India Travel

Around Kalimpong in North Bengal

Related Properties from Gurgaon

North Bengal in North Bengal

North Bengal, where the Himalayas soar from the flat alluvial plains towards Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan, holds some magnificent mountain panoramas, and also some of India's best hill stations. Most visitors pass as quickly as possible through Siliguri en route to Darjeeling, Kalimpong and the small state of Sikkim. For anyone with a bit of time on their hands, the Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, home to the one-horned rhino, bison and wild boar, east of Siliguri near the Bhutanese border, makes a worthwhile detour. Besides the occasional strike, few travellers will notice, but today the region is wracked by political turmoil, with

Practicalities in North Bengal

Kalimpong, only accessible by road, is served by regular buses, taxis and Jeeps from Darjeeling and Siliguri. Direct transport to and from Gangtok in Sikkim tends to be limited; you could also connect from Gangtok Siliguri transport for local taxis or buses at the crossroads near the Teesta Bridge (no photography permitted) over the fast-flowing River Teesta. A sign near the crossroads welcomes you to Kalimpong although the town itself is 15km further on, and more than 1000m higher up. Since the advent of the new Bridge, Teesta Bazaar on the other side of the river is no longer the

Accommodation and eating in North Bengal

Kalimpong's acute water shortages are likely to influence your choice of accommodation - few of the lower-range options have running water. The market area (Tenth Mile) and the area around the Motor Stand are where you will find most budget hotels. The best restaurants are in the hotels - the Kalimpong Park, Crown and China Garden. Other options include the legendary Gompu's bar and restaurant a: Dambar Chowk which serves great momos; the Mandarin, a Chinese restaurant at the Motor Stand; and the basic but friendly Kelsang, tucked around the corner from the Motor Stand servmg curd and Tibetan food.

Siliguri and New Jalpaiguri in North Bengal

A major commercial hub and Bengal's second city, the bustling and dusty town ot SILIGURI has a thriving tea-auction centre and serves as the gateway to Darjeeling. Kalimpong, Sikkim arid Bhutan. Together with its main railway station. NEW JALPAIGURI - commonly referred to as NJP - and the airport at Bagdogra. it forms an unavoidable link between the rail and air connections to Calcutta and Delhi, and the roads up into the mountains. The border with Nepal at Kakarbitta nearby is open to tourists, though the bus journey from there to Kathmandu is an arduous one. Most tourists pass straight through

Information about Calcutta

The efficient and friendly Government of India Tourist Office, Shakespeare Sarani (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-lpm, is your best bet for information on Calcutta,'West Bengal and destinations further afield, and can assist with itineraries and booking tours.The Government ofWest Bengal Tourist Bureau. 3/2 BBD Bagh East, arranges tours of Calcutta and package trips around West Bengal. They also issue permits and book tours and accommodation at the Sunderbans and Jaldapara wildlife parks. Tourist information counters at the airport and Howrah Station offer the same services. English-language newspapers such as the

Information on Calcutta

The efficient and friendly Government of India Tourist Office, 4 Shakespeare Sarani (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-1 pm;) is your best bet for information on Calcutta, 'West Bengal and destinations further a field, and can assist with itineraries and booking tours. The Government of West Bengal Tourist Bureau, 3/2 BBD Bagh East (©033/248 8271), arranges tours of Calcutta and package trips around West Bengal. They also issue permits and book tours and accommodation at the Sunderbans and Jaldapara wildlife parks. Tourist information counters at the airport and Howrah Station offer the same

Kalimpong and around in North Bengal

Though it may seem quite grubby at first, the quiet hill station of KALIMPONG, 50km east of Darjeeling, has much to offer including an extraordinary profusion of orchids and other flowers, plus great views of the Kanchenjunga, several monasteries and lots of potential for walks in the surrounding hills, which are still home to the tribal Lepcha community. Unlike Darjeeling, this was never a tea town or resort, but a trading town on the vital route to Tibet, and it was this very access to the borders which meant that Kalimpong was virtually out of bounds for tourists for a

About Calcutta and West Bengal

Unique among Indian stares in stretching all the way from the Himalayas to the sea, WEST BENGAL is nonetheless explored in depth by few travellers. That may have something to do with the exaggerated reputation of its capital, CALCUTTA, which is actually a sophisticated and friendly city that belies its popular image as poverty-stricken and chaotic. Certainly the rest of Bengal holds an extraordinary assortment of landscapes and cultures, ranging from the dramatic hill station of Darjeeling, within sight of some of the highest mountains in the world, to the vast mangrove swamps of the Sunderbans, prowled by man-eating Royal

Moving on from Darjeeting in North Bengal

The nearest airport to Darjeeling is Bagdogra, 100km to the south (see p.970). but at the time of going to press was closed for repairs. A DGHC bus leaves the Tourist Lodge and Clubside around Sam each day to connect with flights; tickets for the bus can be booked at the Tourist Bureau. Indian Airlines have an office on the Mall at Chowrasta and Jet Airways tickets are available at Pineridge Travels, a lew metres away also on the Mall or at Clubside Tours and Travels, JP Sharma Road. Pineridge Travels also handles all flights (several airlines) from Bhadrapur in

Coastal Bengal

The coast of West Bengal consists of two very distinct sections, on either side of the River Hooghly. To the east are the Sunderbans, one of the largest estuarine deltas in the world covering an area of 2500 square kilometres. Here you'll find the Sunderbans Tiger Reserve and the seaside resort of Bakkhali. On the west side of the Hooghly, an unbroken line of beaches goes all the way to Digha, the last resort before the coastline of Orissa begins.

