Kurseong

Many of you may not be familiar with Kurseong and think this might be another small roadside village on the way to Darjeeling. However, the spread is beyond the township to lovely tea gardens along with mountain slopes, forests with many different flora & fauna, quaint villages and so on. There are many view points, tea estaes, temples and churches, museums, as well as gamous historic schools that were set up during the British Colonial days. If you are planning a trip to Kurseong, there are more than a dozen different things that you can do. The place is packed full of beautiful sights to see and nook and corners to explore. Eagle’s Craig is a view point from where you can get a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains and valleys. The place is quite popular amongst tourists. Ambootia Shiv temple along with several monasteries are worth visiting. Notable ones are the Buddhist Gompas in Downhill Road, and Monteviot Road. St. Paul’s Church near St. Joseph School is another spot of tourist attraction. The church sits at the top of a hill and is a popular destination. If you are interested in history you can go to the nearby Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Museum. The museum houses important memorabilia, like letters written by Netaji and things used by him during his stay there. You can also take a peaceful walk down Aranya Sarani and reach at Chimneys. It is a beautiful meadow and a popular picnic spot. The walk among the rhododendron trees is one that should not be missed. Dow Hill Park also known as Deer Park is located on top of Dow Hill. Dow Hill Forest Museum is large two-storeyed museum in Dow Hill that stores many exhibits of flora and fauna of the region. The museum is open daily. Dow Hill Water Reservoir is a large reservoir where rain water is stored. It acts as a water source to many areas of Kurseong sub-division and is surrounded by lush pine and confirous trees and looks beautiful. Ambootia Tea Estate is a sprawling tea estate with lovely gardens on the mountain slopes that produce black, green white Darjeeling teas. It is located about 10kms below the Kurseong town and takes about 35 minutes to reach by car. Makaibari Tea is one of the most famous tea estates in Darjeeling district. It’s located 3kms from Kurseong town and on Makaibari road and is one of the oldest tea estates in the district producing some of the finest tea varieties. Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) museums of Darjeeling district located in Kurseong station premises houses many treasures, historical articrafts and exhibits of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. Toy train ride between Kurseong and Darjeeling one of the best ways to do so is by taking a toy train from Kurseong station. One can explore the nature, its flora and fauna and also several almost unnamed villages and their people and culture. You can relish the authentic Muscatel organic tea, a rare beverage. The other delicacies include Thukpa Noodle Soup and Steamed Momos and also try local drinks like Channg and Tongba.