The land of blue mountains and green rivers—How to reach, where to stay and local attractions
Location & Description
Bara Mangwa is a small village in the hills of
Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India. In local Lepcha language the name
Bara Mangwa translates to the big (“Bara”) land of finger millets. A
neighbouring settlement is Chhota Mangwa - meaning the small (“Chhota”) land of
finger millets. The hill is also sometimes referred to as the Mangwa hills.
The hills of Mangwa are characterized by forest covers, terrace farming
and orange orchards. Winding trails offers excellent opportunity to explore the
area on foot at one’s own pace.
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Lone hill-tracks
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The village lies on the
eastern slopes directly facing the hills of Kalimpong and Dello on the other
side. River Teesta flows along the valley in between. On clear days, a
panoramic view towards North unveils a series of mountain folds visible all the
way up to Nathu La pass in Sikkim. The hill town of Darjeeling lies around 40
kilometers towards West.
The major railway junction of New Jalpaiguri near Siliguri and the airport
of Bagdogra are approximately two and half hours drive away towards South, well
connected by fairly good roads.
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Folds of the Himalayan range
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How to reach
New Jalpaiguri and Bagdogra are respectively the
nearest major railway station and airport for Bara Mangwa and also the hills of
Darjeeling and Sikkim. Tourists can take rented vehicles from here.
Travelling for 25 kilometers North on the National
Highway 31/31C through tea plantations and Mahananda Wildlife Santuary in the
foothills, one reaches Sevok. This is the place where one gets the first glimpse
of river Teesta and also the start of the hill roads. From this point onwards,
Teesta always gives company as the winding road climbs up the mountain on its
left bank.
Soon the road passes the Coronation Bridge on the
right and the highway becomes NH 31A. About 29 kilometers further North on the
same route takes one to Teesta Bazar. This is a small town on the bank of river
Teesta. One has to continue straight through the town passing the Teesta Bridge
on the right. Crossing the bridge to the other side of Teesta would have taken
one towards Kalimpong.
One now has to keep an eye for a narrower road going
towards Bara Mangwa rising up steeply on the left from the main road.
Destination is reached after approximately five kilometres uphill along this route
through villages, terrace farms, forests and fairly sharp hairpin bends.
Tourists coming from Darjeeling, can travel upto Ghoom, then take a left
turn towards Jore Bunglow. Via this route one has to cross Takdah, Tinchuley and
Chhota Mangwa and finally reach Bara Mangwa.
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Road through pine forests
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Where to stay
The two main places to stay at Bara Mangwa are the Bara
Mangwa Farmhouse and the Darjeeling Blossom Ecotourism Complex. We had stayed
in the Farmhouse.
Web presences:
We did not find any eateries for day visitors. For tourists
staying at the Farmhouse however, excellent meals of preset menu are available
at reasonable prices. These include early morning tea, followed by a generous
helping of breakfast, a hearty lunch, enjoyable evening snacks and a fitting
dinner. We heard that the Ecotourism Complex has similar facilities for their
boarders too.
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| Here comes the morning tea – at the Farmhouse |
Best time to visit Bara Mangwa
The so-called tourist season to visit Bara Mangwa is from October to early
March. However the best time would be around November-December when the orange
orchards are in their full glory. Weather is also generally good during this
time. We however felt that Bara Mangwa can offer its beauties in all seasons
giving pleasure to visitors looking for varied experiences.
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Spring Bloom
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The primary attraction of Bara Mangwa is the solitude of an idyllic getaway
from the hustle and bustle of a busy life. If one wants to relax for a few days
and do nothing but spend leisurely hours amidst the folds of the lower
Himalayas, this location is definitely a good choice.
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| Relaxing evening at the Farmhouse Cottage balcony among the blue mountains |
As a bonus, for the enthusiastic ones there are small treks
through the winding hill tracks right in the back yard where one gets to
explore the wonders of a light forest with all its wonderful flora and fauna,
go bird watching, make friends with the friendly locals and get a feel of their
way of living.
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Exploring the forest in the backyard on foot
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If one wants to a be a little more adventurous, there is the
option of going for white water rafting on the river Teesta in the valley below
or try rock climbing on the rock faces along the mountain trails. Experts in
Bara Mangwa Farmhouse offer training on rock climbing to beginners as well.
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Riding the rapids of green river Teesta
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In November to February, a visit to the orange orchards is
also of interest. Bird life is in plenty during this time. On clear days, a
short hike gives a good view of the Kanchenjunga peaks too.
Certain NGOs are quite active here in promoting ecotourism,
conservation and social betterment for the local population. Visitors with
inclination to support such good causes can experience these activities first
hand as well.
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Transporting harvest
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Places of tourist interest near Bara Mangwa
A popular circuit for tourists in the Mangwa hills is Bara
Mangwa – Chhota Mangwa – Tinchuley. This route can be covered in a day. Tinchuley,
around 10 kilometers away is well known for its magnificent pine forest, view
of the mighty Kanchenjunga peaks and sun rise points. Tourists can stay in
Tinchuley as well and visit Bara Mangwa for the day.
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Pine forest
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A couple of tea gardens and the confluence of river Teesta
and river Rangeet are also within a 10-12 kilometer distance from Bara Mangwa
and are worth visiting.
One can also take day trips to the much larger towns of
Kalimpong and Dello or Darjeeling.
During our day trip to Darjeeling form Bara Mangwa, we wanted
to get a taste of the famed narrow gauge Darjeeling Himalayan railways too. So we
had pre-booked first class tickets on this train from Ghoom to Darjeeling. We
had started from the Farmhouse in our car at six in the morning and reached
Ghoom at around 8:30 am. We had a quick tour at the nearby tourist attraction
of Batasia Loop rail track at Ghoom and came to the station in time to catch
the train coming from Kursheong en route to Darjeeling. We had requested the
driver of our rented car to follow us and join us at Darjeeling railway station
so that we could continue our excursion for the rest of our day journey. This added a nice extra to our bag full of
good memories which we carried back from our Bara Mangwa trip.
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Darjeeling Himalayan Rail – at Ghoom (Ghum) station
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Parting words
Bara Mangwa is not one of those grand awe inspiring travel destinations
which dots the entire range of the Himalayan range. Blown up photographs of its
landscape are not likely to adorn many walls. But the place feels like a good old
friend. With its open arms it makes you feel not like a tourist from outside
but rather a part of it. It charms you with its simplicity and subtle beauties.
And like a few more such isolated hill stations in this part of the land, it
gives you the freedom to relax in the comfort of the cottages with great views
or get immersed in the wilderness around.
May be that is where the magic lies…
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| Simple beauties |
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| Panorama from Bara Mangwa Farmhouse |
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