One Epic Journey From Kolkata To Darjeeling, Kalimpong


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This is my first post in this Forum and I am not good in writing articles like this, so please excuse me for any inadvertent errors and bear with me through this travelogue.
It was a long cherished dream of mine to drive my car (Swift Zxi) in the hills and for a Kolkatan it cannot be more suitable than in the hills of Darjeelings’. The endeavor was huge, from planning for the trip, to convince the better half for undertaking the huge distance travel with an one year old kid, to manage days off from the office during March month etc. Ultimately everything was managed and I had decided to start my dream journey on 9th March 2015 for Kalimpong and decided to stay there for two nights and from there to visit Darjeeling from 12th March 2015 to 14th March 2015, all the way in my car. The bookings were made at the Hill Top Lodge @ Kalimgpong and Darjeeling Tourist lodge @ Darjeeling (Main Building rooms).

I had decided to start early in the morning as we will be using the detoured route via Bhagalpur, Purnea to reach Siliguri (distance around 700 Kms), provisional travel time was around 14 hours (excluding stoppage times). I had started from my Behala residence at around 4.30 a.m., reached Burdwan at 06.00 a.m., had breakfast there and take a right turn from Burdwan to pass through Bolpur, Suri, Illambazaar to reach Dumka, crossed Massanjore, thereafter the road towards Bhagalpur which turned to be in worst condition and nightmare for a car lover, took detoured route via Dhakamore & Bankamore to reach Bhagalpur via Amarpur route ( around 15 kms extra), reached Purnea around 09.00 p.m. and continued on NH31 to reach Siliguri, but again got stuck at Kishangung due to some road accident for around 2 hours, and finally when we reached Siliguri (after crossing Islampur, Dalkhola) at the dead of the night and it was 02.00 a.m. at clock. We had rested for the night at Siliguri at my relatives place for continuing my journey towards Kalimpong in the next morning.

The next morning was very exciting for me as I was driving in the hills for the first time, road to Kalimpong was through Teesta bazaar from where the road was uphill till Kalimpong (around 4,200 ft), distance from Siliguri was around 72 Kms and it was covered in around 3 hours. The road was fantastic, with the Teesta River flowing alongside the road, there were some beautiful loops on the way with steep gradients (three/ four as I remember).

The Hill top lodge of WBTDCL was 1.5 Kms uphill from main market place of Kalimpong & the place was located at highest point in Kalimpong but the approach road was very steep. The lodge was beautiful with large three bedded rooms (wooden flooring), clean toilets, beautiful views, hygienic food and courteous staff with a very disciplined manager. We were very impressed with the lodge/ facilities and will give five stars rating for the accommodation and four stars for the fooding arrangements (Breakfast was complimentary). Local sightseeing including Deolo, Lava and Rishap was arranged from the lodge itself for a very economic package. Overall I and my family were very impressed with the Kalimpong WB tourist lodge. Our next stoppage was Darjeeling, so we started early from Kalimpong on 12th March 2015 at around 8.30 a.m. The road to Darjeeling from Kalimpong was through Peshok road, locals were very skeptical about this road as it is one of the toughest roads to conquer, due to its steepness and narrowness at places and a strict no-go for a first timer. I had no choice other than to go through this route and try my guts. It was really one of the steepest incline I had ever experienced with prolonged first gear drive and occasional wheel spins with serpentine loops and hairpin bends on the way. But it offers exceptional scenic beauty of hills, tea gardens and valleys. The Peshok view point (Lovers point as mentioned in the hoarding) is a place from where the confluence of two beautiful rivers Rangeet and Teesta can be seen. It was beautiful. It was worth travelling the distance and undertaking such risks. Somehow managed to stay alive on this road and crossed Six mile bazaar to reach Jorebunglow from where the normal route via Hill cart road (NH-55) continues towards Darjeeling. A little stoppage at Batasia loop and Ghoom monastery was inevitable for us. I was really tired after driving through these winding mountain roads. I was really impressed and contented with the performance of my vehicle and my driving skills!

