Kurseong, once again is a slightly offbeat place, which is enroute to Darjeeling, and most tourists stop by for a cup of tea before proceeding to Darjeeling. It is also a place that houses some of the most famous Christian Missionary schools of Eastern India. Being on the lookout for some unconventional place to stay in, we luckily came across Makaibari Tea Estate, one of the most respected names worldwide for Darjeeling tea. ( infact Makaibari tea holds the world record for the costliest tea @ Rs 22, 000/- per kg in 2005). Makaibari is one of the three tea estates to introduce tea tourism and they have at present, three cottages with 6 double rooms that are being offered on rent. Normally the cottages are occupied mostly by foreigners who stay here on a longterm basis with some research work etc. Luckily all of them had gone home on Christmas and hence I could get the necessary bookings done in advance, after interacting with Mrs Srirupa Banerjee, the owners wife.
Dec 28th was a memorable day for us as the manager of the tea estate, Mr. Ghosh took us around the tea garden plantations in his own vehicle, stopping by at various places to share the vast wealth of his experience. We also visited the Makaibari factory, and were explained about the tea manufacturing process. Makaibari is one of the first bio organic tea gardens of the country - which means that no chemical fertilizers are used. Out of the total area of approx 1000 acres, approx 650 acres are kept as forests. Wildlife is encouraged, and the tea estate even employs 12 forest rangers to monitor the progress of its wildlife !!! Incidentally the plucking season is set to begin in April, and during this time all visitors are welcome to visit the Makaibari factory. This visit is free of charge and you do not need to stay in their guest house to avail of this once in a lifetime opportunity. We also had the rare honour of attending a tea tasting session which was specially organised for us. And on our way back, we did buy plenty of boxes of Makaibari tea from the factory outlet, just outside the main gate.
AS we are all aware, the darjeeling Himalayan railway is now a UN Heritage property - but almost all the trains ( from Siliguri to Darjeeling ) are hauled by diesel engines -- and therefore they have lost some of the charm. The only train that is still hugged by a steam loco is that toy train that departs from Kurseong at 6am to arrive at darjeeling at 8.45 am. At my son's insistence, we took this joyride for a paltry ticket of Rs 10/- ( can you believe it). It was a tiny little 3 bogied train that huffed and puffed its way by the side of the Hill Cart Road, gaining maximum speeds of 15 km per hour. As the train whistled away, school going kids came right out of their houses and hopped onto the running train, took a joyride and hopped down once their school approached !!! As the train reached Ghoom railway station we alighted and reached the famous Batasia loop, just in time to catch this train make two picturesque 360 degree turns and chug on towards Darjeeling.
For travellers wishing to make this trip from Darjeeling, there is a diesel engine hauled toy train that runs upto Ghoom station and returns to Darjeeling, covering a total distance of 18 kms in two and a half hours. Tickets are priced at Rs 260/- each.
We proceeded to Darjeeling and spent the entire day at the Mall, chatting with friends whom we met for the first time there and thronging the numerous curio shops all around. We returned to Makaibari by road in the evening ( distance of 36 kms) and the next day we were back in the pile of concrete named Kolkata.
All that we have with us now is fond memories of those 10 days !!!!!
Essential Tips and Information :-
1) Getting There :-
a) The nearest airport is located at Bagdogra (which is close to the city of Siliguri). Bagdogra is connected by direct flights from New Delhi ( 2.5 hrs), Kolkata ( 1 hr) and Guwahati ( 50 mins).
b) The nearest railway station is at New Jalpaiguri ( approx 6 kms from Siliguri ). It is well connected with Kolkata ( approx 10 to 12 hrs) and new Delhi ( approx 24 hrs) .
c) Darjeeling and Kurseong are also connected by a narrow gauge toy train with New Jalpaiguri. However this is a long and tedious journey, with an average speed of just 10 kms per hr. Hence travelers are better advised to travel by road . There is a special 2 hr toy train joyride that originates and terminates in Darjeeling, which can be availed by tourists.
2) Distances from Bagdogra / New Jalpaiguri Rly Stn :- Darjeeling ( 83 kms), Kurseong ( 55 kms), Kalimpong ( 80 kms), Lava ( 115 kms), Loleygaon ( 136 kms), Rishyap ( 112 kms).
- Thank You! We appreciate your effort.
