There are quite a few places in the world that offer scenic beauty with a sense of tranquillity. Visiting the Buddhist Monasteries and witnessing the monks offering prayers will soothe your soul. On top of that, if such places are renowned for their tea gardens, it will become a heaven for tea lovers. The place we are referring to is renowned amongst the traveller community: Kalimpong.
Let’s take you all on a relaxing trip to Kalimpong.
In case you don’t know who we are……
We call ourselves Travel Freaks……..
While we were on the way to Kalimpong from Kolakham, it was raining and, at the same time, covered with dense fog. Due to this, visibility was too low, and our driver was finding it difficult to drive. Such harsh weather conditions didn’t let us visit the Changey Waterfall. Saddened by this, we continued our journey towards Kalimpong.
On the way to our homestay, we stopped at our first attraction at Kalimpong, which was in close proximity to our stay.
Table of Contents
1. Science Center, Kalimpong.
The Science Center remains open from 10 AM to 4:30 PM. The entrance fee is 40 INR per adult and 25 INR for kids. The place is also known as “Kalimpong Science City“.
As we got off our car, there was a slight drizzle; we hurriedly entered and bought the entrance tickets. As soon as we entered, we saw that the entire complex was divided into multiple regions exhibiting a wide range of scientific topics from physics, chemistry, astronomy and technology.
The experience was a flashback reliving our schooldays; we spent some time exploring these experiments. You can also enjoy watching a 7-minute 3D movie show for a price of 50 INR per person.
After spending an hour at the science centre, we headed towards our homestay. Hearing the word homestay, many might be curious about…
2. What are the stay options at Kalimpong?
If you are a nature lover and want to escape the hustle of the city or market, then you can opt for a stay at the Deolo region as we did. Our stay was at the Dalapchan Ridge Reserve Forest, Deolo. The name of our stay was Bliss Homestay Kalimpong.
There are a handful of stay options in this region.
Tip: You would need to prebook during the peak tourist season. Reach out to us if you need any help.
The homestay was beautifully decorated with plants, and there was a small dining area on the ground floor. The rooms had all the necessary amenities that you would wish for.
Soon after our check-in, it started raining cats and dogs. So we decided to have lunch, though it was already 3:30 PM. We planned to visit a few attractions that day; unfortunately, the weather was not again in our favour. We were left with no other choice than to rest.
When it was 5:30 PM, rain stopped for a brief duration. We thought of strolling nearby with the entire area engulfed in dense fog. We could hardly see 50 meters around us. After walking for around 10 minutes, we found a small local eatery serving tea, coffee, noodles, fried rice and last but not least, the most famous regional dish, Thukpa.
We enjoyed every spoon of Thukpa and hot coffee with a foggy ambience on the outside.
Soon, we returned to our homestay and gossiped in the dining area till dinner. We were served with freshly prepared dinner. Finally, we ended a rainy day with our fingers crossed for the next day to be sunny.
Now, the big question……
3. How was the weather for the next day?
To our utter surprise, sunrays greeted us in our bed when we woke up in the morning. We were filled with joy to see that. In no time, we were ready to explore Kalimpong further. We requested the staff to prepare breakfast by eight o’clock in the morning so that we could start early with our day trip.
Soon after breakfast, we got into our car and reached our first destination…
4. Durpin Dara Monastery, Kalimpong
On the way to the Monastery, our driver showed us the Army Golf Course and the renowned haunted property, Morgan House. There are many stories surrounding the Morgan House. Locals believe that the property owner, Mrs. Morgan’s spirit, still haunts the house. It was an eerie sighting for us as we witnessed the house from a distance.
By close to 10 o’clock, we reached the Durpin Dara Monastery. This monastery is also known as Zang Dhok Palri Phodang. We saw a clear view of the Himalayas from the Monastery. The best part was lush green valleys and the Teesta River surrounded the monastery.
We took a whole round, rotating the prayer wheels before proceeding to our next destination.
5. Durpin Dara View Point
It was just 2 km from the monastery. There was an intermittent strong wind blowing despite sunny weather. Two small eateries served hot tea, hot coffee, eggs, noodles and momos.
We stopped by this site for a quick refreshment with the panoramic view. We clicked a few pics at this place and then continued our onward journey to…..
6. Pine View Nursery
The working hours for the Nursery are from 8:30 AM to 4 PM. There was an entry fee of 20 INR per person. The nursery was established in the early 1900s.
As we entered the Nursery, we were surprised to see such an extensive collection of orchids, including rare and exotic species. Special mention has to be given to other plants like cacti, roses, and seasonal flowers.
We even noticed that the cacti were grown in an area that acts like a greenhouse. The area had a small cafeteria where one could have snacks. It was a unique experience for us to witness such a well-organised nursery.
Finally, we were off to the most awaited spot of the day…..
7. Deolo Park, Kalimpong
The place is quite famous amongst adventure lovers for paragliding. We were no different and we were also quite excited to grab the ticket for paragliding. There were quite a few counters from where you could book the paragliding tickets. An 8-10 minutes ride costs around 3000 INR per person and 15-20 minutes costs around 5000 INR per person. An additional payment of 500 INR is to be paid for videography.
We booked the 8-10-minute ride with a videography. As soon as we booked, our excitement level was sky-high. One of the staff took us to the take-off location. After hiking for about 10 minutes through the small jungle road, we reached the spot where our pilot was waiting for us to wear the harness. Initially, a slight fear and excitement filled us up. We had to enquire quite a few times about the safety of the harness. The pilot assured us he would ensure the safety; the only thing to hold was the camera stick.
A strong wind blew, which enhanced our take-off with ease. It was an incredible experience that can’t be described in words. The pilot showed us the Kanchenjunga from above the clouds. However, the ride was fun-filled until the glider entered the clouds, and our glider swayed to and fro like a pendulum. It scared us a lot. Our pilot was a skilled one, as he controlled with ease and calmed us down. Slowly he started our landing. The landing was quite smooth, thereby ending an incredible paragliding experience.
After having such an adventurous paragliding experience, we entered Deolo Park, which had an entry fee of 20 INR per person. We relaxed ourselves amidst nature. There were also many viewpoints in the park. One could even admire the Himalayan view from this park.
It was close to 4 o’clock in the evening, we thought to return to our homestay and enjoy the rest of the evening taking a stroll around the area and having Thukpa for one more time at Kalimpong before our departure from this beautiful place.
Yes, there are quite a few more places to see that we would cover the next day before heading towards our last stay location on our North Bengal trip. Till then, follow us for more exciting and interesting stories.
Wait, we are not going without this last question……
8. What kind of help are we going to provide?
Let us inform you that we prepare itineraries not only for anywhere in India but also for Asia. We have been travelling since we were toddlers. So here in our blogs and stories, we will give you a glimpse of our journey and help you plan your trip.
Read about our Uzbekistan blogs.
Read about our Kazakhstan blogs.
Read about our Singapore blogs.
Read about our Vietnam blogs.
Read about our Cambodia blogs.
Read about our Bali blogs.
Read about our Kuala Lumpur blog series.
Read about our Sri Lanka blogs.
Read about our Nepal blogs.
Read about our Char Dham blogs.
Read about our Ladakh blogs.
Read about our day trip to Hyderabad.
Read about our Madhya Pradesh blogs.
Do follow our Instagram handle @mindfulllofvacations and watch for the next destination story of North Bengal. For any query related to any trip, drop a mail at @mitkau007@gmail.com.
by mitkau
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