We reached the Darjeeling Tourist lodge around 12.30 p.m., the location was good, just behind the famous Darjeeling Gymkhana Club, immediate vicinity of Mall road (Chowrasta). The immediate comparison with Kalimpong Lodge was inevitable and I was disappointed with the typical Government type appearance of the lodge, it was large but not well maintained, fooding was good, but you can have better accommodation at this price band elsewhere with more cleanliness and better maintenance. The overall rating for the rooms at the main building with lovely view of the valley beyond and Kanchenjunga will be a four star from me and for the annex building where there was no view at all, will be a two star from me. The rooms at annex building were dark, unclean and shabby, should not qualify for good accommodation, it should be immediately renovated. Local sightseeing was done in my car covering all spots including Tiger hill, Zoological garden and HMI. The Zoo was well maintained and very entertaining one The new addition in the tourist map of Darjeeling is the Rangeet Valley Passenger Cable car (RVPCC); it was a thrilling 40 minutes ride covering 2.5 kms of the Ranjeet valley tea gardens (one way), tickets will Rs.150/- for to and fro journey. It was slow but the scenic beauty was breathtaking, but people with altitude sickness should avoid this ride, if offered free also. Overall Darjeeling had improved a lot from the last time I had seen it, it is less crowded, polluted and congested now. It really deserves the “Queen of the Hills” title.

It was time for us to return back home with lovely memories of the mountains and the valleys. It will be a long journey back home, so we started from Darjeeling early around 8.00 a.m. and continued on Hill cart road upto Kurseong, from where we took the new Rohini bypass to reach Siliguri. The new road was superb with freshly laid tarmac, but occasionally narrow at places and sharp hairpin bends, overall it is a very good option bypassing the notorious Pankhabari road. We had reached Siliguri around 11.00 a.m. and had a very good lunch there, had some marketing done at famous the Hong-Kong market aka, the Bidhan market and started for Malda at around 2.30 p.m. through NH-31/ NH-34. NH-34 is in mayhem it should be stripped of its NH status, it is in rubbles. We have reached Malda around 8.00 p.m. after a torturous driving both for me and my car. We checked in a hotel at “420 more” of old Malda and started around 7.00 a.m. next day to reach Kolkata, followed the NH-34 till Morgram and took the right turn on the Panagarh state highway-13/ NH-60 towards beautiful road through Bolpur, Suri and reached Burdwan thereafter followed the normal NH-2 route to reach Kolkata around 6.00 p.m. (total stoppage time was around one hour).

This was one epic journey for me and my car, it was risky, sometimes dangerous, strenuous, but was enjoyable and make me full of experience of driving through all odds to reach my destination.

P.S. Few pics are attached which were taken from a low digital zoom cam, sorry for the poor quality.
 

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I had stayed in Hotel Hill Top way back in 1994. I liked the Old World charm and the biggish rooms and of course the location. But since them some of my friends and relatives who had stayed there under my recommendation has not spoken very highly of its maintenance. But your feedback is good. So they must have improved.

Good that you enjoyed your drive and trip. Another fellow TAI member called Swift Kolkata had also driven his Swift from Kolkata to Gangtok around the same time.

Do post some more pics if possibe
 
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Joydeep very nice and well written.I was also there in Gangtok on 6th of March with my swift.Roads between Dumka to Bhagalpur is absolutely pathetic and took 21 long hr to reach kolkata from Gangtok.
 
