Darjeeling & Kalimpong trip – When we talk about North Bengal, Darjeeling and Kalimpong has to be the two most beautiful places to visit in this part of the country. With the yearend holiday and a stretch of 6 to 7 days in hand, we planned a 5 Nights 6 days trip to Darjeeling and Kalimpong district. Kalimpong was previously a division of the Darjeeling district itself but now it’s a separate district all together in the state of West Bengal It Kalimpong is located at around two and half hours drive from Darjeeling as well as from Siliguri. In this blog we will talk about how we planned this entire tour and our main intention was to roam around the places by foot and avoid the touristy places where most people will gather at this time of the year.
How we reached
This time around rather than going in Darjeeling Mail we boarded the Uttar Banga Express which was supposed to leave during the evening and reach New Jalpaiguri station the next day early morning. From the New Jalpaiguri station if you move a little ahead, you will get the auto stan. We took an auto from there which costed us around 20 rupees per head and we got down near Siliguri Junction. As we had ample amount of time in our hand, we thought of taking a shared cab directly to Darjeeling. You will also get shared cabs from NJP but their prices will be high compared to Siliguri Junction. The same shared cab which was asking around 500 rupees per person from NJP to Darjeeling, costed us around 250 rupees per person from Siliguri Junction. The shared cabs generally drops you near the main taxi stand or the local market in Darjeeling and from there you have to make your own arrangements to go to hotel or you can climb up towards Mall Road like we did because our Hotel was located near the Mall Road. Its a very steep and tough climb, not advisable for people with heavy luggage or for elderly people.
Tip: If you plan to travel any places in north Bengal and travel by shared cabs to places like Kalimpong, Manebhanjan, Ghoom, Sukhia Pokhri, Kurseong etc then Siliguri junction would be the best place to take the cabs rather than New Jalpaiguri station.
Weather
The weather in Darjeeling & Kalimpong can be unpredictable in the month of December as well. Just an example, the four days that we have stayed in Darjeeling we never got to see the view of the Kanchenjunga mountains. So it all depends on luck. The mornings are generally warm, so you can wear light woolen clothes while roaming around but it gets extremely cold after the sun sets with temperature dropping to three to four degrees at night. If you go in the beginning of January the temperature might drop below 0° as well, at certain days. One thing for sure you’ll get plenty of people in Darjeeling during this time of the year so for people who are seeking peace and tranquility and want to spend a nice vacation, December might not be the ideal time for them.
Accommodation – Darjeeling
This time around we booked a hotel named Golden Orchid which is located close to the Darjeeling Mall Road around 5 to 7 Minutes of walk. To mention specifically the support staff who were actually serving food and drinks were gem of a person. Also worth mentioning, their food is absolutely delicious and they have a separate bar as well. Do definitely try their Thukpa. We felt that the price of the room where quite on the higher side and costed us around Rs 2300 per night for only room with no view and no breakfast. However the room had geyser and they had heating Beds which was a necessity during the cold winter. And last but not least, also wanted to share with all of you that they only accept cash or online transfers or UPI payments because they don’t accept any payments by cards.
Darjeeling & Kalimpong trip – Day 1 – Darjeeling
By the time we reached our Darjeeling, it was already around afternoon so there were not much things to be done for the rest of the day as the sun sets around 4:30 – 5 pm during the winter. So we spent the rest of the day roaming around the mall Road and the local markets. During the evening, we planned to check out this place called Joey’s Pub. We have visited this place multiple times earlier but now the place has been renovated and the interior has been beautifully designed. On selected days there is a band performance as well and they play jazz music. The rest of the evening we spent at leisure.
Darjeeling & Kalimpong trip – Day 2 – Darjeeling
If you are visiting Darjeeling during the winter especially during the Christmas or the New Year time, be absolutely sure that you will face a lot of traffic jam and there will be dearth of cabs. So we planned this time a little differently. We wanted to go to places where there will be less crowd and we want to explore the market and the neighborhood by foot. If you hire a cab to go for sightseeing, then start very early around 8:00 or 9:00am because the traffic gets crazy after 11:00 am and if you get stuck, your entire day will be ruined sitting inside the car.
