Visiting the scenic Kalimpong town and adjoining area was the second leg of our tour of the Kalimpong district. In my earlier travelogue, I had taken you to Lava, Lolegaon, Rishop, Pedong and Reshikhola. The Kalimpong district was carved out of Darjeeling in 2017, and has its headquarters in the Kalimpong town. It stands on a ridge that between two hills – Durpin and Deolo (Delo). On our way back to the New Jalpaiguri railway station, we visited the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of Rangeet and Teesta rivers
Our itinerary:
Let me first tell you our entire tour plan, so that it is easy as you move ahead:
- 1st Day: Reach New Mal Junction and transfer to Lava. Local sightseeing in Lava.
- 2nd Day: Visit Rishop (Rishyap) in the morning, Changey Falls in the afternoon.
- 3rd Day: Visit Reshikhola (Rishikhola) and Pedong.
- 4th Day: Transfer to Kalimpong via Lolegaon.
- 5th Day: Kalimpong Local sightseeing and Deolo.
- 6th Day: Visit Triveni Sangam, enroute to NJP station for return journey to Kolkata.
Picking up from where I left off, we reached the Morgan House, our place of stay for the next 2 nights on the evening of Day 4.
Morgan House:
As Morgan House itself is a popular tourist attraction in Kalimpong and known for its “haunted” or “spooky” nature, let me go back to its history.
The Morgan House was built by Mr. George Morgan, a jute baron, in the 1930s on the hills of Durpin dara (“dara” means hill in the local language). After his marriage to his lady love, the couple stayed at the British colonial mansion.
But, their happiness didn’t last long as Mrs. Morgan had an untimely death. Mr. Morgan left the house soon after.
I had read online articles and blogs about that the ghost of Lady Morgan haunts the place. Many people seemed to have heard the sound of high-heeled shoes along the corridors of the lodge.
When we decided to visit Kalimpong, I thought, what can be a better place to stay than the Morgan House? And why not book the bedroom of Mrs and Mr Morgan? If at all Mrs. Morgan appears, she would surely visit her bedroom once !!!
Did we actually meet the soul of Mrs Morgan? Did we feel something unnatural or uncanny? I would surely tell that, you would have to wait till the end.
Coming to the present tense, Kalimpong was not that cold as compared to Lava or Rishop. After quickly completing the check-in formalities, we settled in our room over a cup of hot coffee.
There was nothing much to do as it was already dark outside. Still we thought of having a stroll around the house and on the lawns to have a feeling of the “haunted” place at night. For dinner, we ordered the signature Chicken Roast with Boiled Vegetables, Bread and Butter, which was indeed delicious.
I woke up early in the morning and as I peeped out of the window, I could see her – the majestic Kanchenjungha against the backdrop a clear blue sky. What a view to start the day !!!
After quickly freshening up, I went out of the room into the green manicured lawns. With a cool breeze against by back, I roamed around the place, enjoying the mighty Kanchenjungha from different angles.
The Morgan House building is itself a treat for every traveller. The brick and stone walls covered with green moss, coloured ivy and unnamed creepers will surely take you to the bygone era.
West Kalimpong
We had our complimentary breakfast of toast-omelette and poori-sabji under the big umbrella in the lawn. As our car was yet to arrive, we stepped out of the gates of the Morgan House and crossed the road to reach the Army Golf Course.
This scenic 9-hole Golf Course was constructed in 1973 and is maintained by the Indian Army. You can view the entire place as well as the mountains from the Watershed View Point. There is also a small canteen run by the army authorities, where you can have a quick bite of Dosa, Idly, Vada, Paratha, Tea and Coffee.
Adjacent to the golf course is the Circuit House. Although there is not much to see inside, it is good for a short stroll.
By now, our driver called us to inform that he had arrived. We came back to the Morgan House, and stepped into the car.
Our first stop was at the nearby Zang Dhok Palri Monastery (commonly known as the Durpin Monastery), atop the Durpin Hill. From the backside of the monastery, you would get magnificent views of the Kanchenjunga range, the valley below and the surrounding hills. The parking space is just in front of the entry gate, and gets packed up quite early. So, if you are fond of photo-shooting in front of tourist attractions, make it a point to reach early. Otherwise the parked vehicles will cover half of your photo.
