At the base of Maenam Hill is Ravangla at an altitude 7000ft. a small township and transit point to various tourist destination in South and West Sikkim. It is also an upcoming tourist spot, and transit point for trekkers to Maenam Hill and Borong. One can get reasonable accommodation and enjoy numerous short nature trails. It is worth spending some time visiting the monastery and the park which has a 148ft. high statue of Lord Buddha(Sakya Muni). A trek down to the sacred cave Shar Chok Bhepu, one of the four holiest cave in Sikkim, would be memorable experience. Ravangla has many hotels providing reasonably good moderately price accommodation.
The quaint town Ravangla with its unique location amidst the hills of Tendong and Maenam has become the perfect destination for trekking expedition through the thick forest of the Oak, Pine, Rhododendron, Magnolia and fir trees in South Sikkim. Enclosed by lush tea gardens and thick forested area, Ravangla has become a favored tourist destination on the travelers list. Surrounding Lepcha and Bhutia villages of Yangang, Tinkitam, Kewzing, Barfung & Bakhim are ideal destination for sightseeing in Ravangla. Ravangla creates an ideal ambiance for hosting a large number of avifauna making it a paradise for bird watchers. Birds like verditer flycatchers, blue-fronted redstarts, grey bushchats, dark-throated thrush, blue whistling thrush, green-backed tit and white-browed fantails can be easily spotted while visiting the quaint town of Ravangla. The forests around Ravangla have other birds like laughing thrushes, babblers, cuckoos and hill partridges.
The rare satyr tragopan can also be spotted in Ravangla. Ravangla has many tourist interest points including some decades old monasteries making it a pilgrim centre for many devotes. Ralang monastery 6km from Ravangla built by the 12th Gyaltsab Rinpoche houses an extensive collection of painting and mural. It is also the host for the annual festival called Pang Lhabsol. Rayong sunrise point, 8km from Ravangla is the perfect spot to witness a breathtaking sunrise over the snow capped mountains of Himalayan range. Located at the foothills of Maenam in Ravangla is one the most iconic structure of Sikkim a 130 foot high statue of Sakyamuni Buddha. Tathagata Tsal also known as the Buddha Park is an eco-park created to promote Ravangla as a pilgrim centre in Sikkim. It is one of the faovered to places to visit in Ravangla. The site offers beautiful views of the mountains and the spiritual ambience of the location is an added charm to the visitor’s experience. Endowed with the abundance of Mother Nature and pictorial sites with the enthralling view of Himalayan Range, Ravangla with its unearthly beauty has bewitched the travelers from around the globe.
