culture · Rhenock, Gangtok
Drive the old trade road from Kalimpong via Pedong
From Kalimpong the road runs east along the ridge through Algarah to Pedong, about 20 km away at around 1,240 m. This was the line of the trade route to Lhasa via Jelep La, and Pedong was an important stop on it. Just outside town are the ruins of Damsang fort, built by Lepchas in 1690 and at the centre of a long feud with Bhutan, later held against the British. Only low walls remain, but the hilltop setting explains why it was built there.
In Pedong itself, Cross Hill carries a cross raised in 1882 by Father Augustine Desgodins in memory of missionaries who died trying to reach Tibet. Pedong also has Sangchen Dorjee monastery, founded in the early 1700s. From Pedong the road drops and crosses into Sikkim near Reshi, then climbs to Rhenock. With stops, the drive from Kalimpong takes three to four hours rather than the two it needs without them.
This is also the road drivers use when NH10 along the Teesta is cut, so it is worth knowing even if history is not your thing. Take a reserved car for the stops, roughly ₹3,000–4,500 from Kalimpong to Rhenock, indicative 2026, or a shared jeep if you only want the ride. Carry ID for the state border check. Check current status before you travel, as the road sees monsoon slides.
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Questions people ask
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How far is Rhenock from Kalimpong
Rhenock is about 47 km from Kalimpong by road via Algarah and Pedong, usually around 2 hours without stops. Shared jeeps run between the two, mostly in the morning, at about ₹120–200 a seat; a reserved small car costs roughly ₹3,000–4,500, indicative 2026. Allow longer in the monsoon and check current status before you travel.
What can we see at Pedong on the way to Rhenock
Pedong has the ruins of Damsang fort, built by Lepchas in 1690, Cross Hill with a cross raised in 1882 by Father Augustine Desgodins in memory of missionaries bound for Tibet, and Sangchen Dorjee monastery, founded in the early 1700s. All three sit close to the main road and fit into a half-day drive from Kalimpong to Rhenock.
Was this road part of the Silk Route
Yes, in the sense travellers use the term today. The trade route from Kalimpong to Lhasa ran through Pedong, Rhenock and Rongli, then up past Zuluk and Nathang to Jelep La and the Chumbi Valley. Wool and furs came down, manufactured goods went up. Trade ended after 1959 and the 1962 war, when Jelep La was closed.
