For most of us the best part of a week is weekends & we keep searching for weekend destinations to spend a few days away from the stressful daily life. But unfortunately now-a-days most of the weekend getaways from Kolkata are so common that we miss the peaceful environment which we need to refresh our mind.
1. Vetnai (Wildlife, Bird)
Vetnai is a small lesser known village in Odisha’s Ganjam district. It is famous for Blackbuck. Here approximately 1600 blackbucks roam around freely. The landscapes and various types of birds will also lure you. If you have time, you can also add Monglajori bird sanctuary in your itinerary to view rare birds and some beautiful butterflies.
How to reach :
You can take overnight train from Howrah to Brahmapur (Odisha). The convenient train is 12863 Howrah - Yesvantpur SuperFast Express which departs from howrah at 8.35 P.M. and arrives at Brahmapur (BAM) at 6 A.M. From Brahmapur there are regular bus services that can take you to Aska as well as Bhetnai.
How to plan:
Saturday : Reach Brahmapur in the morning and check-in to the Hotel. Then proceed to Vetnai by Auto. Return back to hotel in the evening.
Sunday : You can stroll around the place or you may again go to Vetnai to observe Blackbuck. Or you can go to Pakidi village to see our national bird. After lunch you can go back to Brahmapur for night train. If you have enough time for your night train, you also can experience sunset from Gopalpur. Gopalpur is only 15 km from Brahmapur.
Where to stay :
You will not get accommodation in Vetnai but you will get ample number of budget friendly hotel near Aska bus stand. If you want to add Monglajodi alongwith this, you can stay one night in aska and another night at Monglajori. In Monglajori you can try Godwit Eco-cottage or Manglajodi Eco-tourism.
Approximate budget :
Approx. Rs. 1500 – 1600 (Except train fare) per person on twin sharing basis. If you add Monglajodi in the itinerary, the price will be a bit higher. Approx. Rs. 3500 – 3600 (Except train fare) per person on twin sharing basis.
2. Rangbull (Resort, Tea Garden, Valley view)
Another perfect weekend getaway from Kolkata is Rangbull, a lesser known village near Darjeeling district. Just before Ghoom, on the way to Darjeeling you would come across a village market place called Rangbull Bazar.
If you leave the highway and take to the dirt tracks, then a drive of another eight kilometres would take you to the famous tea gardens, valleys, waterfalls and endless stretches of blue mountains in the Himalayan foothills of Rangbull village. Though the roads are broken, but the view of the valley from the pathway is awesome. In every turns the nature is awaiting for you to showcase her beauty. The road through the pine forest is so refreshing that will heal your stresses. Darjeeling is just 15 KM from here.
How to reach :
You can take Friday night train from Howrah to New Jalpaiguri Station (NJP). From NJP, you will get share cab towards Ghoom. Just ask the driver to drop you at Rangbull bazar. From Rangbull bazar you can go by walk or take another car for going towards the valley.
How to Plan :
Saturday : From NJP, it is around 67 KM. So by share jeep it will take approximately 3 hours to reach Rangbull bazar. In Rongbull there is a beautiful resort named Rainbow Valley Resort. From Rangbull bazar, a drive down of 8 KM would take you to the resort. You can reach there by walk also but it will take time and as the roads are sloping sharply, it is hectic for aged person.
After reaching to the resort you can stroll around the place. You can book a car from the resort and after lunch you can go to the nearby tea factory, local water dam, or you can trek to Indrani falls, can try out angling in the nearby Balasun River, can enjoy bird watching in the surrounding forest. Night stay in the resort
Sunday : Tiger hill is only 10 KM from the resort. So in the early morning you can go there to experience the beautiful sunrise over Mt. Kanchenjunga. After that you can go to Ghoom Railway station and can experience the toy train ride to Darjeeling and can spend few times there. After returning to the resort and taking early lunch you can check out from the resort and can proceed towards NJP for night train.
Where to stay :
You can stay in Rainbow valley resort. The environment around this colorful resort is very relaxing and rejuvenating. The staffs are very courteous and the food in their restaurant is just awesome. The tariff of the rooms in this resort ranges from Rs. 1800 to 3200 (As per Feb, 2019). Contact no. of the resort owner Mr. Simon Rai is : +91-9832616970.
Approximate budget :
Approx. Rs. 2500-3000 (Except train fare) per head on twin sharing basis. Full day sigh seeing sumo may cost you around Rs. 2000. So if you are in group, it will be divided.