Darjeeling in North Bengal

Part Victorian holiday resort, part major tea-growing centre, DARJEELING (from Dorje Ling, "the place of the thunderbolt") straddles a ridge 2200m up in the Himalayas and almost 600km north of Calcutta. Fifty years after the British departed, the town remains as popular as ever with holiday-makers from the plains, and promenades such as the Mall and the Chowrasta still burst with life. Although the infrastructure created under the Raj is now struggling to cope with the ever-expanding population and Darjeeling is plagued by acute shortages of water and electricity, it's a fascinating and cosmopolitan place. The greatest appeal for visitors

Travel details of North Sikkim

Jeeps tend to go when full, except for the Gangtok-Ghezing and Pelling services, which depart once daily. There are no train or plane services available and the helicopter service from Gangtok only operates to meet flights at Bagdogra. Buses cost a few rupees less than the Jeeps but they are much slower and tend to be a lot more uncomfortable. Jeeps Gangtok to: Darjeeling (5-6hr); Ghezing (4-5hr); Kalimpong (3-4hr): Pelling (5-6hr); Mangan (2-3hr); Siliguri (5-6hr). Ghezing to: Gangtok (5-6hr); Jorethang (2hr 30min -3hr); Pelling (30min); Yoksum (2hr 30min-3hr). Jorethang to: Darjeeling (2hr); Gangtok (4-5hr); Ghezing (2hr); Legship (1hr).

Arrival and information of Gangtok in Sikkim

Gangtok is not served directly by rail; most travellers arrive by Jeep from Siliguri in West Bengal (4hr 30min; see p.72), the transport centre for the railhead at New Jalpaiguri and forBagdogra airport. Shared Jeeps also run from Darjeeling and Kalimpong. A helicopter service (Rs1500) connects Bagdogra airport with Gangtok, run in conjunction with Sikkim Tourism and designed to meet passengers arriving on Indian Airlines and Jet Airways flights. At the time of writing, though, both airlines had temporarily suspended flights to Bagdogra due to ongoing repairs to the runway. All buses run by Sikkim Nationalized Transport (SNT), the state carrier,

Central Bengal

Central Bengal offers little in the way of major sights to tempt tourists off the Calcutta-Darjeeling route. It is a low-lying rural region where the pace of life is in stark contrast to that of its frenetic capital, Calcutta. Shantiniketan, built on the site of Rabindranath Tagore's lather's ashram, is a haven of peace, and a must for anyone interested m Bengali music, art and culture. The other highlights of the region include a cluster of exquisite terracotta temples in Bishnupur, the rums of Gaur, the region's seventh-century capital, and the palaces of Murshidabad. capital of Bengal's last independent

Pandua in Central Bengal

The splendid Adina Masjid at PANDUA, 18km north of Malda, built by Sikander Shah around 1370, was in its day the largest mosque in the subcontinent. It now lies in ruins but these still betray the origin of much of the building materials - carved basalt masonry from earlier Hindu temples was used to support 88 brick-built arches and 378 identical small domes, the design following that of the great eighth-century mosque of Damascus. Other monuments include the Eklakhi mausoleum - one of the first square brick tombs in Bengal with a carved Ganesh on the doorway; and Qutb Shahi Masjid,

Practicalities in North Bengal

Bagdogra airport, 12km west of Siliguri and served by flights from Delhi, Calcutta and Guwahati, is connected not only with Siliguri itself, but also directly to Darjeeling as well as to Gangtok in Sikkim by helicopter.

Moving on from Siliguri in North Bengal

Both Indian Airlines and Jet Airways fly to Calcutta, Delhi and Guwahati. The Indian Airlines' office is in the Hotel Mainak Complex, Hill Cart Road; Jet Airways is in the Hotel Vinayak, Hill Cart Road. At the time of going to press, flights to and from Bagdogra had been suspended due to runway repairs. All major trains, most terminating or starting at Guwahati, use NJP station, not Siliguri. Reservations can be made at NJP Railway Station or the Central Railway Booking Office (daily 8am-4pm), Bidhan Road, near Kanchenjunga Stadium in Siliguri. The main trains to Calcutta include the Darjeeling Mail #3143/3144,

Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary in North Bengal

Apart from Darjeeling and the hills, most of North Bengal is well off the beaten track; few travellers venture off the Darjeeling-Sikkim-Nepal road. Probably the best reason to do so is to visit the small Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, roughly 124km east of Siliguri. The sanctuary was established in 1943 to help protect wildlife against the encroachment of tea cultivation. Consisting of tracts of tali elephant grass on the banks of the River Torsa, and set against the backdrop of forested foothills, it now shelters around fifty highly endangered greater one-horned rhinoceroses, wild elephants, sambar and hog deer. jaldapara is open from

Malda and around in Central Bengal

The large, unattractive commercial town of MALDA. 340km north of Calcutta, straddles the highway co the north and is renowned for ins local mango harvest. A natural port, at the confluence of two rivers, it was once a prosperous trading post for silk and cotton: in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries it housed Dutch, French and English factories. Little of interest has survived from that period, but Malda makes a good base to explore the historic sites of Gaur and Pandua, both earlier capitals of Bengal, which can be reached by either bus or tonga. Malda is on the main line

Along the Hooghly to the sea In Coastal Bengal

As the Hooghly bends south on its way to the sea, it becomes larger and larger; when it reaches the Bay of Bengal at Diamond Harbour, 50km south of Calcutta, it is very wide indeed. The harbour was used by the East India Company, and a ruined fort is said to date back to Portuguese pirates. The trip down here from the city, by bus or train from Sealdah station, is a popular day's excursion for Calcuttans, though it's also possible to stay the night at the Sagarika Tourist Lodge, which has some a/c rooms. Book through the tourist office