Kalimpong anyone?

mobilerug

Actually I am also addicted to staying at the WB Tourism Lodges. I stayed at Kurseong, Darjeeling, Mirik and Shantiniketan. They are just fabulous though a bit expensive. The people are very cooperative and they are very spacious. I would love to go to these places only to stay at the lodges.

sukanya

sorry friends, i didn't mention the place. this hemlock lodge is at Rishyap.

somnath

Thats great!!!! Hemlock Lodge at Rishap, I'll try this one. Any contact no?Thank you Sukanya.

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joy_g72

Hi Rajat !

It is really nice to learn that Kalimpong as a destination is getting recognised accross the country for to tell you a fact its the most exotic, serence and natural place in the entire Eastern Himalayas !!

Just for your information let me tell you that Kalimpong has got the best Orchids & Cactus's that you will ever see ! It is also not very crowded as like Darjeeling and Sikkim. So as a destination I feel it is an absolute must in your itinerary.

Well "Morgan House" is a wonderful property run by the West Begal Tourism however let me tell you the services have gone down appreciably and there is no maintenence so its better if you stay in any decent property like the Sood's Garden Retreat, Kalimpong Park or if you are looking for a Budget accommodation Hotel Garden Reach.

As regarding Sikkim I think one week is enough to cover the destinations you are looking for. You can make a full day's trip to Tsomgo lake, Baba Mandir and Nathula Pass (China Border) and believe it or not on a clear day you can actually see the great wall of China from here !!! But remember the trip to nathula is only on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday & Sunday. Another day u cud keep aside for the local sightseeing at Gangtok covering the Enchay Monastery, Institute of Tibetology, Flower show and ofcourse the world famous Rumtek Monastery. A trip to Sikkim is incomplete without a visit to North Sikkim so do make it a point to go to Yumthung Valley. A 2 Nights/ 3 days package is just about perfect but make sure you add Katao to the tour because its marvellous. Since you have 7 days at your disposal so just make a visit to Peyamangtse (West Sikkim) for 2 Nights as it will help you discover the marvellous flowers and orchids u get here and also the serene village life and the Rabdanste Ruins with proper comfort in terms of accommodation.

Wish you a very Happy and Enjoyable trip and do feel free to drop in for any additional information.


Cheers
Joy
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jyotirmoy

Refer my earlier post which describes Sikkim travel in detail.
In Kalimpong we stayed in Deki Lodge, a small family run place, in fact it is a residential building with a garden full of flowers. The address is 10th. Mile, Tirpai, phone:255095. The family loves pets so there are cats & a very cute small dog. There is a great Chinese restaurant in Kalimpong do visit. The local cheese is worth a try.

babuchand

Rajat....my updates are in RED

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Rajat

Hello guys,
Thanks for all your advice.
If I have time I may spend one night at Yuksom.
Joy g72 please go through my itinerary. I will keep in mind the things you have pointed out.
Sukanya, if there is any contact number or address of Hemlock Lodge please write in. Sounds just like the place to go to!
Jyotirmoy thanks for the tip on Deki Lodge and the local cheese.
I went through your Sikkim itinerary. I guess you are a mine full of information. I would like to mine you! Is it possible to call you and chat about some details.
Babuchand thanks for your updates. However I have a couple of queries. As I mentioned I will be accompanied by my wife and two children. Is the trek to Rishap from Lava possible with them?
Do you have any contact numbers for accomodation at Rishap. Or do you propose I reach Rishap and then hunt for accomodation. I also need to talk to you regarding Sandakphu. If it is ok please write in your cell number.
Meanwhile I have found out details of Blue Sky Travels. It is run by Captain Shekhar Dutta. He has worked out a 3 night trip to North Sikkim ex Gangtok inclusive of Lachung, Yumthang, Lacheng and Katao in a exclusive jeep inclusive of driver and guide at a cost of Rs.13,000 for all of us. Is the cost reasonable?
Since I have a two year old he suggests that I drop Gurudongma Lake as the height is a factor. For similar reasons, Nathu La is also not recommended. The suggested hotel at Lachung is Le Coxy Resort. Anyone has any ideas on this. Ciao then till next time.

davyd

Wai, Rajat, I did not know you have small child with you on a trip. Hope everything will be OK, but be careful and try to visit Kalimpong first to test high altitude. My acquaintants from publishing world in Moscow, 2 healthy Russian men in their thirties year ago planned to visit Sikkim, Darjeeling and Kalimpong and their visit ended abruptly in Kalimpong - they did not expect vomit and other problems and cut short their further plans. I saw so many times problems with health in Himalayas among Indian tourists, especially among children. Take care!

hermit

Hi,
I studied in kalimpong and can safely say that its a great place for relaxing. Not a hustling bustling hill station but a tranquil place. Park Hotel used to be great..so did Himalayan hotel. Silver Oaks was an Oberoi property. If you are looking for cheap options, then there are lots around the bus stand but it can get a bit noisy. Crown Lodge used to be the best. Check out Kelsang restaurant at the bus stand for great tibetan cuisine. Kalimpong has lots of little tibetan eateries, really good and cheap. Check out Durpin daara, with fabulous views, and walk right upto Dr. grahams Homes. But if you like walking, you should walk from 8th mile to Durpin. There are lots of nurseries too, but again only if you are interested. If you are looking for hill station action, then Kalimpong is definitely not the place.

