Guide to Best Destinations in West Bengal

Best Offbeat destinations in West Bengal.

Gour and pandua:-

Gour and Pandua falls among the offbeat destinations in West Bengal. By hearing the word ‘terracotta’ (burnt clay of brick red colour), the first thought that comes to our mind is ancient Hindu temples of Bishnupur. But I was really amazed to discover an array of antique terracotta mosques at the lost capitals of Gour and Pandua in Malda district of West Bengal. It was a planned fort city belonging to the medieval period. Few monuments including terracotta mosques, which have passed the ravages of time, stand in bones and skeletons today; pleading for attention from the modern world. Recently, a song from the Tollywood hit ‘Bojhena Se Bojhena’ was shot at different corners of Gour and Pandua, depicting the glorious past of the ruined capitals. Surely Gour and pandua falls among the offbeat destinations to visit in West Bengal.For best hotel bookings near Malda refer to the following link:-

It is also better to carry solar chargers. Booking.com

Icche gaon:-

Icche gaon falls among the offbeat destinations in West Bengal. Icche Gaon, just 85 kilometres from Siliguri bus depot, is a colourful hill station in the Kalimpong district of West Bengal. It is perched at an altitude of 6000 feet above sea level, comprising of hardly forty houses, divided in two clusters – Upper Icche and Lower Icche, surrounded by a pristine Pine Dhupi (pine forest as they mean in Nepali language).There were three viewpoints Ramitey Dara, Devrali Dara and Himali Dara along with a couple of beautiful temples Mahadev Dham and Hanuman Tok for the visitors to take photographic breaks. Actually ‘Dara’ in Nepali means view point. The scenic view of the snowcaps and merging of Rangeet River with the gorgeous Teesta, make them a very special attraction trio for all tourists.Surely Icche gaon and Pandua falls among the offbeat destinations to visit in North Bengal. Icche gaon homestay is available for tourists. Book the fantastic icche gaon hotel and enjoy your tour. For best hotel bookings near Icche gaon refer to the following link:-

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Hill stations of Dooars tourism:-

Hill stations in Dooars among the offbeat destinations in West Bengal. Murti river originates in the Neora valley national park in the Kalimpong district in West Bengal which further meets the Jaldhaka river coming down to the plains. The river is famous for providing some exceptional scenic destinations for adventure and camping activities for the tourists visiting North Bengal. So I decided to explore the quaint hill stations lying along the rivers of Murti and Jaldhaka in the Eastern Himalayas. New Mal junction is a railway station in north bengal that is the nearest base point from where we can get several cabs and visit the beautiful villages of Dooars. Owing to the fertile plains of these two rivers Dooars is gifted with stunning greenery and landscape that attracts tourists mainly in the winter season when the skies are clear.The hill stations preferably are Suntalekhola and Jhalong Bindu.The Dooars forest lies in the fertile plains of Murti and Jaldhaka river ,making it an important geographical landform in the fertile plains between India and Bhutan. The Dooars got its name from a Bengali word “Duar” means entry point. Since it is the nearest point for entering Bhutan from India ,hence these dense forests of North Bengal is known as Dooars. Lying in the foothills of the Himalayas ,Dooars not only is a well preserved sanctuary but also a fertile plain that adds to the scenic beauty of the enchanting greenery associated with it.Dooars provides the best routes for trekking in West Bengal.Surely hill stations along Murti and Jaldhaka rivers falls among the offbeat destinations to visit in North Bengal.Here you can get amazing dooars tour package.For best hotel bookings near Jaldhaka refer to the following link:-

Carrying flasks and warm clothes are important as well.

