West Bengal

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Kurseong meaning “abode of white orchids” is perched at an altitude of 4,864 feet above sea level and is located just 42 kilometres from Siliguri and 32 kms from Darjeeling. With British era Churches and Schools, numerous Tea Gardens, deep and dark Pine Forests and strategic viewpoints offering panoramic views of Mt. Kanchenjungha, Kurseong has never failed to cast its charm on poets, writers, reformers, artists, regular tourists and soul searchers. Nobel Laureate and poet Rabindranath Tagore composed several of his poems in Kurseong. The great disciple of Swami Vivekananda, Sister Nivedita settled down here. In 1885, Mark Twain also spent some time in the place. The British confined Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in 1936 at Kurseong in a bungalow, which is now a museum with many original furniture and other belongings of Netaji.

Drenched in colonial history and a sparkling Alpine weather throughout the year with cool summers and pleasant winters, Kurseong still offers the tranquillity, peace and old-world charm of a small hill town which never fails to mesmerise the visitors.

The tracks of the ‘Darjeeling Toy Train’ run the length of the town, and the Railway Station is the heart of the town with its buzzing market square.

Accommodation in Kurseong Heritage House

This century-year old wooden house still has the traditional local wood-works in its doors, windows, staircases, furniture and fireplaces. With a gazebo in its backyard and terraces opening up to Mt. Kanchenjungha, this heritage bungalow is a perfectly restored specimen of a colonial British bungalow of the Eastern Himalayas.

Some recent renovation done to this century-old heritage house has spruced it up with amenities like western bathrooms with hot water geysers, . Presently, we have 04 Deluxe Rooms and 01 Duplex room in our heritage house. All our rooms in our heritage house have fireplaces. Also adjacent to our Heritage homestay, we have our new wing where we have arranged 01 Modern Deluxe room and another Duplex room with balconies.

The vegetables are locally sourced and organic and the food is home-cooked and fresh. Traditional Indian cuisine is served with some local delicacies. On special request of the guests continental dishes and barbecues are also served. A holiday spent in this homely stead with the beautiful warm morning sunrise over Mt. Kanchenjungha, glistening through your bedroom windows is sure to make for a treasured memory for years to come.

How to reach Kurseong Heritage House

This bungalow is located a few-minutes’ walk from the Hill Cart Road. You can reach our Heritage house from New Jalpaiguri Railway station, Siliguri Bus Stop or Bagdogra Airport (IXB) in local cars. You can also take the Toy Train to Kurseong Station and take a local taxi to reach our home. The car would reach our doorstep.

Attractions around Kurseong Heritage House

Kurseong is a rare blend of colonial history, nature, tea gardens and a distinct local culture. Spending a few days at Kurseong while traversing its alleys, parks and colonial past would surely spring up surprises for you.

This Gidda Pahar view point is accessible by a flight of stairs from the roadside. The views of the rolling mountains, tea garden slopes, Mt. Kanchenjungha and the valleys are all awful visual delight from this view point.

The Eagle’s Craig viewpoint is located near the town seemingly perched on a cliff. It is the most popular sunset point of Kurseong and offers a magnificent bird’s eye view of the surrounding tea gardens, Kurseong town, Mt. Kanchenjunga and the Teesta River. The viewpoint has a cafeteria, a watch tower and a flower garden and it even houses the water reservoir for the entire town of Kurseong.

The Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Museum and NSC Bose Institute of Asiatic Studies is located in the Giddapahar area. The archive is hosted in the house of his elder brother, Sarat Chandra Bose. Netaji was put under house-arrest in this house by the British in the late thirties. The house now displays priceless artefacts depicting the life of the freedom fighter.

Activities around Kurseong Heritage House

Apart from enjoying the panoramic view of Mt. Kanchenjungha, the rolling hills of Kurseong from the bungalow, you can explore Kurseong town for some sightseeing at Gidda Pahar View Point, Dowhill and Deer Park, Eagle’s Crag viewpoint and Toy Train and Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Archive.

You can also savour a sumptuous barbecue in the evening at our Gazebo or visit the Kurseong market to search for local handicrafts and mementos. You can also visit the Deer Park now known as Dowhill Park for bird watching and butterfly tracking. It was named such because large numbers of deer inhabited this area before. If you are lucky enough, you might still catch a glimpse of the animal trying to attract your attention by coming out of the wilderness. Venturing inside the forest is prohibited.

Kurseong is dotted by tea gardens and the world’s best quality Darjeeling tea comes from the tea gardens of Kurseong like Castleton, Ambootia, Makaibari, Goodricke, Springside and many more. These are some of the oldest tea gardens of the world and are the producers of the highest quality Darjeeling Tea. In fact one of the world’s oldest functional tea factories can be seen at Makaibari Tea Estate. You can opt for a tour of these gardens and even visit some tea factories on prior approval. Visitors can have a first hand experience of how tea leaves are processed and prepared for production by visiting these tea factories.

You can explore the British era Schools and Colleges, the first name that comes to mind is the Ranger’s College on St. Mary’s Hill which stands tall and proud full of its European style grandeur. Just like the colonial buildings of its time, Rangers’ College built-in 1889 possesses a very British architectural style, easily making it the most distinguishable building. Also, the Dowhill’s Girls School started in 1879 provides a glimpse of the British era with its architecture and elegance. It is far away from the maddening crowd tucked within the dense pine forest, commanding a picturesque view of Mt. Kanchenjunga. The Victoria Boy’s School located another one kilometre away was also built during the same period and exudes the typical British era architecture.

You can also visit the churches of Kurseong which exhibit the typical English architecture. The most noticeable amongst the churches is the St. Paul’s Church with its high spire built in 1905. However, synonymous with Kurseong is the grotto of Virgin Mary on St. Mary’s Hill. The Statue of Virgin Mary is installed beautifully inside a cave-like structure made of stones and another cave houses the divine cross of Jesus. There is a natural spring beside the caves and the water of this spring is regarded as Holy, it is believed that the water brought from the Lady of the Lourdes, France has been mixed here.

You could also hop onto the famous Darjeeling toy train from Kurseong station for a jolly ride to Darjeeling. This Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is lovingly called the “Toy Train” here. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Darjeeling Toy Train is one of the most famous narrow (02 feet) gauge trains in the world.