Singalila National Park

Singalila National Park is a high-altitude protected area on the Singalila Ridge in Darjeeling district, West Bengal, bordering Sikkim and Nepal. Established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1986 and declared a national park in 1992, it covers about 78.6 sq km between 2,100 and 3,636 metres. Notable for its rhododendron forests, red panda habitat, and panoramic views of Kanchenjunga and Everest along the Sandakphu-Phalut trekking route.

Visitors enter via Manebhanjan and explore a high Himalayan landscape of dense oak, magnolia and rhododendron forests along the Singalila Ridge. The park is traversed by the Sandakphu-Phalut trekking trail with viewpoints for Kanchenjunga, Everest, Lhotse and Makalu. Visitors can see alpine flora, birds and mammals including red panda and Himalayan black bear, stay in forest rest houses and trekker's huts at Tonglu, Sandakphu and Phalut, and experience guided trekking and jeep safaris on the ridge route.

The area was notified as Singalila Wildlife Sanctuary in 1986 and upgraded to Singalila National Park in 1992. Covering 78.6 sq km on the Singalila Ridge, it was established to protect the eastern Himalayan ecosystem, including temperate and alpine forests and endangered species such as the red panda.

The park lies along the historic Singalila Ridge trekking route on the India-Nepal border, used by local Sherpa, Rai and Tibetan communities. The trail connects villages such as Tonglu, Tumling and Sandakphu and is culturally significant for mountain trekking traditions and seasonal pastoral use.