Kurseong
Kurseong (Bengali: কার্শিয়াং Kārśiẏāṁ) is a town in the Darjeeling Hills of West Bengal.
Understand
editThe town is also known as the "Land of Glorious Sunsets" because it faces the western part of the hills, the sunset is visible through a glorious mix of clouds turning crimson, yellow and red.
The Lepcha name literally means the "white orchid of the eastern Himalayas", which was apparently given by a European researcher who was researching an exotic variety of white orchid that could only be found at the height of Kurseong i.e. 4500 feet above sea level. This variety of the white orchid only grows at this height; hence the name the white orchid of the eastern Himalayas.
Get in
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Kurseong is about 45 kilometres from Siliguri the gateway to North Bengal. The airport of Siliguri is known as Bagdogra while the railway station is known as New Jalpaiguri. It takes approximately 2 hours to reach Kurseong if you travel by Hill Cart Road, the comfortable and scenic link running parallel to the railway tracks or about one hour using the Old Army Road (Pankhabari Road), which is steeper.
Get around
editYou can either walk or flag down mini-vans. These vans show availability if they have a sign-up with their destination (for duty or reserved means you can't flag them down). From Kurseong railway station to Makaibari Tea Estate is around 60 rupees.
See
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Kurseong is home to the costliest teas in the world. World-famous Castleton, Ambotia and Makaibari tea gardens produce the most delicate aromas of all black teas known to mankind.
- 1 NSC Bose Institute of Asiatic Studies (Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Museum), Giddapahar. 10AM - 6PM.
- 2 DHR Archive, Kurseong Station. 10AM - 4PM. Located in a small room in Kurseong station, the DHR archive house several exhibits including artefacts and old photographs. A cabinet at the centre of the room displays old newspaper articles on DHR. Note that the archive mostly remains locked during office hours. A request to the station master normally opens up the archive. ₹10.
- 3 Makaibari, Pankhabari Rd (close to Cochrane Place, get a taxi for around ₹20 or walk 3km downhill from the train station), ☏ +91 33 2248-4227, info@makaibari.com. 10AM daily. Makaibari is one of the famous Darjeeling tea estates. Guided tours are given through the factory every day for free. The best time to see the tea production process is before 10AM and in the summer period (March till November). Tea can be bought after the tour in a small shop. Makaibari also runs a homestay and there are possibilities for volunteer work. Free.
- Museum of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose (on giddha pahar)
- Park which offers a peaceful respite with two historical schools located there, The Victoria boys school and Dowhill School. The water source for Kurseong is also located near Deer Park and is a popular place for picnics. There is a park there where there are some caged animals for the visitors to see. The deer roam freely in the enclosed boundary.
- Heritage churches such as St Andrew's church and St Paul's.
- You can also visit St Mary's Hill and visit the grotto church.
Do
editYou just relax or move around the town, tea gardens or the parks. Enjoy the cool mountain breeze. The town is small, clean and relatively uncrowded.
- You can walk to Eagle's Crag (Durpin Dhara) or trek (or take a taxi) to Deer's Park. Eagles Crag provides a panoramic view of Kurseong Town and the plains of Siliguri. You can view Himalayan peaks with their golden glow for sunrise.
- Trek to Balason river, take local advice if you are attempting this.
- Forestry museum.
- Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Museum at Kurseong railway station.
- This entire scenic route can be travelled (with huge pine trees on each sides and greenery and peace everywhere) from St Marys Grotto till Deer Park.
Buy
editOne can buy beautiful Tea from either Tea Estate's outlet country or from any number of shops.
Woolen garments, jackets are very attractive and can be purchased from shops located on T.N.Road.
Eat
editMost of the hotels have their own restaurants. Road side eateries serve popular snacks like momo and thupka.
- 1 Margaret's Deck (Tea Pot), Hill Cart Rd (On Hill Cart Road, just north of Tung Railway (DHR) Station), ☏ +91 97340 22440. 8AM - 6PM. Margaret's Hope exclusive tea lounge falls under the Goodricke Teapot chain of tea lounges. It is situated on an extended platform offering 270 degree views of the Goodricke's Margaret Hope Tea Estate. Although there are no views of Mt. Kanchenjungha, the deck offers a great sunset. It serves some of the most exotic teas including Muscatel. It also serves snacks, but momo is not on menu.
Drink
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You can try local drinks such as "chaang" prepared from fermented millet and "tongba", another regional drink that is often served with boiling water.
Sleep
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Government owned Tourist Lodge and Shyams provide cosy stay.
- 1 Cochrane Place, 132, Pankhabari Road, Kurseong, West Bengal, India, ☏ +91 9932035660, +91 9832367878, host@imperialchai.com. Former residence of British Magistrate John Percy Cochrane, the Cochrane Place Hotel is a modern day hotel with a touch of the Raj. Located just south of Kurseong on the Pankhabari Road the hotel is surrounded by rolling tea gardens. Cochrane Place is a boutique hotel specializing in tea. The Chai Country, the hotel's exclusive tea room serves excellent tea. It also serves excellent food combining continental and local cuisines. Room prices off/peak ₹4,000/4,500 (s) 4,500/5,000 (d) to ₹10,000 (4-person family suite) all including breakfast. Lunch or dinner ₹900.
- 2 Tourist Lodge, Hill Cart Rd (10 minutes walk from Kurseong station along Hill Cart Rd towards Darjeeling), ☏ +91 354 234 5608. A decent, if old-fashioned, government-run lodge with nice views of the mountains. TV and extra blankets are provided, but showers are cold. Breakfast is included in the rate. The restaurant also serves a fine dinner for around R300 each. Be early as lunch time can be crowded. single R1350, double R1650.
- 3 Amarjeet Hotel, 12 T.N Road, Kurseong, Darjeeling (Located near the Railway (DHR) Station), ☏ +91 90079 95888. Great location and good service. Rooms from ₹2500-3700 + 12% tax, up to ₹4800-6400 + tax including all meals. ₹600-1800 for an extra person.
Go next
editContinue with your journey to Darjeeling (about 35 kilometres), to Sikkim or Kalimpong. To catch a train or flight, you have to go to Siliguri. Reserve cars are available from Siliguri, Kings Travels, dial-098304-28401/ 093319–39486.
| Routes through Kurseong |
| Darjeeling ← | N  S |
→ Siliguri → END |