a small hamlet situated 34 kilometres (21 mi) east of the town of Kalimpong via Algarah

Algarah

Algarah is a small town located at a distance of 15 km east of Kalimpong in Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India. It lies at an elevation of 1,780 m and has a population of about 3,000. Most of the town's residents are ethnic Gorkhas.-History:Algarah is famous for the remains of the...

 in Darjeeling district

Darjeeling district

Darjeeling District is the northernmost district of the state of West Bengal in eastern India in the foothills of the Himalayas. The district is famous for its beautiful hill stations and Darjeeling tea. Darjeeling is the district headquarters...

 of the state of West Bengal

West Bengal

West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. Lava is situated at an altitude of 7016 feet (2,138 m). It is one of the few places in West Bengal to receive snow in winter. It is the entry point to the Neora Valley National Park

Neora Valley National Park

Neora Valley National Park is situated in the Kalimpong subdivision under Darjeeling District, West Bengal, India and was established in 1986. It spreads over an area of 88 km² and is one of the richest biological zones in the entire Northeast...

 from Kalimpong. The route to Lava is scenic with the change in vegetation from tropical deciduous

Deciduous

Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...

 to the wet alpine

Alpine climate

Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....

 trees of fir

Fir

Firs are a genus of 48–55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range...

, pine

Pine

Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...

 and birch

Birch

Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...

. The idyllic verdant forests are an ideal spot for picnicking, trekking and bird-watching and other peripatetic activities. The road is untouched by modern life and its inhabitants are still living as they have for centuries.

Wild animals such as the Himalayan Black Bear and barking deer are found in profusion in these parts. A Buddhist monastery is present on one of the hills of Lava.