3. Bara Mangwa (Hill station, Eco-tourism)
If anybody wants to spend two days in the lap of nature without any hustle bustle, Bara Mangwa is an ideal weekend getaway from Kolkata. It is approximately 7 kms away from Teesta Bazar. It is a green village with step cultivation all around. One can see the unique cultivation practices and wide range of crops planted by the farmers of villages.
How to reach:
Bara Mangwa is 62 K.M. from New Jalpaiguri Jn. It will take around 2.5 hr to reach there from NJP railway station if you reserve a car. If you want to come Bara Mangwa by share transport, first you have to take a share car for Teesta Bazar. And from teesta bazar you have to hire another car to reach Bara Mangwa.
How to plan :
Saturday : After reaching New Jalpaiguri in the morning you can directly go to Bara Mangwa. After lunch you can stroll around the place.
Sunday : You can take a full day sightseeing around Bara Mangwa. Some of the well known places are Teesta Rangit confluence, Lamahatta, Peshok, Takdah, Tinchuley, Chota Mangwa etc. If you are on tight schedule, you can skip some of these places and after the sightseeing you can proceed for NJP for night train. I will advise not to rush, enjoy the nature and stay in Bara Mangwa one more day. Proceed for NJP on the next day.
Where to stay :
Bara Mangwa Farmhouse and Darjeeling blossom eco-tourism is the famous name in Bara Mangwa. The location of both the resort is awesome. Contact number for Darjeeling blossom eco-tourism : +91-9635925321
Approximate budget :
Approx. Rs. 2500 – 2700 (Except train fare). Full day sightseeing sumo may cost you around Rs. 3000 so if you are in group it will be divided or you can arrange for co-passenger to share the sumo.
4. Langudi (Historical Importance):
Now, this is another offbeat place from Odisha. Langudi hill is in Jajpur district of Odisha and the distance from Bhubaneswar is approx 75 KM. The distance from Cuttack to Langudi hill is 50 KM. This place has huge archeological importance. Langudi hill is famous for housing the ruins of Pushpagiri University or Puspagiri Mahavihara (2nd century BC to 10th century AD), an important Buddhist centre of advance learning in ancient India. The main attraction of this place is the 34 stupas made by cutting rocks which were excavated from this place. Along with this, the half smiling Buddha in the ‘Samadhi Mudra’ and various other postures contribute to the heavy influx of tourism in Langudi hills.
How to reach :
You can take Friday night train from Howrah to Bhubaneswar or Cuttack. From Bhubaneswar, it will take 1.5 hr to reach Langudi. After visiting Langudi Hills, you can again return back to Bhubaneswar railway station to take return train at night.
How to Plan:
Saturday : After reaching Bhubaneswar, you can check-in to the hotel. After that you can go for sightseeing around Bhubaneswar. You can go to Udaygiri, Khandagiri, Lingaraj Temple, Nandan Kanan Zoological park. Or after sightseeing you can go to Jajpur for night stay. From Jajpur, Langudi hill is only 10 KM.
Sunday : If you are staying at Bhubaneswar, you can reserve a car and proceed for Langudi Hills, but you must enquire the driver that the driver knows the exact location of it. After roaming around in Puspagiri Mahavihar, you can return back to Bhubaneswar and take night train for return.
Where to stay :
You will get ample number of budget hotel in Bhubaneswar near railway station and it will cost around Rs. 800-1500. If you want to stay in Jajpur, you can check-n to Hotel Brahmani, Hotel Royal Kalinga, Suryansh hotel etc.
Approximate Budget :
You can complete this tour alongwith the sightseeing as mentioned here by spending only Rs. 1500 - 1800 per head twin sharing basis (except train fare).
5. Jhilimili (Green forest, Tree House)
Jhilimili is a Bengali word which means sparkle or twinkle. It gets its name from the sparkle of micaceous soil that covers the area. Mounted on a top of a hillock, this offbeat weekend getaway from Kolkata is surrounded by thick forests of varying heights. Jhilimili is a quiet place, and makes for a pleasant getaway for city-dwellers. Jhilimili is exactly located at the border of Purulia, Bankura and Midnapur. It is just 70 km away from Bankura. During your visit to Jhilimili, you can also go to Talberia dam, Sutan forest, Kankrajhor, Belpahari.
How to reach:
First, you can take train from Howrah or Santragachi to Jhargram. From Jhargram, it is only 65 KM. Or you can go to Bankura from Howrah via train and then from Bankura you can go by bus.
