Kalimpong is a lovely, ravishing and one of the most elegant hill stations in India. It is located in the state of West Bengal. It lies settled on the Shivalik hills of the Great Himalayas and is one of the most colourful hill stations of India. As known to most of the people, the ‘Himalayas’ is the most lengthy, extended and drawn-out mountain range in the world. The territorial region of Darjeeling in West Bengal encompasses Kalimpong and is very close to it. This makes Kalimpong even more attractive for tourists all across the world.

Kalimpong has always been one of the hot and favorite tourist destinations due to its nearness to Darjeeling and also for its peaceful Buddhist monasteries, colorful and beautiful flowers and plant nurseries. The name of ‘Kalimpong’ has a Tibetan origin and has a lot of historical significance. It is located at an altitude of twelve hundred and forty seven metres above sea level. Its high altitude location gives way to the existence of five different kinds of seasons and a lot of weather variability from time to time.

It has five different kinds of seasons, namely monsoon, summer, spring, winter and autumn. Due to the hardness and strongness of winters, it is not advisable for the tourists to visit Kalimpong during this time. Monsoons are also bad, as it is prone to heavy rains and landslides. This makes it particularly unsafe for the tourists to drive and travel during this time. There are more chances of their vehicles getting stuck and meeting with accidents. Thus, it is wise to visit the travel and tourist places in the charming hill station of Kalimpong only during the summer and spring.

The weather conditions during these two seasons are suitable for journeying across its hot tourist spots and safe for pleasant and delightful vehicle rides. River Teesta runs through it and detaches it from the North Eastern state of Sikkim. The three main occupations that generate revenue and add value to its profits are touristry business, education and agriculture. Kalimpong is located at a space of about 641 kilometres from the city of joy called Kolkata. There are some prime and hot tourist locations and stunning spots and sites to see in Kalimpong. Some of these are:

Crockety

This is one of the residential houses of the British when they ruled India. It is open for public display and houses some of the most outstanding sculptural designs and looks very royal and impressive. This bungalow was constructed by the British textile craftsmen and businessmen in the eighteenth century and is located in the topmost sub division of Kalimpong. It is unusual and unique from the point of view of being situated in front of the house of the great poet Rabindranath Tagore in the olden days.

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The Army Golf Club

The army golf club is one of the prime spots in Kalimpong and is specially meant for the army personnel indulging in high altitude training’s, instructional classes and other warfare and adventurous activities. It is nicely cut out of a hill side and is the ideal place for taking pictures. The natural slumps and vales around this club can be seen and concentrated upon from many slants and spaces. Also, the sensational and impressive Durpin monastery can be captured brilliantly by the camera.

The Army Golf Club [Image Source]This club is located at the outer sections and borders of the city’s municipality and is suitable for those army officers who wish to play golf and have a good time when they are free. It is used by many visitors who pay a small fee and bask in its glory. It consists of 9 hole play lines and the desired number of golf rounds are played on it by the tourists and army officials. With the green surroundings, beautiful ambience and stunning hills, it is an apt place for sightseeing and is something that provides harmony, bliss, easiness, tranquility and feelings of well-being to its visitors.

Catholic Church

The Catholic Church is the biggest church of the town and was constructed by the Christian teachers and instructors for the welfare and profit of the Romanian Catholics, situated there and then. Its interior consists of fenced graphic arts and pictures and signs that serve as add-ons to edifical designs and other fine artistic creations. It was constructed around 1890 and configured by Edinburgh’s Mr. Hardy.

It was last available to the public for offering reverences and idolisations in 1891. Its edifical and sculptural designs and structures have a western feel and touch to them and were heavily influenced by the builders of the west. Saint Teresa’s Church is also among the ‘must visits’ of this town.