Rajat

Hello Davyd,
You are quite correct. Hill diaorrhea is quite common in hill stations in India. It is quite ironical that we city slickers turn to the hills for some healthy environment and come across this problem.
That is the reason we are going to Kalimpong & Darjeeling first. It will help us to acclimatise gently before the more arduous part of our trip in Sikkim. We will have to take precautions.
Thanks for the concern

iyou

Well, that's perhaps an exaggeration; I've seen better orchids and cacti in other places, but I wanted to mention the orchid retreat in Kalimpong, which we stayed at in 2001. It's quite expensive compared to other places, but for orchid lovers like myself it's a treat. Totally relaxing and tranquil atmosphere. Meals are taken family style, with the owners, who are supremely lovely people. They even arranged a local tour for us to see orchids growing in the wild. Talk about WOW!!!!

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joy_g72

Hi Rajat,

I am suggesting you an Itinerary as below from my first hand experience of this entire region. Go thru it and let me have your thoughts !!

Duration: 12 Nights / 13 Days

Suggested Itinerary:


24th Feb’06: Arrival at NJP, receive and transfer to Lava (90 Km./3.5 Hrs), evening free at the Mall, overnight at Hotel Paradise.

25th Feb’06: After breakfast full day excursion trip to Loleygaon, back to Lava, evening free, overnight at Hotel Paradise.

26th Feb’06: After breakfast transfer to Rishyap, afternoon enjoy the panoramic view of Mt. Kanchenjunga (Rishyap is the only place from where you can have a 180 Degree view of Mt. Kanchenjunga), overnight at Hotel Paradise Villa.

27th Feb’06: After breakfast transfer to Kalimpong (40 Km./2 Hrs), eve. free, overnight at Sood’s Garden Retreat.

28th Feb’06: After breakfast Full day sightseeing tour of Kalimpong covering Durpin Dara Monastery, Orchid Nursery, Hindu Temple, Dr. Graham’s Home & Dello, evening free, overnight at Sood’s Garden Retreat.

01st March: After breakfast transfer to Darjeeling (80 Km./ 3 Hrs.), eve. free, afternoon you can take the local toy Train to Ghoom which is 45 min. ride and drive back to Darjeeling. overnight at Hotel Garuda.

02nd March: Day free at Darjeeling, (You can take your trip to Sandakphu via Manebhanjheng) Overnight at Hotel Garuda.

03rd March: Day free at Darjeeling. Overnight at Hotel Garuda.

04th March: After breakfast transfer to Pemayangtse (110 Km./4.5 Hrs), eve. free to view the beautiful Mt. Kanchenjunga from your hotel, overnight at Hotel Takura.

05th March: After breakfast full day sightseeing at Pemayangtse covering Kechuparli Lake, Rimbi Falls, Kanchenjunga Falls, Pemayangtse Monastery, Shin Shore Bridge, etc, evening free, overnight at Hotel Takura.

06th March: After breakfast transfer to Gangtok (100 Km. /4 Hrs), evening free, overnight at Hotel Nirvana.

07th March: After breakfast full day excursion trip to Tsomgo Lake & Baba Mandir, (55 Km./2 Hrs), evening free, overnight at Hotel Nirvana.

08th March: After breakfast start for Yumthung Package, transfer to Lachung (170 Km./ 6 hrs) on the way visit Vima Falls, Chungthang, evening free, overnight at Lachung (Golden Fish Resort)

09th March: Early morning visit to Katao, after breakfast visit to Yumthung Valley, evening free, overnight at Lachung (Golden Fish Resort).

10th March: After early breakfast transfer to Gangtok, evening free, overnight at Hotel Nirvana.

11th March: After early breakfast local sightseeing at Gangtok covering Institute of Tibetology, Enchay Monastery, Flower Show & Rumtek Monastery, after lunch transfer to Siliguri (125 Km./4 Hrs) evening free, overnight at Hotel Manila.

12th March: After early breakfast transfer to Bagdogra (15 Km./30 min.) to board flight for your onward journey. (DN – 564) at 08.20 hrs.



Now a few suggestions:

a) Trekking from Lava to Rishyap is an absolute NO !! It is a very steep trek and not advisable at all with small children travelling.

b) The trip to Sandakphu is possible but I fear you will not enjoy the hectic journey as you won’t see any place properly.

c) Instead of talking the toy train from Kurseong (which will be difficult) you can actually take the local Toy Train ride from Darjeeling to Ghoom and come back to Darjeeling by car.

d) 03 Nights at Yumthung/Lachung is a waste of money really. What you can do is take as 02 nights package as suggested by me and include Katao along with Yumthung Valley.

e) Now on 12th you have a Deccan Flight I believe to Kolkata which leaves Bagdogra at 08.20 Hrs in the morning. Now in that scenario it will be impossible for you to take the flight from Gangtok as the distance between Gangtok & Siliguri (Bagdogra) is 125 km/ 5 hrs so it’s advisable to stay at Siliguri on the 11th and take the flight the next day.

Hope the above will be of some help for you. do feel free to drop in for any suggestions !!

Wish you and your family a very happy, enjoyable & a safe trip.

Cheers
Joy

joy_g72

Just to mention that your itinerary is actually for 16 Nights/ 17 days and not 12/13 Days as suggested by me !

That a small rectification.


Happy Travelling !!

Cheers
Joy

babuchand

hi joy,

i beg to differ strongly with u in your point of view abt Lava to rishap trek. it is not at all a steep trek. I have done it twice... I know both the routes via tiffindara (bit steep up and down) and bypassing tiffindara (the easier one).

I do think one can do this trek traking the 2yr old kid on back in the route that bypasses tiffindara. i even saw retired sr citizens to climb to tiffindara from rishop side.

please dont put those wrong notions in thread as that will intimidate people to visit the lovely places.

no personal hitch....just as I know the place very well I want to clear the clouds...

obrarajesh

hi Rajat,
I am planning to visit west bengal, Could you guide where i have to visist either darjleeing or Lava-Loleygaon-rishyap. I have only b3 nights and 4 days
waiting your reply