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Good that you enjoyed your drive and trip. Another fellow TAI member called Swift Kolkata had also driven his Swift from Kolkata to Gangtok around the same time. Do post some more pics if possibe
Dear Chandranath, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Joydeep while in Darjeeling. He was an extremely well mannered guy.
I had decided to start early in the morning as we will be using the detoured route via Bhagalpur, Purnea to reach Siliguri (distance around 700 Kms), provisional travel time was around 14 hours (excluding stoppage times). I had started from my Behala residence at around 4.30 a.m., reached Burdwan at 06.00 a.m., had breakfast there and take a right turn from Burdwan to pass through Bolpur, Suri, Illambazaar to reach Dumka, crossed Massanjore, thereafter the road towards Bhagalpur which turned to be in worst condition and nightmare for a car lover, took detoured route via Dhakamore & Bankamore to reach Bhagalpur via Amarpur route (around 15 kms extra), reached Purnea around 09.00 p.m. and continued on NH31 to reach Siliguri, but again got stuck at Kishangung due to some road accident for around 2 hours, and finally when we reached Siliguri (after crossing Islampur, Dalkhola) at the dead of the night and it was 02.00 a.m. at clock.
I took the same route to Darjeeling myself. Though I stay at north Calcutta and started at around three in the morning, I did not get any traffic jam at Kishanganj and reached Siliguri by eight at the evening.
The road to Darjeeling from Kalimpong was through Peshok road, locals were very skeptical about this road as it is one of the toughest roads to conquer, due to its steepness and narrowness at places and a strict no-go for a first timer. I had no choice other than to go through this route and try my guts. It was really one of the steepest incline I had ever experienced with prolonged first gear drive and occasional wheel spins with serpentine loops and hairpin bends on the way. But it offers exceptional scenic beauty of hills, tea gardens and valleys. The Peshok view point (Lovers point as mentioned in the hoarding) is a place from where the confluence of two beautiful rivers Rangeet and Teesta can be seen. It was beautiful.
Nice to know that you liked the Peshok route. I was also elated the first time I took this route. However, it is only the first few KMs which is very steep. I believe my good freind Chandranath used to take this route regularly on a motor bike on a regular basis, at the start of his career, when he was posted at North Bengal. Anyway, a view of the view point from my side, taken last year.
DSC_0098.JPG

Local sightseeing was done in my car covering all spots including Tiger hill, Zoological garden and HMI.
Do you remember that we also met in the Tiger Hill?
It was time for us to return back home with lovely memories of the mountains and the valleys. It will be a long journey back home, so we started from Darjeeling early around 8.00 a.m. and continued on Hill cart road upto Kurseong, from where we took the new Rohini bypass to reach Siliguri. The new road was superb with freshly laid tarmac, but occasionally narrow at places and sharp hairpin bends, overall it is a very good option bypassing the notorious Pankhabari road. We had reached Siliguri around 11.00 a.m. and had a very good lunch there, had some marketing done at famous the Hong-Kong market aka, the Bidhan market and started for Malda at around 2.30 p.m. through NH-31/ NH-34. NH-34 is in mayhem it should be stripped of its NH status, it is in rubbles. We have reached Malda around 8.00 p.m. after a torturous driving both for me and my car.
On my return I left Darjeeling at 08-00 AM. Straight drove to face a KM long traffic jam at the Dalkhola railway level crossing gate. Returned back and took the familiar Purnia-Bhagalpur route. Unfortunately there was a long line of trucks right on the southern end of the bridge (on the Bhagalpur end). Wasted two good hours there and only then could manage to follow a few local cars who used a slope to get down from the elevated (bridge bound) road. Followed them and reached Bhagalpur city only at four in the afternoon. Called it a day and took shelter in Hotel Rajhans.
We checked in a hotel at “420 more” of old Malda and started around 7.00 a.m.
next day to reach Kolkata, followed the NH-34 till Morgram and took the right turn on the Panagarh state highway-13/ NH-60 towards beautiful road through Bolpur, Suri and reached Burdwan thereafter followed the normal NH-2 route to reach Kolkata around 6.00 p.m. (total stoppage time was around one hour).
I left Bhagalpur at eight. Took a road which was new to me. Although it was a much longer detour, took me almost the same time while going, as it was hundred percent good road all throughout. I think I shall add details of this road with some pictures at a separate post, for the benefit of all the esteemed members.
 
