Kurseong – The Land of White Orchid

Kurseong, a subdivision of the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, is a bustling town located at an altitude of 4864 ft. If you are planning to visit the Darjeeling town or any of the nearby places, you would most likely be passing this township. Although it has been urbanized in the recent years, the real beauty of the place gets reflected as you venture beyond the main road (i.e. the Hill Cart Road) and into the forest, tea gardens and adjoining villages. There are mesmerizing viewpoints, forests of Dow Hill, British era schools and churches, heritage structures, museums which you can explore during your visit.

We first visited Kurseong during our trip to Tinchuley, Takdah, Lamahatta and Chatakpur. On our way back to the New Jalpaiguri station from Chatakpur, we covered a few spots of this serene locality. But unlike my other blogs, I do not want to restrict this article based on a single visit. On the other hand, I would cover the places that we visited, and also mention the other important places that we could not cover. Next time we visit Kurseong, I would surely enhance the blog and include those places also.

Dow Hill:

Dow Hill has carved out its own unique entity within Kurseong. With a picturesque hilly landscape covered with forest, it is worth to visit the place if you are in Kurseong. We covered a few sightseeing spots here:

Dow Hill School for Girls:

Built during the British rule, this Government run school is a pleasure to the eyes due to its unique colonial structure and tranquil surroundings.

Victoria Boys School:

This is another British era school and now being run by the Government of West Bengal. From the main gate on the road, we had to walk along a scenic pathway with lush greenery on both sides, to reach the school. Just before the school gate, there is an old church, which is locally known as the haunted church.

Eco Park:

Earlier known as the Deer Park, it is now nothing more than a children’s park. Instead of deer, we found some rabbits playing in a separate enclosure. The park is open from 10 AM to 4 PM and is closed on Thursdays.

Dead Road:

Even if you don’t have kids with you, please do visit the Eco Park, as you would pass through a pine forest popularly known as the Dead Road. We got down from our car, and walked along the road with thick plantation on both sides.

Makaibari Tea Estate:

One of the most famous tea estates of the Darjeeling district. Its factory is located at a distance of 3 KM from the Kurseong town. It was in the month of May that we visited the place and hoped to buy the first flush of Darjeeling tea. But unfortunately due to the high demand, it was sold out both at the factory and the outlet situated a little away downhill. So we had to buy the second flush tea. But unlike the tea gardens of Tinchuley and Takdah (Runglee Rungliot, Teesta Valley and Peshok), the tea garden itself is not that much attractive and also there was no way to enter the garden.

Chimney Heritage Park:

Located around 7 KM uphill from the Kurseong Toy Train station, it is a small park with a centrally located structure of a chimney that was erected during the British era. There is also a view point here. But when we arrived at the park, it was raining and it had become too foggy. So, we didn’t venture towards the view point. The park is open from 10 AM to 4 PM and is closed on Thursdays.

Glenhill Public School:

This is one of the famous private schools of the region. From the front of the school we got a magnificent view of the surrounding area, as well as the 40 feet high statue of Lord Hanuman, known as the Hamuman Tok. That place is itself a sightseeing spot, and more significantly due to the adjacent “I Love Kurseong” signage, popular with the selfie seekers. In this trip, we didn’t have the opportunity to visit Hamuman Tok or “I Love Kurseong”.

Kurseong Tourist Lodge:

Located within the Kurseong town, I would coin this government tourist lodge as a tourist attraction mainly for 2 reasons:

• The alluring view of the Balasan River and the Kurseong and Mirik towns that the lobby and the dining hall of the lodge provide.
• The special Kurseong-style momo that the kitchen serves. We had our lunch here, and its taste was definitely unique. I would surely make a pit stop here the next time I pass by, only for the sake of the momo. We had also ordered for Chicken thupka and Hakka noodles.

Other places of interest:

Other important places that we couldn’t cover, and should be a part of your bucket list if you are visiting Kurseong:

• Hanuman Tok and I Love Kurseong
• Gidda Pahar View point
• Rock Garden
• St. Mary’s Hill and Church
• Eagle’s Crag (A View point)
• Margaret’s Deck Tea Lounge
• Castleton Tea Estate
• Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Museum
• Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Museum

Best time to visit Kurseong:

Many tourists visit Darjeeling during the summer holidays to get a respite from the heat of the plains. But, the best time to visit to the region is during the extended winter months, i.e. mid-October to February. During this time, the sky is normally clear and you will get an exquisite view of the Kanchenjunga range.

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