Kalimpong

Kalimpong is in Darjeeling district in the northern part of West Bengal, India. Understand Get in Jeeps are plentiful from Darjeeling; just go to the Kalimpong office in the Motor Stand (this is a little tricky to find as it’s hidden down a dark passage – ask around!). It is definitely worth getting a front seat as jeeps tend to be filled to the brim and there’s very little leg room in the back rows. Fewer jeeps go from Siliguri, NJP and Gangtok but they do exist. Regular cars are available from NJP, Siliguri and Darjeeling for Kalimpong, reserve car also available from Kings Travels,dial-093319-39486/098304-28401. Get around One can roam around the town, or take a tour or go trekking. There are some really interesting places to visit such as Gauripur House (home of the great Bengali poet Ravindra Nath Tagore), Mangal Dham a temple, Deolo the highest point in Kalimpong offering a guest house with spectacular vistas. Biking is possible as the the traffic is not intense and its really enjoyable to view the beautiful scenery, and the kindhearted people living in the outskirts. See There is very little to see in the town except to wander around and enjoy the lack of tourists Darjeeling is plagued with. There are a number of religious sites to see, including the Catholic church and Zong Dhog Palri Fo Brang monastery which, after a pleasant 2km walk from town commands wonderful views of Kalimpong and the mountains. Deolo Hill. One of the numerous hill destinations that warrant a visit. A picnic spot with a tourist lodge, run by the Department of Tourism. Offers an early morning view of the Kanchenjunga massif.  edit Golf Course. A must must watch. A golf course so beautiful is rarely seen.  edit Cactus Nursery. A good place to go. Do not miss to check out the Tequila plant out there  edit Tashi Takgye(Colour House), 10th Mile, Rishi Road (Near Power Station), ☎ 9434007076. A huge collection of Items at unbelievable prices.  edit Do Kalimpong is beginning to form a small hiking industry – look around for flyer's in hotels etc for local tour operators. Buy You can shop around in the few touristy shops in the main bazaar. Don't hesitate to bargain -- you can haggle quite a bit if you want to. Or if you are adventurous, just walk a bit more to the wholesale market (just around the corner from the main street). Its fixed price, but you won't get a better deal anywhere else in town. To buy clothes all you have to do is to visit R.C, Mintri road full of marwadis, and you just can't stop yourself from purchasing for yourself something that is made for you. Don't leave Kalimpong without tasting locally made lollipops. Tashi Takgye (Colour House) 03552-256897/9434007076, at 10th Mile, Rishi Road, near Power Station(about 1km from main city center) for shopping. This is a fixed price shop with extremely reasonable prices. You can get paintings, statues, wall hanging, knives, porcelain, crystal, thankhas, dragons, items made from bone, masks, souvenirs, etc. It's the wholesale supplier/importer/exporter for the northern region. Prices here are usually 2-3 times cheaper than anywhere else in the region. Eat The best place for Chinese food, is China Garden, tucked in near the bus stop. They make a great Mei Foon and their Chicken Drumsticks are worth the inevitable queue during tourist season. A tip, though. Hit the place before 8PM as this city shuts down early. For Indian Food and a Drink head to The Soods Garden Retreat,open till 10.p.m or The Sana Hill Top (For Indian & local food) Near EME Officers' Mess For the best momo, it's Gompu's - you can also get a very decent lunch or dinner at this place. The place stays open until 9PM. For veg momos you should visit Sagar,Evergreen(on the main road),Unique, Shikhar, Mohan Daju and all the hawkers (thela walas). You'd miss something if you didn't spare time for a quiet, very British afternoon cuppa at Himalayan Hotel. A good place for affordable drinks and food is King Thai. Kalimpong produces the only aged cheese made in India. It's delicious: the texture of a hard European cheese and a mild, almost parmesan-like flavour Drink There are a few bars in town, or just buy something from the liquor shop around the main stand near the bazaar. Melting Point, Opp. Kanchan Hall, ☎ 00919593888088. Coming up new hangout place in town, branch of the Melting Point Pelling, West Sikkim  edit Sleep The Sillery Sojourn (6500 ft), Sillerygaon (23 kms from Kalimpong (Approx 45 mins) on the Old Silk Route. From Kalimpong, come till 20Mile on the Reshi Road and then take the left diversion to Sillerygaon), ☎ +91 9903295920 (info@thesillerysojourn.com, fax: +91 33 26270886), [1]. checkin: 10:30 hrs; checkout: 10:00hrs. "This is an India Beacons Sojourn initiative at promoting village eco-tourism at Sillerygaon. One can have an excellent view of the Kanchendzonga massif from the cottages. Ramitey View Point, providing an excellent view of the river Teesta below with its 14 meanders as well as the Kanchendzonga above, is a 15 minutes trek from the cottages. Damsang Fort, the only fort in the Darjeeling District is also a 20 minutes trek from the cottages.Pickup and drop facility available from Kalimpong @ Rs.1500 per vehicle one way and NJP/Bagdogra @ Rs.3500 per vehicle (Rates As on 15.11.2012). Travel services is also provided for the entire Old Silk Route. Rs. 2500 per cottage on twin sharing basis, Extra person Charges @ 850INR per person. Full board Food @ 350INR per person extra.02 Cottages can accommodate a max of 04 persons in each of the cottages.  edit The Sana Hill Top (4400 ft.), ☎ 00 91 9330633111 (fax: + 91 33 25544848), [2]. checkin: 12.00 Noon; checkout: 11.00 AM. The Sana Hill Top is the second Hotel after The Sana Beach - Mandarmoni of The Sana Group Hotels. Situated at the top of a hill."180 degree view of snow peaks including Kanchenjunga". It's a luxury Hotel at Budget Price. This is the best deal in Kalimpong. Try to make reservation from Kolkata (033 25301030). Full board is available as well as services like arranging local tours . Direction to reach : Kalimpong Police Stn. - Upper Cart Road - EME Officers' Mess - The Sana Hill Top (2 KM away from Down Town) Rs. 1200-3500.  edit Holumba Guest House, [3]. One of the better deals in town. It is a botanical garden boasting exotic orchids with guest cottages. Full board is available as well as many services including arranging tours of the local area. Rs. 500-2000.  edit Morgan House, (3km away from Downtown. Taxi fare from the market to Morgan House is Rs 40 one way or you can just walk). This is one of the best places to sleep. It's the government tourist lodge, and you can get reservations from Calcutta and stay in this sprawling mansion from the 1930s, though there are reports that the quality is waning.  edit The Orchid Retreat, [4].  edit Soods Garden Retreat', Reshi Road, ☎ 919733123113, [5]. 8.5 miles out of town  edit J P Lodge, 10th Mile , R.C.Mintri Road, ☎ 9434462936, [6]. checkin: 12 PM; checkout: 11.30 AM. 900 to 2500.  edit Get out Dello - 6km Rikkisum - 20km Lava - 35km Loleygaon Rishop - 27km Darjeeling - 50km Sikkim The town of Pedong, an hour by taxi (RS 300), is a real off-the-track destination. The town's main monastery is over 150 years old, and can act as a base for hikes through the hills and surrounding villages. This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!