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Dear Chandranath, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Joydeep while in Darjeeling. He was an extremely well mannered guy.
I am obliged to hear that from you.

I took the same route to Darjeeling myself. Though I stay at north Calcutta and started at around three in the morning, I did not get any traffic jam at Kishanganj and reached Siliguri by eight at the evening.
There was some accident at Kishangang where we wasted around two hours.
Nice to know that you liked the Peshok route. I was also elated the first time I took this route. However, it is only the first few KMs which is very steep. I believe my good freind Chandranath used to take this route regularly on a motor bike on a regular basis, at the start of his career, when he was posted at North Bengal. Anyway, a view of the view point from my side, taken last year.
View attachment 164942


Do you remember that we also met in the Tiger Hill?
Surely I do[clap]. But I was not able to travel through the Mirik route as advised by you due to time constraint.

On my return I left Darjeeling at 08-00 AM. Straight drove to face a KM long traffic jam at the Dalkhola railway level crossing gate. Returned back and took the familiar Purnia-Bhagalpur route. Unfortunately there was a long line of trucks right on the southern end of the bridge (on the Bhagalpur end). Wasted two good hours there and only then could manage to follow a few local cars who used a slope to get down from the elevated (bridge bound) road. Followed them and reached Bhagalpur city only at four in the afternoon. Called it a day and took shelter in Hotel Rajhans.

I left Bhagalpur at eight. Took a road which was new to me. Although it was a much longer detour, took me almost the same time while going, as it was hundred percent good road all throughout. I think I shall add details of this road with some pictures at a separate post, for the benefit of all the esteemed members.
 
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Roads between Dumka to Bhagalpur is absolutely pathetic and took 21 long hr to reach kolkata from Gangtok.
Not too surprising, as it took me seventeen hours just to reach Siliguri from Calcutta. [frustration] Did you drive continuously or did you add a break in between? Which road did you take while returning back?
 
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In search of better roads

Hope I am not hijacking this thread. But as I mentioned, on my return trip I could only manage to reach Bhagalpur from Darjeeling by the early afternoon and decided to stay there for the night. I had the bitter experience of reaching Bhagalpur (from my home) by twelve hours during my outward journey and had no intention of driving after sunset in the state of Jharkhand and Bihar. I had read from some other automotive forum that there was indeed a good road in existence, to travel from Bhagalpur to Calcutta, though I had to travel one hundred extra KM. For the excitement of driving through unknown roads (which I have not used before), for driving through good roads throughout and for the sheer joy of driving, I took some other route.

The next morning I left my hotel at Bhagalpur at eight in the morning. This time I decided to take this unusual longer route, against taking this usual route. This time the road trip was exactly as planned. I also could manage to return home within eleven hours, though the root taken was significantly longer. And it was a cent percent good road all throughout. From Bhagalpur I took the road towards Amarpur and Banka. Though there was a five minute delay at Amarpur, passed Banka very smoothly. There was three point crossing at Banka where a policemen was deployed. He assured me that road to Deoghar via Katoria was good.
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And it was indeed good road throughout. Beautiful roads with minimum traffic. Let me show you how good the road was.
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I did not know what this thing was but it fell from the truck there, injuring a ten year old boy, whose one leg had to be amputated. The truck was still standing there.
DSC_0380.JPG

Fortunately could locate the Deoghar bypass easily, so did not have to enter the main town. Spotted the Dumka bound road easily and kept on it.


A view of "Trikut Parvat", a holy place for the Hindu people. I had the pleasure of going there previously and riding the rope-way there. It was already ten O'clock and we had our breakfast at one of the dhabas on that road.
DSC_0383.JPG

Lots of beautiful red coloured "Palash" trees. I am sorry I do not know what are they called in English.
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The very beautiful Deoghar-Dumka road. Driving in even triple digit speed was possible on this road.
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Reached Dumka town at around twelve noon. Remembered the name Masalia from one post in some other automotive forum, in which someone wrote that the road was good and it extended up to Asansol town. Though the initial few KMs road widening work was going on, the road was fine.
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End of road construction works.
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Scenic roads.
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Good roads.
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One more picture.
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Reached Asansol (NH-2) by three in the afternoon. Panagarh was free from any traffic jam. Reached my home in North Calcutta conveniently by seven at the evening.
Thanks and regards,
Rahul,
Cossipore, North Calcutta.
 