Chitra Bhanu, popularly known as Pratima Tagore’s (Rabindranath Tagore’s daughter-in-law) house was our next stop. This 1-storied building, with a nice garden around it, was constructed in 1943. The place is scenic and the back-side of the compound caters to some gorgeous views of the surrounding hills. The back-side of the house has been seriously damaged by the earthquake of 2011, and it is presently in a dilapidated condition. No one can enter the house; but you can take a sneak peek at the original furniture, photographs and paintings through one of the few glass windows.
Across the road from Chitra Bhanu is the Pine View Nursery, known for its exotic variety of cactus, collected from around the globe. It houses over 1500 species of cactus and is well groomed and maintained. Some of the cacti are also available for sale.
The above sightseeing places are part of the West Kalimpong, and can be clubbed together in a half day tour. Now we moved towards the next half, i.e. the East of Kalimpong, which includes the places on the way to the Delo (Deolo) Hill and the Hill itself.
East Kalimpong
The first place of interest, as you travel upwards towards Deolo is Dr Graham’s Homes. It is a Boarding cum day school, established by Reverend Dr. John Anderson Graham in 1900. It was founded with the aim of providing education to the needy and poor Anglo Indian children. The school campus has now expanded to more than 500 acres of land.
We were very much interested for a walk down the school compound. But unfortunately, our time didn’t coincide with the visiting hours, and we had to return from the entry gate. School Visiting Hours: 4 PM – 5 PM on weekdays, 8 AM – 5 PM on Sundays and Holidays.
As you travel upwards, there are 3 places of interest almost adjacent to each other – a Buddhist Temple (Urgyen Do Ngag Choeling), a Durga Temple and a Hanuman Temple. The point that all these 3 places have in common is that of the breathtakingly beautiful view of the valley and the hills and the mountains around.
Just 1 KM before Deolo is the Kalimpong Science Centre. It was closed due to the Durga Puja/ Dussera festival. So we moved forward.
By the time we reached the Deolo Park, it was lunch time. We purchased the entry tickets and headed straight for the Deolo Tourist Lodge, which is the only resort within the Park compound. We ordered lunch at their dining room, but we were informed that it would take some time.
Instead of waiting for the lunch to be served, we ventured out and roamed around the place. The entire surrounding with manicured lawns, pony rides, play area etc. makes it ideal for kids to enjoy. There are also small shops that sell snacks; and a shop that rents out Chinese costumes which you can wear for a photoshoot.
After lunch we explored further. From the viewpoints, you can enjoy the beautiful views of the Kalimpong town and the River Teesta meandering below.
And then you have the ever-crowded steel-framed I LOVE KALIMPONG signage point, where all the tourists were flocking to click snaps. Except early in the morning when the gates of the park open, do not expect to have a “solo” selfie here.
If you are an adventurist, then you can go for Paragliding. There are some operators with stalls outside the entry gate of the Deolo Park.
After spending some more time here, we started our return journey.
Kalimpong town
We came back to our hotel around 4 PM, but our day was yet to be over. It was a Wednesday, the day of Haat (local market) in Kalimpong. It takes place every Wednesday and Saturday at the Haat Bazaar, which is located very near to the Kalimpong Bus/ Taxi stand. We missed it at Lava, so there was no question of missing it here.
After quickly freshening up, we went to the shared taxi stand at a walking distance from the Morgan House. Regular taxi service is available from here to the Kalimpong Bus/ motor stand till 6.30 PM, at Rs. 10 per person.
Once in the Haat Bazaar, I was very much disappointed. It was not as bustling or vivid as I had read or thought of. Might be due to the Tika festival, many sellers didn’t set up their stalls that day. Or might be as it was already evening, many of them had already left.
We wanted to buy some woolen garments for us and for relatives back home. We found few shops lined on both sides of the main road, and purchased a few woolens at a decent price.
Night descends on the hills quickly, and shops and restaurants also shut down early. So we had an early dinner at the heritage Gompu’s Restaurant.
It was about 8 PM and there was no shared taxi available. So we rented a car for Rs. 100 and came back to the Morgan House.
The day of return: NJP via the Triveni Sangam:
Today was our day of return, and the train was from the NJP in the evening at 8 PM. In order to spend the time in between, I had planned to visit the Triveni – the confluence of the Rangeet and Teesta rivers – on the way to NJP.
