[Samba]

A trip to the hills with my parents was a long due. The primary objective of this trip was to relax amidst nature. Every year after Durga Puja, we plan a family trip. In 2021 it was to Puri & Gopalpur.
Last time my parents visited the Himalayas, it was back in 2019. So both of them were craving for the hills. With seven days in hand, we zeroed in on North Bengal.

Kolkata to Siliguri is always an unpredictable route, it can take anywhere between 9 to 18 hours depending on your luck! So we decided, it will be best for my mom to fly from Kolkata to Bagdogra and Bagdogra to Kolkata. That way it will be much more comfortable for her.

Me & my dad will drive till Bagdogra airport and pick her up and during the return leg, we will drop her back at the Bagdogra airport and both of us will drive back to Kolkata.

The itinerary-

Day 1 - Start from Kolkata post dinner at 10-30 pm and reach Darjeeling the next day morning.
Day 2- Start from Darjeeling in the morning, pick mom from the Bagdogra Airport and drive back to Darjeeling/Ghoom.
Day 3- Relax in Darjeeling/Ghoom.
Day 4- Ghoom- Tinchule- Ramdhura- Icche Gaon- Rishop - Neora Valley Jungle camp- Kolakham - Rishop.
Day 5- Rishop - Lava - Samabeong Tea Estate Bungalow & Geet Khola .
Day 6- Samabeong - Murti - Chalsa.
Day 7- Chalsa to Bagdogra airport & drive back to Kolkata.

This being a trip under 2000 km, not much checkup was done for the car. Just carried few essential spares in case of emergency.

Sharing few teaser pics-





















& a teaser video-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmlxlOk7lX4

[Samba]

Day 1 (Kolkata to Darjeeling, 648 km, 12 hours)

My mom had her flight on 16th October morning to reach Bagdogra. So dad and I decided to start from Kolkata on 14th night, drive leisurely to Siliguri & take rest for the rest of the day. So the following morning i.e. on 16th, we can pick her from the airport and drive to Darjeeling.

As per plan, on 14th October, post dinner we left our home at 10-30 pm. Google maps showed an estimated time to reach Siliguri by 12 noon. It looked perfect, so we can reach Siliguri have lunch and take rest.

The roads were relatively empty and it was a smooth sail. From Mogra we took the STKK road, crossed Kalna, Nabwadip & reached Krishnagar by 1 am. From Krishnanagar it was 4 lane and the cruise control was set at 104 km/hr. By 2 am we crossed Behrampur and by 2-30 am we crossed Moregram.
Farakka had a slight congestion, but it hardly took us 15 mins to cross the bridge. After crossing Farakka we took a 30 mins tea break near Kaliachowk.
By 4 am we resumed back our journey and once we were crossing Raiganj we could witness a beautiful sunrise with the paddy fields covered with fog. This was the first time I was taking the recently operational Dalkhola flyover.

From Dalkhola till Islampur bypass we had to drive through fog. Visibility was low. So had to be a bit cautious.



We reached Bagdogra by 7-30 am.

At 7-30 am my dad and I decided that there is no point in staying the whole day in Siliguri. Rather we can drive to Darjeeling and enjoy the day. From Bagdogra, as suggested by Bhpian Mountain_deep, we called hotel Sanderling and inquired whether they can provide us a room, and the answer was positive. Sanderling has a basement parking. Getting a hotel with a proper car parking in Darjeeling is quite the task.

From Bagdogra I took the road via Panighata instead of the regular route through Matigara. Bhpian arindam_xeta was in Darjeeling just a week before us and he suggested me to take this route. This route is very scenic & more importantly it was devoid of traffic.

We took the Pankhabari road and the progress was quite fast.
By 10 am we crossed Ghoom.



From Ghoom till Darjeeling there was some traffic congestion. Still we managed to check-in to our hotel room by completing all the formalities by 11 am.



View from our room



Took a short nap & decided to have a late lunch at the Keventers. How could we have missed their famous pork platter!





Took a stroll in the Darjeeling mall & came back to our hotel in the evening.







Post sunset view from our hotel room.



It was a long day. Plus the next day we had to start by 7-30 am to reach Bagdogra on time. Both of us were tired too, so we hit the bed by 10 pm.