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Not too surprising, as it took me seventeen hours just to reach Siliguri from Calcutta. [frustration] Did you drive continuously or did you add a break in between? Which road did you take while returning back?
Rahul da i did not take break in between except for Lunch,dinner and twice for tea.

I took below route-
Gangtok-siliguri-dalkhola-purnia-Bhagalpur-Dumka-Rampurhat-Suri-Panagarg-NH2-Kolkata
 
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The route (Bhagalput to Asansol) you had taken is 276 KM only. It tooks 7 hours to cover this distance by you. However the picture shows the roads are good. Kindly mention the actual driving time in this route?
 
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Kindly mention the actual driving time in this route?
I guessed I had already posted that out. Please feel free to send me a PM if you have any specific question which needs to be answered. May be I stopped for a total duration of 45-50 minutes in this particular section.
 
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Dear Joydeep, I am also from Behala and planning to go to Kalimpong during this Puja holidays. I am planning a lot from your travelogue and the related discussions. I will be driving my 5 year old Zen estillo with 3 adults including myself & 2 children. Now could you please tell me the road condition from NJP to Kalimpong as I am accustomed to drive in plains and this is my first self drive in hills.
 
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Wow your journey though over a year old brings back good nostalgia. Although I am from the Dooars, I have lived greater part of my life in Kalimpong because I studied in Dr. Grahams Homes, Kalimpong the school you view in its full glory from the hilltop also called Deolo. Those days we used to run up the hill and challenge each other who could get there fastest. Mind you the road to Deolo from the school side is almost at 45 degrees incline and those days we had enough stamina to throw inclines to the winds. I think the fifth pic of yours from the top is that Dr. Grahams the founder of our school and although we have never seen him we used to lovingly call him daddy Graham our guardian figure. Well I can go on about the school such is the nostalgia and best part is we will be celebrating our schools birthday on the 24th this month and we the Bangalore Chapter of the Old Girls and boys (OGBs) as we call ourselves will relive our memories. We are already making plans for grand reunion in 2020.

@Parthapp Although I have not returned to Kalimpong for over 5 years now I can give you a rough idea of what lies ahead. Infact looking at the condition of the state I doubt much has changed over the years. The journey from NJP till you cross the city is a chaotic one and once you are done there are the fast roads covered with lush green forests upto Sevok Bridge. Once you cross the Sevok Bridge the Hill road starts but since you are still on the highway you will not have much problem. The road is fast but beware of heavy traffic.The road will be a mix match of good and bad with the worst near the NHPC project where due to the Dam thingy there will be landslides in the area. The curves are not extreme and you can manage. After crossing the Tista Bridge you will come across a place called Chittrey. If you go straight you go to Sikkim so take right for Kalimopong. If you have not driven in Hills before this is where the fun will start. The road is full of very steep inclines and is a pure 1-2-3 gear territory. The best places in Kalimpong are Deolo, Durpin, our school, And Rally river. Our school is very beautiful and has a very beautiful church. And btw if you are from Kolkata you might want to walkin to Birkmyre hostel where you can get more queries about Kalimpong. We had 2-3 Guest Houses very well maintained so maybe you can get rooms there. The good old Bristish Houses are really nice place to stay.

PS: If you are not a experienced Hill Driver please drive slower and carefully. The hills are unforgiving if you make a mistake. I see so many drivers from the plains driving first time in the hills and the curves makes them believe they are formula 1 drivers. When in hills we don't calculate distance by KM but by hours to get there.
 
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