Singalila National Park reopened to visitors on Tuesday after its annual three-month monsoon closure, with guides and porters urging trekkers and tourists to avoid plastic and carry back all non-biodegradable waste from the high-altitude protected area in Darjeeling district.
More than 130 guides and porters serve visitors travelling through the park and towards Sandakphu, Bengal’s highest point. The reopening restores access to one of the region’s most popular trekking landscapes after the route was closed during the monsoon months.
Bikram Chhetri, president of the Society for Highlander Guides and Porters Welfare Association, said the reopening had renewed interest in trekking and exploring the mountain environment. He appealed to visitors to avoid unnecessary plastic use and carry reusable alternatives wherever possible.
“Visitors are therefore requested to avoid unnecessary use of plastic and carry reusable alternatives whenever possible. We have appealed to them not to throw bottles, food packets, wrappers or any other waste along the trekking routes and keep the area litter-free,” Chhetri said on Tuesday.
A major section of the trekking route passes through Singalila National Park, which extends along the high mountain ridges of Darjeeling district. The protected landscape reaches elevations of around 13,000 feet above sea level and attracts trekkers, nature lovers and birdwatchers from across India and abroad.
The park is known for its Himalayan landscape and biodiversity. It is home to species including the red panda, Himalayan black bear and leopard, along with a wide variety of birds, plants and other wildlife. Its seasonal closure during the monsoon is followed by reopening when weather conditions improve.
The appeal from local guides and porters links visitor behaviour directly to the functioning of the mountain tourism economy. The trekking route provides work for people who assist tourists travelling through the park and to Sandakphu, while the same route also passes through an ecosystem vulnerable to waste accumulation and disturbance.
A member of the association said Singalila was not merely a tourist destination but a living ecosystem supporting forests, wildlife, birds, plants and smaller organisms. The representative urged visitors to treat environmental protection as a collective responsibility and carry back all non-biodegradable waste generated during their journey.
The reopening therefore begins the new visitor season with a conservation request from the people who work along the route: reduce disposable plastic, do not leave bottles or food packaging on the trail, and take all non-biodegradable waste out of the protected mountain landscape.
