Kurseong Hill Station – It Has Enjoyable Cool Climate Throughout The Year

KURSEONG HILL STATION

AT

DARJEELING

Kurseong is a small hill station (and sub-divisional town) situated in Darjeeling District of West Bengal, India. Located at an altitude of 1458 metres (4864 ft), Kurseong is just 30 km from Darjeeling.

It has a pleasant climate throughout the year and the winters are not as severe as Darjeeling's. The local name of Kurseong is "Kharsang" which in the Lepcha language means "Land of White Orchids". Kurseong is about 47 kms from Siliguri and is connected to the city by road and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.

The town is based mainly on schools and tourism. The best times to visit Kurseong are between March end and May and between the end of August and October. The Chogyal (Monarch) of Sikkim ceded Kurseong to the British Empire in 1835. Later in 1880, this small hamlet became a tourist destination for the colonial authorities and was a preferred place for sanatoriums where the sick would recuperate.

Many of you may not be familiar with Kurseong and think this might be another small roadside village on the way to Darjeeling. Well many years back it was actually a small hamlet, but over the years its has grown into a bustling township. Today it's a sub division of Darjeeling district. Spread of Kurseong is much more than what it may seem. 

And the spread is beyond the township to lovely tea gardens along the mountain slopes, forests with many different flora & fauna, quaint villages and so on. And expectedly, there are many view points, tea estates, temples & churches, museums, as well as famous historic schools that were setup during the British colonial days.   

You can easily spend two to three days in Kurseong and remain immersed with its attractions. There are plenty of local taxis available near the station and market area all of who will be willing to take you for local sightseeing tours. There are half day and full day local tours depending on what you want to cover. Talk to a couple of local drivers before you finalize one ... the rates vary and some can and do ask for too much. 

Some important places to see in this hill : Eagle Craig ,Dow Hill,Dow Hill Park ,Dow Hill Forest Museum,Dow Hill Forest Rest House ,Dow Hill Girls School, Victoria Boys School at Dow Hill, Dow Hill Water Reservoir ,Giddapahar View Point,Giddapahar Seti Mata Temple , Subhash Chandra Bose Museum ,Ambootia Tea Estate ,Ambootia Shiv Temple ,Makaibari Tea Estate, Castleton Tea Estate,St. Mary's Hill, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Museum 

By Air

The nearest airport to Darjeeling is Bagdogra about 94-96 kms away from Darjeeling. There are direct flight connections with Delhi, Calcutta and Guwahati. Tourists heading for Darjeeling can get direct taxis/cabs to Darjeeling from Bagdogra or one can head towards Siliguri first and get a transport there.

By Train

Apart from Darjeeling Railway Station the two closest railway stations are Siliguri (80 kms) and New Jalpaiguri (88 kms) from Darjeeling. These railway stations have direct railway connections with Kolkata, Delhi, Guwahati, Varanasi and other major cities of India.

By Road

The major access to Darjeeling by road is via Siliguri, which is connected to allthe major cities. Darjeeling is also very well connected to Sikkim, Nepal, Bhutan and its surrounding hills.