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Old 3rd October 2008, 10:48   #1
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Travelling to Kalimpong

Folks I am planning a family vacation to Kalimpong in the last week of Oct and needed some advice. Specific questions, can I drive a Ford Fusion from Cal to Kalimpong, or is it a better idea to take a train to siliguri and then hire a car there? Also, how cold is it in the last week of October?

And oh, since I am travelling with Wifey and two small kids, need some kids-friendly place to stay. Saw this place on the net called Holumba which seemed nice, anybody stayed there, or have better options?
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Old 3rd October 2008, 10:59   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by b_bashob View Post
Folks I am planning a family vacation to Kalimpong in the last week of Oct and needed some advice. Specific questions, can I drive a Ford Fusion from Cal to Kalimpong, or is it a better idea to take a train to siliguri and then hire a car there? Also, how cold is it in the last week of October?
I would advise for a train or plane journey. Especially when you're having kids with you. Spend more time on hills than spending on roads.

It won't be very cold and that's purely subjective. I like sub zero temperature..

Try Hotel Silver Oaks in Kalimpong. It was one of the best there and budget should suit you fine.
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Old 3rd October 2008, 11:36   #3
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@Basab - I went to Kalimpong last December and stayed at two hotels, Hotel hilltop and then Morgan House. Here is a travelogue that I had written - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...th-sikkim.html
Holumba Haven is the hotel where a few of my colloeagues stayed and they were quite happy about it but frankly speaking I have no idea. Morgan House is quite good but you have to book early.
Ford Fusion is a very good car to take to the hills because of it high ground clearance. But Kalimpong will not be very cold as Rudra Da has mentioned. PM me if you need any info about the route..

Last edited by BlackPearl : 3rd October 2008 at 11:38.
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Old 3rd October 2008, 12:10   #4
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Here is a log of my trip to north Bengal last year. However, road conditions have deteriorated since because of floods. Ford Fusion is great. Has very high ground clearance. A friend of mine goes every now and then to the mountains with his FF.
Attached Files
File Type: xls Kol-Siliguri-May07.xls (51.5 KB, 486 views)
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Old 6th October 2008, 16:12   #5
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Hi Bashob,

Although the FF is a great car to travel, I would still suggest a train to NJP from Sealdah (Darjeeling Mail - Train leaves at 10.05 p.m. from Sealdah and reaches NJP at 8 A.M. next day) and then you can hire a car to Kalimpong (Approx 70 Kms from NJP station). Reason being the bad roads from Kolkata to Siliguri. Travelled by road 3 months back on this stretch and am still regretting it.

One more reason not to take your car would be the parking problem in Kalimpong town. Lots of taxis and private vehicles take up the little space available in the town.

Good time to travel though, as most people would be sporting their traditional attire (a diktat given by Gorkhaland Head Honchos to the localites to sport their traditional gear for a month from 7th Oct) and you can get a glimpse of the colourful culture.

Good places to stay - Sood's Garden Retreat, Silver Oaks and plenty other places. You can look it up on the net for more info.

Do PM me if you need any help while you are there as my in-laws are from Kalimpong.

Wish you a good trip.
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Old 8th October 2008, 09:17   #6
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I love this 'Saraikhana', where travellers can trade tales and get advice. Thanks friends, will reach out over PMs over the next few days to finalize my vacation.
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Old 25th February 2014, 22:12   #7
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Kalimpong-Zuluk-Kapup-Tsongmo Lake-Gangtok during April?

Hello bhpians,

I need a small advice to plan a trip to East Sikkim during early April this year. Is it possible to do the Siliguri-Kalimpong-Reshi-Zuluk-Kupup-Baba Mandir-Tsogmo Lake-Gangtok route on a motorbike? I have heard that this route's proximity to the Chinese border makes it restricted to the army personnel and only a few civilians are allowed with proper permits.

If it is possible to ride on this route, where can I get the necessary permits done? What important documents are required? And how good (or bad) are the roads? Is it possible to do this entire stretch of around 250 kms on a single day on a motorbike?