We started early and we planned to walk by foot to visit the zoo. The road which goes to the zoo is quite picturesque and calm and peaceful and it’s only around 15 to 20 minutes walk from the Mall Road. So you don’t need to hire a cab if you just want to plan to go to the zoo.
On the way there is little cafe called Hot Simulating Cafe and we thought of having our breakfast from here. We had their sausages, wai wai noodles and chicken momo. The food was absolutely delicious and you can have the breathtaking view of the mountains sitting on the rooftop of the cafe. The owner was very nice and helpful and he actually guided us how we can reach the zoo and which are the places we can walk around while returning from the zoo to explore the local neighborhood.
Although we started early and reached the zoo right around 10:00am but it was still quite crowded. The place is absolutely beautiful and is a must place to visit if you ever go to Darjeeling. The sight of the beautiful animals was absolutely wonderful and its considered one of the best zoo’s in the country
While returning we did not take any cab and roamed around the local villages and markets and explored the town itself. Darjeeling is also very famous for their local bakery, so do definitely try out the local cookies and cakes if you go near the Darjeeling local market. We planned to go to Happy Valley Tea estate from the zoo but later on changed our mind. So that is also a place you can definitely explore by foot after the zoo.
After exploring the local market and the neighborhood, we returned to the hotel to get freshen up to go out during the evening.
In the evening we went to this place to have a dinner called The Park which is just opposite to the State Bank of India. The food was absolutely delicious and their staff were very well mannered as well. If you are looking for authentic Chinese cuisine, do pay them a visit.
PS- Dont try their Chicken roast.
Darjeeling & Kalimpong trip – Day 3 – Darjeeling
We set out early morning on the third day as well.
As we could not find any place to eat in Keventers and Glenarys are due to excessive crowd, for breakfast we tried this small Cafe called Dekevus which is located just beside the Kunga restaurant. Their sandwiches and momos were absolutely delicious.
After having our breakfast we went to the taxi stand of Darjeeling to get a shared cab for Sukhia Pokhrey. We planned to do a day trip to Lepchajagat which is just around one and a half hours distance from the main Town itself. The per person cost for Sukhia Pakhri from Darjeeling is around 100 rupees however till lepchajagat it’s only around 70 rupees. Lepchajagat falls in the way to Sukhia Pakhri. So if you get a cab till Sukhia just get down near Lepchajagat. Don’t forget to inform the driver also before boarding.
Lepchajagat is located at around 18kms from the Darjeeling main city. The word Lepcha means tribal people of the Sikkimese origin and the word Jagat means the world. It is situated at around 6,956 Ft and you can get a beautiful view of mount Kanchenjunga range from here. It is a beautiful destination for family and bachelors if you love nature and just want to get away from this maddening crowd.
Lepchajagat is also quite famous for its beautiful birds and animals which carelessly roams around here and there and if you’re lucky you can also get a glimpse of few of them.
After reaching there, we roamed around this small Hamlet through the Pine Forest and beautiful roads and we witnessed the local neighborhood and culture and how they survive in this harsh weather during the winter. You can get to see a clear view of Mount Kanchejunga from here, but as it was foggy we did not get a good view of it. You can also plan to stay in Lepchajagat for a day or two as it has plenty of Home stays and we are sure you will absolutely love the warmth and the hospitality of the people in this part of the region.
As it was quite foggy and also was raining a little bit we planned to return back during the afternoon itself as we thought there might be dearth of cabs later on in this weather. So after clicking few pictures and having a sumptuous lunch in one of these homestays we planned to return back. We easily got a shared Taxi for Darjeeling while coming back as well.
We spent the rest of the day at leisure doing a little bit of shopping and eating here and there.
Darjeeling & Kalimpong trip – Day 4 – Darjeeling to Kalimpong
Kalimpong is a little sleepy Town located at altitude of 1200 m and a distance of round 51 km from Darjeeling. It takes around 2.5 hours crossing Tinchuley, Lamahatta on the way around. There are shared cab services from Darjeeling where you have to book your tickets from the Syndicate. You have to reach the Darjeeling bus stand to get a cab. The cost is around Rs 250 per person. But the biggest mistake we did, was reach the stand at around 11 am thinking we will get a cab easily and reach by noon. The cab came around 1:30 pm and we reached at around 5pm in the evening. So ideally our whole day had gone for a toss.