Galingka

This is one of the houses that was constructed by the Britishers and is located in the backdrop of the second highest mountain in the world, K-2. It became functional after Kalimpong turned into a holiday and vacation centre. It consists of a cloistered and private biological and lively garden that is home to different kinds of plants. Galingka is a place where in the tourists can relax, unwind and loosen up a bit and wherein they can get carried away by its natural and scenic beauty. They also get to have a beautiful view of various kinds of birds and animals.

Lava

Lava is a small village and is located at a distance of thirty four kilometres from Kalimpong. It has a height of about 2, 350 metres above sea level and remains engulfed and surrounded by thick clouds and fog. It is a familiar and very old business roadway to the neighboring country of Bhutan. It is also covered by coniferous trees and woods and is location to a Bhutanese Buddhist religious house. The ‘Nature Interpretation Centre’ is also located here. Lava is the beginning point of a journey across the Neora National Park, which is famous for its varied and deviating flora and fauna.

Nature Interpretation Centre

The Nature Interpretation Centre is a biological science museum, which is administered and directed by the Ministry of Environment and Forest of India. It is a component and element of the Soil Conservation Department or section and is situated in the compound of its forest’s business establishment.

This museum consists of pictures, images and representations of environment and preservation. These portray the various human activities and their impact on the environment. The museum events and shows concentrate on displaying different types of fauna and flora that exist here to the audience and tourists. It is available between 10 in the morning to 4 in the evening for the public and visitors.

Samco Ropeway

The Samco Ropeway is located at a distance of about 20 kilometres from the town and was built by the Catholic teachers and instructors to spread the religious doctrines, beliefs and philosophy of Christianity. It continues for one and half kilometres over the Relli and Teesta rivers and provides the tourists with brilliant eyeshots and breathtaking views of the serene rivers, calm nature and lush green surroundings, and that too from a height of about 120 feet above the ground.

This leads to discovering and examining more forests and touring and calling in villages that have unique social and cultural origins. This way, the tourists and visitors learn a lot about the people in those villages and also get a glimpse of their lifestyles and life experiences. All this looks simply bewitching and charming to the tourists and is also different from what they had been observing and experiencing till now.

Deolo View Point

The Deolo View Point is the most altitudinous point of Kalimpong and is located at the peak of the Deolo Hill at a height of 1914 metres above the sea level. This point looks out on the Teesta Valley, Kalimpong Town, some snow capped mountains and two huge storage tanks of water and provides the tourists with excellent and panoramic views and eyeshots of the same. The huge water storage tanks supply water to the entire town of Kalimpong.

Kalimpong Arts and Crafts Centre

This centre is located in the middle of the town and near its bus stand. It offers sales of a broad collection of handiworks, relics and mementos to the visitors and tourists. Buying these souvenirs remind the tourists of their trips to Kalimpong town and this centre.

Kali Mandir

This famous Hindu temple is situated at a distance of about two kilometres from Kalimpong and consists of a sculpture of Goddess Kali. It is visited by many people on a daily basis.

Mangal Dham

It is a brilliant creation of architecture that was built as a sacred place, wherein reverences and holy prayers could be offered. It was constructed in remembrance of Late Guru Mangal Das Ji and his burial place lies within the Dhaam.

Teesta Bazaar

It is a famous market in Kalimpong and has been titled after the river Teesta. It is open to the public on Wednesdays and Saturdays. A variety of things from neighboring nations are available at reasonable rates, and these shopping and trading commercial days are known as ‘Haat.’

Hiking, Rafting and Cycling

Kalimpong is the apt place for adventure seekers and is visited by many tourists who indulge in adventurous and sporty activities like rafting, hiking and cycling. Cycling is also done on one of its famous and well known plateaus apart from other areas. Various instructional courses and trainings are offered to the tourists for these adventure activities. They get to spend some of the most wonderful times of their lives by indulging in the same.

Thus, the travel and tourist places in the charming hill station of Kalimpong are some of the best ones, which allow the tourists to explore the traditions and cultures of Kalimpong along with making them experienced and well versed with its touristry places and spots.