Also is it possible to do the Siliguri-Mangan-Yumthang-Gurudongmar Lake-Mangan-Siliguri road on a motorcycle? Any special permits required for this? Any leads to this will be really helpful.

Thanks and Regards,
Arunabh

Last edited by //M : 25th February 2014 at 22:13.
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Old 27th February 2014, 21:15   #8
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Re: Kalimpong-Zuluk-Kapup-Tsongmo Lake-Gangtok during April?

Quote:
Originally Posted by //M View Post
Hello bhpians,

I need a small advice to plan a trip to East Sikkim during early April this year. Is it possible to do the Siliguri-Kalimpong-Reshi-Zuluk-Kupup-Baba Mandir-Tsogmo Lake-Gangtok route on a motorbike? I have heard that this route's proximity to the Chinese border makes it restricted to the army personnel and only a few civilians are allowed with proper permits.

If it is possible to ride on this route, where can I get the necessary permits done? What important documents are required? And how good (or bad) are the roads? Is it possible to do this entire stretch of around 250 kms on a single day on a motorbike?

Also is it possible to do the Siliguri-Mangan-Yumthang-Gurudongmar Lake-Mangan-Siliguri road on a motorcycle? Any special permits required for this? Any leads to this will be really helpful.

Thanks and Regards,
Arunabh
Hi there, I saw your query a few days ago. Thought someone would be able to give you detailed info, but seems you have not got any even after a few days. So here is a little bit of info I have to get you headed in the right track. I had gone to this place called Reshi in 2008, where we halted for a few nights. This place is about 1.5-2 hrs from Kalimpong and falls along the route to Zuluk.

The eco resort we stayed in Reshi was owned by this man called Sebastian Pradhan, who was trying to develop Reshi into an eco tourist spot. That time he had mentioned about this place called Zuluk and even showed us pictures of the zig-zag roads that lead to that area. And I remember him telling us that he would take care of all the permits for us if we were interested in going there. Since we were on a tight timeline we did not take up his offer.

I tried to look for his business card but I cant seem to find it, but a quick search on the internet gave me his contact details. Why dont you give him a call and get more info. I know this info is not much but I guess some info is better than no info.

here is Mr.sebastian pradhan phone no.9932744407 / 9932680170
Email@ : reshiecotourism@gmail.com

P.S Please do share your findings.

http://www.indiamike.com/india/sikki...ikkim-t120489/

Last edited by amrisharm : 27th February 2014 at 21:19.
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Old 27th February 2014, 21:49   #9
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Re: Kalimpong-Zuluk-Kapup-Tsongmo Lake-Gangtok during April?

Quote:
Originally Posted by amrisharm View Post
Hi there, I saw your query a few days ago. Thought someone would be able to give you detailed info, but seems you have not got any even after a few days. So here is a little bit of info I have to get you headed in the right track. I had gone to this place called Reshi in 2008, where we halted for a few nights. This place is about 1.5-2 hrs from Kalimpong and falls along the route to Zuluk.

The eco resort we stayed in Reshi was owned by this man called Sebastian Pradhan, who was trying to develop Reshi into an eco tourist spot. That time he had mentioned about this place called Zuluk and even showed us pictures of the zig-zag roads that lead to that area. And I remember him telling us that he would take care of all the permits for us if we were interested in going there. Since we were on a tight timeline we did not take up his offer.

I tried to look for his business card but I cant seem to find it, but a quick search on the internet gave me his contact details. Why dont you give him a call and get more info. I know this info is not much but I guess some info is better than no info.

here is Mr.sebastian pradhan phone no.9932744407 / 9932680170
Email@ : reshiecotourism@gmail.com

P.S Please do share your findings.

http://www.indiamike.com/india/sikki...ikkim-t120489/
Thank You so much amrisharm sir !!

Really appreciate all the help. I'll try and contact Mr.Pradhan and surely will share the details regarding permits on this route. Thank You again.
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