Important Note – If you ever plan to reach Kalimpong district from Darjeeling always start early at around 7 am. There is always shortage of cabs in this route and although it should ideally take 2.5 hours, keep a minimum of 4-5 hours as a buffer because not only there are shortage of cabs but also the traffic on the road is terrible. And if you get stuck it would consume your whole day. The reserve cab would cost around Rs 3500-5000 depending on the season.
Accommodation – Kalimpong
We booked an Airbnb/homestay called Denzong House situated near 9th Mile beside Dominos Pizza outlet. The homestay was situated at a steep climb from the main road. To read more about it , please visit the reviews section.
The homestay was beautiful and we spent the rest of the evening at leisure. The main taxi stand is located at around 10-15 minutes walk from the 9th mile road. The breakfast was complementary and they charged us Rs 1800 per night.
Darjeeling & Kalimpong trip – Day 5 – Kalimpong
As we could not get around anywhere the previous day, we made up on our mind to start early and do a local sight seeing of Kalimpong. We booked a cab for ourselves for Rs 1800 for the local sightseeing. Prices can vary depending on season.
The first place we went to visit was the Army Golf Course. Situated at a beautiful hill of Durpin Dara, the Army Golf Course of Kalimpong is a paradise for golfers and tourists. The lush green field, with beautiful trees surrounding it , makes it a perfect place to click the best picture.
Just opposite to it, is the famous Morgan House. This heritage boutique hotel is run by the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation. This was built in the style of a Scottish house during the British rule in India. Morgan House is known as a Haunted House more than a hotel. The people staying around see strange things and hear different sounds in the middle of the night.
From there we went to the Gaden Tharpa Choling monastery. The beautiful, tiny little monastery on a hilltop is all that you need for that picture perfect view. It is under supervision under the Dalai Lama Administration.
We saw lot of tourists went to a Pine View Nursery from there, but rather than going there we told our guide cum driver to visit the famous Gouripur House in Kalimpong. It was worth the visit.
From 1938 to 1940, the Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore came to Kalimpong four times and it is known that Tagore lived in Gauripur House during this time. It was from this house that on 25th Baishakh, the poet’s birthday was celebrated and his recited poetry aired on Akashbani. We heard from the caretaker that the Govt is planning to convert this into a heritage museum soon. So hoping for the best as it really needs restoration work immediately.
On our way to Deolo Hills from there we stopped at two places : Hanuman Temple and Lord Buddha Park.
After spending some time we went to the final spot, the very famous Deolo Park. We had our lunch as well from an outside eatery. The Park is a flower garden with spectacular views of Kalimpong town, Teesta River and surrounding hills. There is a West Bengal Govt tourism property located atop the hill called Deolo Tourist Lodge. The place is beautiful to spend couple of days. But it is located far away from the main market area.
This is the only place in West Bengal from where you can do Paragliding.
We informed the driver to drop us near the market area so that we can explore the surroundings and the local market by our own. Rest of the evening we spent at leisure.
Day 5 – Kalimpong, Siliguri to Kolkata
On our last day we checked out from hotel at around 9 am in the morning. After breakfast, we directly went to the taxi stand at around 10 am as we had to catch our train which leaves Siliguri at 3:35 pm. But to our surprise the same situation arouse here as well. There we no cabs to take us to Siliguri. The local buses would take much longer time so we did not chose that option. We along with another family facing the same issue, had to book a reserve cab as we were in a hurry to get down. We reached Siliguri at around 2 pm. There was huge traffic along the way.
As we did not get any direct train to Kolkata we booked a train from Siliguri to Barsoi Junction and then from Barsoi to Kolkata. There are not many restaurents in Barsoi, so better to pack dry food from NJP or from Siliguri.
Note : – There is always shortage of cabs whether you are going to Kalimpong or leaving Kalimpong. So if you plan for a Darjeeling & Kalimpong trip, start as much early as possible. Or else you have to reserve cabs which will cost a lot. If you plan to go to Lava, Loleygaon, Rishyap you would get cabs from Kalimpong, but again start early as much as possible.
Read our other blogs to find more places to visit.