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Chota and bara mangwa:-

Chota and bara mangwa falls among the offbeat destinations in West bengal. A 3 hour scenic drive along the Teesta river from Siliguri in North Bengal takes us to some picturesque Eco friendly villages in this part of the Himalayas.We decided to visit Chota and Bara Mangwa in the spring to imbibe some offbeat culture of Eco tourism in North Bengal.Apart from the strenous uneven 2km diversion from the main village ,the entire journey to the only resort in Chota Mangwa is an alluring journey.Situated on a cliff, the government with the help of locals has built this marvelous resort which entirely runs on solar power..Even on clear sunny mornings the resort boasts of a wide angle view of Mt. Kanchenjunga.The mornings here are covered with the clouds, lingering over the garden and alleys inside the resort.The resort has six cottages in total including two double bedded cottages which are situated at the farthest end to maximise the romantic feelings for a couple.Every cottages have been build with local wood by the natives.The farthest end of the resort has a view point on a cliff from where the distant mountains are easily visible. Chota Mangwa and Bara Mangwa falls among the offbeat destinations in North Bengal.For best hotel bookings near chota and bara mangwa refer to the following link:-

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Kolakaham:- Kolakham falls among the offbeat destinations in West Bengal. Kolakham is a virgin hill station with an average altitude of 6500 feet above sea level, inside Neora valley National Park on the foothills of Eastern Himalayas. We got to know about the place from a travel magazine. The captivating photographs were imperative to plan our next trip to Kolakham.Red Panda, Clouded Leopard, Malayan Giant Squirrel, Black Bear, Musk Deer, Himalayan Monal etc are common residents of Kolbong range. Mesmerizing views of the snow peaks completes the Kolakham stay. Mt. Kabru South & North, Kabru Dome, Talung, Kanchenjunga East & West and Pandim could be seen clearly. Kolakham falls among the offbeat destinations in North Bengal.

Tinchuley and Takdah:-

Tinchuley and takdah falls among the offbeat destinations in West Bengal. We chose a lesser known hamlet called Tinchuley,which can fetch us fresh colours of the spring and which is devoid of any chaotic crowd.It lies in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, at an altitude of 5800ft above sea level.As we proceeded towards Lamahatta,which is another famous destination before Tinchuley,we encountered various types of flowers on our way including the Rhododendron,Dahlia,Hibiscus,Rajnigandha and several others local flowers which further adds to our delight.We proceeded towards Lamahatta park which amazed us with its splendid view of the diverse types of seasonal flowers.The Lamahatta park was intersected horizontally with a series of colourful prayer flags that fluttered when the wind blew across the exotic garden.As the winding road climbs steeply from Lamahatta, it meanders along the green carpet of wild bubble flowers and tea gardens.Just at the start of this hill station we arrive at Gumba Dara view point which offers some breathtaking views of the valley.The valley looks best when it rains in the afternoon.During our 3 day stay in this hamlet, what was common everyday was the slight drizzle that starts in the afternoon.It is the best time to visit this view point as the dark clouds linger above the windward side of the Himalayas and the tea plantation turns into a blanket of rejuvenated green colours of the rain.Icche gaon falls among the offbeat destinations in West bengal. Tinchuley and Takdah falls among the offbeat destinations in North Bengal.

Gumba Dara view point — Tinchuley and Takdah

The word Tinchuley means three “chullas” which refers to the fact that this village is nestled between the three hills.The hospitality which the village provides is remarkable and one gets the feeling of staying in their own home.Passing through the rocky mountainous road,the surreal view of the lush green mountains surrounded by the clouds was immensely pleasing to the eyes.There is also a monastery situated at a 5 min walking distance which further leads to a view point.Though due to clouds and fog, most of the time it is difficult to get the proper views of the Sikkim and Kalimpong valley,but the trek to the monastery and the view point through the pine forests garlanded with the prayer flags make the location of this guest house even more enchanting. For booking in Gurung guest house refer to this link.

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The hanging bridge and the orchid garden are the major attractions for any tourists in Takdah which is just fifteen minutes drive from Tinchuley. The hanging bridge has been constructed by the locals for connecting two villages over the Teesta river.The bridge is suspended by iron cables on both ends bolted with supporting pillars.The footbridge is made up with wooden panels bolted to the iron cables. Tourists may find it adventurous to walk over the bridge as it swings away on both sides as weight is put on it.The orchid garden provides some useful informations of this unanimous unique himalayan plant with various colours of blooming flowers.The garden is maintained by the forest department and is well maintained with its scenic landscape The locals here have put down a great effort to decorate the garden that has become a major attraction in Takdah.The entire teesta valley,which is an hour drive from Tinchuley is covered with tea estates.In the morning local women can be seen plucking the three bud tea leaves with their traditional bamboo bark baskets.The the motorable road passes in between the vast tea plantations providing a mesmerising view of the entire Kalimpong valley.The roads are extremely bumpy and in bad shape but such difficult roads can be tolerated to let us into the fresh green avenues of the tea estates.