If you have travelled to Tinchuley, Peshok or Takdah, you must have stopped at the beautiful Lovers’ Meet View Point. Triveni is that same place that you see below from this view point.
In around half an hour into our journey, we stopped at the 7th Mile View Point. The place is supposed to cater some beautiful views of the Teesta River and the valley. But, we couldn’t get any such view. Our driver explained that due to the overgrown trees all around, the views are now obstructed.
But, there is a major advantage of a stop-over here. Especially, if you have been deprived of that perfect selfie with the I LOVE KALIMPONG in Deolo. This place has another similar signage, but it seemed tourists seldom stop here. Undisturbed, you can click as many solo/ family pictures as you wish.
Next we stopped on the Teesta Bridge and captured the river and beautiful surroundings in our camera. Moving ahead, we had to take a detour towards Darjeeling, and another detour took us towards the confluence. The road condition for the last 2 Kilometers is not good, but you can surely withstand that after your travel to Rishop and Lolegaon.
Once on the sandy beach at the confluence, the entire surrounding is a treat for your eyes. I was mesmerized by the greenery of the Sikkim Hills along the Rangeet and the Kalimpong Hills along the Teesta, and clear blue sky in between. You can even distinguish the distinct colours of the two rivers.
The kids had a great time dipping their toes in the water, playing with the pebbles and building a sand castle.
Finally after spending close to an hour here and bidding a goodbye to the hills and rivers and promising them to come back soon, we started our journey towards the NJP Railway Station.
Some useful information about Kalimpong
How to travel to Kalimpong:
Being a very popular destination, there are numerous travel options to Kalimpong. You can hire a car outside the NJP Railway station or Bagdogra Airport (from Pre-paid taxi counter or by directly negotiating rates with the driver). Shared Jeeps or Buses are also available from the Siliguri stands.
Car rental in Kalimpong:
- We had hired the car from Samir Mukhia on both the days. He is a jovial person and drives a Wagon-R. His contact number is +91-80013-75516.
- For the full day Kalimpong sight-seeing, the cost was Rs. 2500.
- For the NJP drop via Triveni, he charged us Rs. 3500.
- The charges would have been Rs. 500 less in a lean tourist season.
About the Morgan House Complex:
- The Morgan House Complex consists of 3 parts – the main Morgan House Building, an array of 7 cottages and the Tashiding Tourist Lodge (commonly known as the Morgan House Annexue). These are all inter-connected, but the Tashiding building has a separate entry also.
- With respect to location and views, your first preference should be the Main Building, followed by the Tashiding Building and then the cottages.
- Both the Morgan House and the Tashiding Lodge have lawns around them, where you can spend your time idling.
- If it doesn’t pinch your pocket and if at-all available, you should book the Deluxe Double Bedded Room or Room 101 of the Morgan House. Here, we spent our 2nd night. It is the bedroom of Mrs and Mr Morgan, and the largest room in the building. It has marvellous views on 2 sides – from one window, you can directly view the Kanchenjungha on a clear day and from the other window, you can view the Golf Course.
- On the 1st night, we stayed in a Standard Double Bedded Room (Room 103). You can have views of Kanchenjungha from this room, along with Room 105, if you peep out of the window and look to your right.
- The Large Double Bedded Room (Room 104) is the second largest in the building and has a private terrace overlooking the front of the lodge. But it doesn’t have any view of the mountains and only an obstructed view of the Golf Course.
- Authorities have now stopped visitors without a reservation to enter the Morgan House Complex. I felt bad for such travellers who were trying to click a picture from outside of the locked entrance.
My review of the Morgan House:
- It is really a privilege to stay at the main Morgan House Building. With the wooden floors and stairs, antic furniture, the brick-stone structure of the building covered with moss will surely make you travel to the past.
- The rooms were neat and clean, food was delicious and the hospitality of the staff was really commendable.
- And coming back to the story of ghost and the uncanny feeling, I can assure you that we didn’t feel anything that is unnatural or abnormal. On the second night, when we stayed in Mrs Morgan’s room, I went for loo once; and the only sound that I could hear was the tapping of my own slippers on the wooden floor.
- You can book the rooms online at: https://www.wbtdcl.com/
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If you like my posts, please allow me to send my next published post automatically to your Inbox. Please Subscribe in the form below, and Follow me on Instagram and Facebook.
Loved your detailed post. Very nicely described and packed with information.