Nature Walks: Gairibas, Dalgaon, and Rongo

Several shorter, largely flat or gently climbing nature walks radiate from Paren and Jhalong into the surrounding hillsides. The most popular destinations are Gairibas, Dalgaon and Rongo, three small villages connected by forest paths and dirt roads.
Rongo, situated approximately 10km by road from Jhalong, is known as the center of the historic Cinchona plantation. This plantation was a crucial supplier of quinine to the British colonial government and continues its legacy today by producing medicinal plants for India's pharmaceutical sector. The plantation’s long rows of Cinchona trees (with their distinctive aromatic bark) are a botanical curiosity, and the views from the Rongo viewpoint over the Jaldhaka valley are among the best in the region. A small monastery (1.5km from the market) and a hidden waterfall known only to locals round out the Rongo experience.
Gairibas is about 2km from Jhalong on the road to Bindu and offers the first clear views down into the Jaldhaka gorge. The Dioscorea Plantation at Gairibas, a stretch of medicinal yam cultivation maintained by the Forest Department, is an unusual and educational stop. Dalgaon, slightly further, has a popular viewpoint with a small, manicured garden and a circular watchtower.
All three can be reached by road as well as on foot. The Jaldhaka Valley is best experienced on foot. Walking allows travellers to appreciate the slower pace, ideal for birdwatching and enjoying the defining chance encounters: a family of deer crossing the path at dawn, a hornbill flying overhead, or the aroma of fresh cardamom drying on a homestead's veranda.