Sanderling is a good hotel at a prime location with basement car parking. The rooms are comfortable and offer good view. On the flip side the food available is vegetarian & this hotel does not offer any Kanchanjungha facing rooms. To have a view of the mighty kanchanjunga, it will be a 5 to 10 mins walk from the hotel or one can view Kanchanjungha from the WBTDC Tourist lodge, which is just adjacent to this hotel.

Day 2 (Darjeeling - Bagdogra - Mirik - Ghoom, 184 km, 8 hours)

We woke up at 6 am and we walked in to the WBTDC tourist lodge to have our morning tea and enjoy the view of Kanchanjungha.

It was a clear view.



Came back, got ready and started by 7-45 am. Traffic was less and we came down to the plains via Pankha bari road in about a couple of hours. The flight was scheduled to arrive at 11-25 am. We already reached the plains by 10 am. Had enough time in hand, so we took a breakfast break! The added bonus was that the restaurant was in a scenic location.

Reached airport on time, picked my mom and again we took the road via Panighata, but this time instead of taking the Pankhabari road, we decided to go via Mirik.

This route is scenic. We took quite a few photo breaks on the way.









Our stay was booked at the Sterling Ghoom. We reached our hotel by 3-30 pm. The afternoon was spent viewing the Kanchanjungha from our hotel premises.

[Samba]

Day 3 (Relax in Darjeeling/Ghoom)

Early morning view from our cottage balcony.



View while having breakfast



In front of our cottage





Post breakfast we decided to hire a cab and visit the Darjeeling mall. As parking in Darjeling is a major problem, we hired a cab instead of taking the Duster. The 6 km from Ghoom to Darjeeling took us an hour. Tourist rush was quite high.







The famous Darjeeling tea at Golden Tips.











This place does not require much caption or description!





Yummy chicken cheese momos from Kunga!



By afternoon we took a cab & returned back to our hotel.

[Samba]

Day 3 continued

Weather forecast predicted a clear sky. So we were hoping for a great view of the mighty Kanchanjungha during sunset. And indeed it was worth it.

Sharing the pics from our hotel premise.































Colors after sunset.











A couple of days' stay in Sterling was pleasant. The room was cosy, the food was good, the hotel has a huge parking area and offers a great view of the Kanchanjungha from their view point. The only flip side of this hotel is that its approach road, is narrow, broken and at times it get very congested.

[Samba]

Day 4 (Ghoom- Tinchule - Rishop - Kolakham - Rishop, 151 km)

At 10 am, we started from Sterling Ghoom. It was a sunny morning with blue sky. Just the weather everyone will want to have in a hill station.



We took the Peshok road, crossed Lamahatta and took right for Tinchule. It's a very scenic 3 km uphill drive through the tea gardens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dXuFfv2QCs

Confluence of Teesta and Rangeet from the view point on Peshok road.



From Tinchule, the road to Rishop was suggested through Kalimpong, but I wanted to take the longer and more scenic route through Ramdhura, Icche Gaon. So from Melli bazar, instead of going towards Kalimpong we went straight towards Rongpo. Just before the Sikkim border the road for Ramdhura is on the right.

We were enjoying the road through the forest with practically zero traffic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1y1U-n9ybM

By 1 pm we reached Algarah. From here we continued towards Lava. Just 5 km before Lava one has to take a left turn for Rishop. This road goes through deep forest. It's a 5 km drive to Rishop. The drive was very scenic and enjoyable.

We checked in at Hotel Sleeping Buddha by 1-30 pm.

View from our room. Spot the Duster!



Had our lunch and decide to go for a drive till Kolakham.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2IOniE2y9s

For Kolakham one has to buy entry ticket from the check post at Lava to enter the Neora valley forest.



The road is through dense forest and it is not a tarred road.



En-route we visited the Neora Valley jungle camp. This time we were staying at Rishop, hence we decided to stay at this place in our next visit to this part of Bengal. This place is a total cut off from civilization!







From here Kolakham was just another 3 km downhill drive. It's a small village and on a clear day one can get a majestic view of the Kanchanjunga from this place.
From Kolakham we drove further 5 km towards Changey falls. But to see the falls it will require a bit of trekking. So skipped visiting the falls with my parents. On the way, we spent some time on another road side water falls.







From here we started our return journey by 4 pm and reached our hotel at Rishop in about an hour.