Chandraketugarh:- Another offbeat destination in West Bengal is Chandraketugarh– a 2200+ year old pre-Maurya period archaeological site which boasts of Vikramaditya’s favourite astrologer Varahamihir’s mansion from where his daughter-in-law Khawnaa used to preach her poetic forecasts. It is located at a distance of just 40 kilometers from Kolkata beside the gorgeous Bidyadhari River near Barasat.The Chandraketugarh area belonged to a 2500+ year old urban civilization which flourished in the nation during pre-Mauryan period till Pala dynasty. It can be worth tagged as the ‘Mohenjo-Daro of Bengal’. But due to the sheer disregards from authorities, it never came to limelight neither received the deserved importance over time.Surely Chandraketugarh being near to the city of joy Kolkata and also due to the rich historical significance may be categorised as a major offbeat destination In West Bengal.

Cafe Ekante in Rajarhat:- Another offbeat destination in West bengal is very much within the city of joy Kolkata known as Cafe Ekante In Rajarhat. “Ekante” (an ethnic Bengali word meaning ‘with own self’ in English) is a picturesque scoop of Kolkata’s green wonder – Prakriti Tirtha (or more commonly known as Eco Park). It is a HIDCO maintained luxury cottage cum lakefront café in Rajarhat – just at a stone throwing distance from the Special Economic Zone of New Town. ou can also reach there by taking a drive along the Biswa Bangla Sarani from anywhere in Kolkata. Drive till Mother’s Wax Museum on your right. Once you reach there, from the main road, enter the Eco Park premises through Gate Number 1. We crossed an ornamental grill gate and entered the Ekante premises. The Café lies on a lake island right in the middle of an aquamarine gigantic lake. Who will believe it’s a man-made water-body! Wow! Hats off to the eyes and brains behind the creation of such an artificial yet ‘natural’ wonder.

Gopiballavpur:- The next offbeat destination in West bengal is Gopiballavpur, approximately 200 kilometres from the city of joy Kolkata, is a small village on the banks of Subarnarekha River, which presently falls under the domination of newly formed Jhargram district of West Bengal. It takes around four hours to reach by road from Kolkata along the Bombay Road. It is a mysterious historic temple town, which dates back to the mythical Ramayana days.There were a series of ancient temple skeletons made up of brick mortar. Amazingly, in most of them, there were no deities except a few had Shivalingas and couple of them were dedicated to Lord Krishna and Goddess Radha.Beside the ruins, we saw a beautiful garden named ‘Gopiballavpur Eco Park’ along the bank of Subarnarekha River.There are different schools of thought about Rishi Valmiki’s ashram in Ramayana and one of the legends say that it was right here where the dacoit Ratnakar got enlightened to sage Valmiki after a spell of tough meditation.

Bishnupur:- An important offbeat destination in West bengal deriving rich historical artwork in Temples is Bishnupur.The temples date back to early 16th century AD, superbly rich in terracotta wall carvings made of firebricks – one of the top archaeological heritages of golden Bengal.It is located at a distance of around 150 kilometers from the city of joy Kolkata. We started early in the morning as the overall road conditions in the route were not very conducive for self-driving a small car. When we reached the place, the gates were already opened. We took help of one of the local guides and he skillfully added a significant touch to our temple tour. He started with the absorbing stories of the Malla Kings and one by one toured us across the magnificent terracotta works of Madan Mohan, Jore Bangla and Shyam Rai temples.We also visited the lesser known Kalachand, Lalji, Radha Shyam, Radhalal Jiu, Nandalal, Krishna Balaram and Radha Madhab shrines. The deity in all the temples are different forms of Lord Krishna and his beloved Radha, hence the name Bishnupur. The list of best offbeat destinations in West bengal is never complete and keep following our website as we update more and more terrific offbeat places to visit on West Bengal.