Mountains of Bengal & Himachal

Off-the-beaten-track tourist places in Himachal Pradesh and Bengal Himalayas

 

Takdah - Eastern Himalayas, West Bengal

 
Takdah...The name itself has a hint of serenity. This little hamlet about 3hrs drive from Siliguri is famous for its orchids. There is a big nursery near the town showcasing a variety of orchids. Its like a dreamland, once you are in Takdah. You should book the forest bungalow well in advance, as it's in big demand. Takdah itself is situated on a face of a hill, overlooking a valley. The road to the forest bungalow is a narrow and steep offshoot of the main road running through Takdah and its situated at the base of a sloping forest. Inside, it feels and looks like a real star hotel. In the monsoons you can enjoy lying down in the cozy bedroom, playing a pack of cards. Through the window you can see the rain pouring down, from above and from the face of the hill. This combined with the greenery makes it enchanting! There is nothing much in terms of site-seeing near Takdah, but you can just relax and enjoy the surroundings, sapping away all the tiredness, tensions and pollutions of daily life! Take a walk down the winding pathways of the hill through a posse of greenery, enjoy a hot serving of momos at the local eatery, and then come back to the hotel and enjoy with your family while the cook prepares a tasty meal for dinner.
 
 

Jorepokhri - Eastern Himalayas

 
Jore-Pokhri...Jore means pair and Pokhri means lakes. The place is situated at the top of a hill just above Ghum on the Ghum-Mirik highway. The approach is a narrow road winding up the Hill through thick pine forests, in which if you are lucky, you can spot some wild animals. The lakes are part of the resort and are man made, but very beautiful. You will find white swans swimming about and ducks playfully splashing in the water. It has a marvelous view of the Kanchenjunga range; you will feel that the majestic snow peaks are hanging on top of the place. The altitude is about 8000 feet, so the weather is pretty cool even in the summers. The main advantage of the place is that it's on top and there's not much obstruction in the view around. There's only a Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council bungalow for accommodation here. In the mornings, after you view the sunrise over Mt. Kanchenjunga, you can take a walk along the road, through the forest. Or you can hire a car and hop on for some site-seeing of the nearby places. All in all, a great hill station with a magnificent view of the mighty and elegant snow capped Himalayas!
 

McLoedganj - Himachal Pradesh

 
If there's a Tibet in India then this is the place. This is also the residence of HM Dalai Lama in India. The views of the Dhauladhar range are magnificent from here. The Tibetan government in exile is headquartered here. You can find many varieties of hotels here to stay, food is authentic Tibetan and delicious from any of the eateries around. You can visit the McLeodganj Monastery, where you can spend an entire day, just sitting in the calm and quiet holy surroundings and looking at the Dhauladhar Range. Also, there are plenty of shopping opportunities here as there are authentic Tibetan shops around from which you can get really good bargains! Dharamsala is around an hour's drive from here and should be your next stop.