Few pics from our return journey.













Our stay during the sunset.





Hotel Sleeping Buddha at Rishop is located at one of the best location at Rishop. The rooms are comfortable and big. The food they offered was good. They have their own parking too.
On the flip side, their 4 bedded rooms do not offer Kanchanjunga view, but their double-bed rooms do offer that. The parking lot is located way down the hill. Climbing up from the parking to the hotel is quite a task. But the good thing is, if you have someone elderly in your car, he or she can be dropped in front of the reception and then the car can be taken to the parking lot. This hotel does not offer power backup from 11 pm to 7 am. So in the midnight if there is a powercut you won't get electricity. And this is a common problem in Rishop. By paying north of 8k per night for 3 persons with breakfast and dinner, we expected this hotel to have proper power backup in midnight too! But still this is the most comfortable place to stay in Rishop.

[Samba]

Day 5 (Rishop to Samabeong tea estate Bungalow & Geet Khola, 26 km)

We had our stay booked at the Samabeong Tea estate Bungalow. The main attraction of this bungalow is their glass room. They only have one. I was lucky enough to get it.

It's just a 16 km drive from Rishop towards Jhandi.

But before this how could we have missed the main attraction of Rishop! Rishop is known for offering one of the best views of the Kanchanjungha! So we woke up at 4-30 am and by 5 am, we were at the view point to witness the Kanchanjungha during the sunrise.

It was mesmerizing!



























Came back to our room, took a short nap for a couple of hours, got freshened up, had our breakfast & started for Samabeong by 10-30 am.

It was a short 16 km drive and it hardly took us 45 mins.
The last climb up through the tea estate is very scenic. The road is bad, but any high GC car can make it.

Sedans or hatchbacks can also make it with some careful driving or may be with a couple of underbelly hits.

Mr.Tamang the manager of the Bungalow along with his employees, greeted us with a very warm welcome. We instantly fell in love with the place. The room and the view was perfect. A great place to relax.















Post lunch they offered us two options - to take us for a walk through their tea garden or we could visit Geet khola too, which may require a 4wd. My dad instantly agreed for Geet Khola!

It was a 5 km downhill drive through the tea gardens. The last one km was bad which may require a 4wd for the climb up. But in the end Duster managed it in the 2wd mode itself. If it rains, this part might require a 4wd. High GC will be helpful.

The entrance of the Samabeong tea Bungalow is shown in the beginning of the video, & the climb up from Geet khola is from the 5 mins mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmlxlOk7lX4

Geet Khola

[Samba]

Day 6 continued

Photo-breaks on the way to Samabeong from Geet Khola.

















Samabeong Tea factory



Enjoyed a bit of cycling around the Bungalow. Even with the gears, cycling uphill without practice is quite a task!



The afternoon was spent relaxing in the bungalow.





For snacks they made a Nepali dish stuffed with potato. It tasted delicious.



Few pics of the Bungalow

















At night the sky was clear. So, to have a view of the Milky Way, my dad requested their manager to switch off the garden lights and they obliged.

I was lucky enough to get the lightning while clicking a night shot of the Bungalow.



Milky Way & night sky

[Samba]

Day 6 (Samabeong Tea Estate Bungalow - Murti - Chalsa, 65 km)

Rarely do we get a chance to have our breakfast like this!





It's an excellent property, with comfortable rooms, great food, ample parking space, very helpful and courteous staffs. There was nothing to complain about. Only thing I can say is, it's priced a bit on the steeper side, and there was a bit of issue with the hot water supply in our bathroom, but later it was sorted out.

Post breakfast we checked out from here by 11 am.

Our plan was to drive down to Siliguri and stay there. On the way down we decided to check out the WBTDC Murti guest house. Have heard many rave reviews about it. While coming down we took the road via upper Fagu, instead of the regular main road. This road was suggested to me by my friend Samya.

What a scenic route this turned out to be! The road is a bit narrow, but the view it offers is splendid.



A peacock on the way!











We visited Murti WBTDC and indeed it's a nice property.



Spent around an hour over here and we started for Siliguri. On the way my dad suggested, we can spend the night at Chalsa Sinclairs instead of going to Siliguri. For that we need to start early the next day to drop my mom at Bagdogra airport on time. All of us agreed with the decision and we checked-in at Chalsa Sinclairs by 2 pm.
Rest of the day was spent leisurely, with good food and relaxing in the resort.











This is a good resort with good food & parking. This is the 4th time I am staying at this place. Nothing to complaint against this resort. The only thing I can say is, I did't like their new paint scheme! The old paint scheme looked much better!

Day 7 (Chalsa to Kolkata, 682 km, 14 hours)

Early morning at Sinclairs Chalsa



We had to reach Bagdogra airport by 10 am. It's generally a 2 hours' drive from Chalsa, but to be on the safer side we started from Chalsa by 7-30 am.

Instead of taking the route through Sevoke, we took the route via Gajoldoba. The traffic was less and the progress was brisk. By 9-30 am we reached Bagdogra airport. We had our packed breakfast, & waited for couple of hours.
When mom confirmed she completed the security check-in formalities and the flight is on time, we left Bagdogra.

It was a smooth sail till Malda. Had a late lunch in Malda and started by 4 pm.
Kaliachowck was pretty congested and it took us 20 mins to cross Kaliachowk, then Google maps showed congestion at Farakka again. So just after crossing the toll, we took the wrong side road and drove till the entrance of the Farakka barrage. From Farakka till Behrampore toll it was a smooth traffic.

After Behrampore toll, the police again redirected the small cars towards the wrong side and after crossing the Behrampore level crossing we were stuck for an hour to cross the Ganga bridge.

After the bridge we took the river side road and managed to cross Behrampore in another half an hour. Again we were stuck at Krishnanagar due to a head-on collision between a Bolero pickup and a truck. The crane took 30 mins to clear the vehicles from the road. After Krishnanagar, it was a smooth drive through Nabwadip, Kalna & Mogra. Had our dinner at home!

1758 km of memories added!

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[sukhbirST]

Thanks for sharing and was really impressed with the quality of photographs. The timing and angles was amazing. Surprised by the lightening photo and its clarity. Will surely add to my must visit list.

[DogNDamsel12]

Could not not have left a comment on your travelogue and that too such a perfect one.

While the photos look enticingly relaxed, the actual log, of course, tells the story of another well-planned exploration spree whereby you have not given the poor senior kids a minute of rest (or vice versa, perhaps! )

The Duster looks sprucely in such pristine surroundings - some of the most handsome photos of the Mister.

Awesome play of colors and sunshine - so typical of North Bengal, almost like a nostalgic movie or music album. Very well captured!

[SanSabh]

Great pictures! I'm surprised at how amazing clear weather you had; my memory of the area from '92 is one big white haze! I think the best part is the impromptu changes made as you went along. And the garden roads are perfect terrain for an SUV ����

[BlackPearl]

Amazing pictures and crisp travelogue, yet again! Whenever I miss the Himalayas I keep reminding myself that I have been there umpteen number of times and there is nothing to miss, but whenever I see a travelogue and that too of our beloved Darjeeling, I jump onto it to see the pictures

Thanks for sharing a lovely travelogue and it was great to see the senior Senguptas enjoying the wonderful weather and places.

[haisaikat]

Another Sambish TL. What it means is guaranteed excellent photos, adventurous drives and more importantly some insane timings on the roads.

First time I went with my over sedate driving via Bhagalpur to Siliguri it took me 22 hours, and in comparison you did Kolkata to Ghoom in 12 hours. Reminds me of merit score comparison with class toppers that is some awesome timing.

I liked the Geet Khola destination and enjoyed the narrow unpaved roads from your videos and photos, probably will not dare to venture.

While yours was a jam packed itinerary of great scenic places, some of the clicks will be memorable for ever, like the one with them walking on the road with the Duster pulled over to the side or the one where they are sitting on the bench with the Kanchenjungha at the backdrop.

Thank you for bringing us another beautiful travelogue. Rated 5 stars, sharing one photo from our Kolakham drive back in 2020, I too liked the place a lot and wish to stay someday provided the road becomes better and predictable

[Travelmania]

I thoroughly enjoyed your Travelogue. Got glued to your photos and narration as if I am also traveling with you. My hats off to your parents for endless support to the tour as it was very fast paced. Like me,Darjeeling is always a love to major travellers. Loved the Samabeong Tea estate bunglow.. Though travelled lots of time to this region still feel unfilled.