How to plan:
Saturday : If you take early morning train for Jhargram from Howrah, you will reach at Jhilimili at around 12 noon. Enjoy the greenery en-route from Jhargram to Jhilimili. After taking lunch you can visit the nearby village, Routora.
Sunday : After taking your breakfast, you can check out from the resort and go for sightseeing. One by one you can go to Talberia Dam, Sutan Forest, Kankrajhor, Belpahari. In Belpahari, you can take your lunch and then proceed for Jhargram station to take return train.
Where to stay :
You can stay in Rimil guest house. Contact number for the same is : +91-8538834031 / +91-9434202485
Approximate Budget :
You can complete this tour along with the sightseeing as mentioned here by spending only Rs. 2000 - 2500 per head twin sharing basis (except train fare).
6. Lepchajagat and Singell Tea Estate (Hill station, Homestay, Tea Garden):
Lepchajagat is a small village located in the wilderness at an altitude of 6,956 ft (i.e. 2123 meters) and only 19kms away from Darjeeling hill town. If you are a nature lover or looking for a romantic stay, Lepchajagat is the best weekend getaway from Kolkata for you. As the name suggests, once it used to be a hamlet of the Lepcha tribes. The word 'Jagat' actually means "the world', so it was the world of the Lepchas.
Extended Weekend Destination
Alongwith Lepchajagat, you can also go to Singell Tea estate and stay in the midst of tea garden. It is near Kurseong. From Kurseong station or market area, it's a 10 min drive to Singell Homestay. View from the homestay’s balcony is breathtakingly beautiful. Straight ahead you see the vast landscape of the Singell tea garden and the estate. Towards left you can see the main road far away and the toy train going towards Darjeeling or returning.
How to reach :
You can take Friday night train from Howrah to New Jalpaiguri Station (NJP). From NJP, you will get share cab towards Ghoom. From Ghoom, it is only 8 KM and take 30 minutes to reach Lepchajagat.
How to Plan:
Saturday : After reaching NJP, you can directly go to Lepchajagat. Stroll around Lepchajagat. The landscapes here will surely mesmerize you. Night stay at Lepchajagat.
Sunday : Experience the Sun rise from Lepchajagat. If you are lucky, you can see the snow clad Kanchenjungha peak from here. After taking breakfast, you can proceed for Singell Tea Garden. Enroute you can visit Batasia Loop, Ghoom Monastery. After reaching Singell tea estate, you can spend your time as you wish. The sunset from Singell Tea estate will be in your memory forever.
Monday : You can spend the morning in Tea estate and after lunch you can proceed for New Jalpaiguri for return train. So, Lepchajagat and Singell Tea Estate can be easily covered in an extended weekend.
Where to stay :
In Lepchajagat, you can stay in WBFDC resort. It has the best location. You can book it online : https://wbfdc.net/
You can also stay in Pakhrin Homestay at Lepchajagat. Contact Number for Pakhrin Homestay : +91-8348924355
As I have already mentioned before, there is a homestay in Singell Tea Estate. The location of Singell Homestay is awesome. The contact number for Singell Homestay is : +91-9832057237
Approximate Budget :
You can complete this tour alongwith the sightseeing as mentioned here by spending only Rs. 2500 - 4500 per head twin sharing basis (except train fare).
7. Shivkhola - Ahaldara (River, Nature, Bird watching):
Shivkhola is a small village situated in a lush green valley. The prime attraction of his place is its mesmerizing natural beauty with the cascading Shiv Khola River making its way through boulders and rocks. The ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva on the bank of the river makes this place more picturesque.
Ahaldara is actually a view point near Latpanchar which is paradise for bird watchers. From the view point you will get 360 degree view of Mt. Kanchenjunga throughout the day. You can also visit Sittong (famous for orange orchard) during your visit.
Along with Shivkhola, if you have one more day, you can also visit to Ahaldara. Otherwise you can visit either Shivkhola or Ahaldara in a weekend. Till now, many people have not heard the name of these places, so they are sparsely crowded by the travellers.
How to reach :
You can take Friday night train from Howrah to New Jalpaiguri Station (NJP). From NJP, it is only 30 KM to reach Shivkhola.
How to Plan:
Saturday : After reaching NJP, you can directly go to Shivkhola. The road towards Shivkhola is awesome. So you can request the driver to give stopover at the viewpoints. After reaching at Shivkhola Adventure Camp, you can enjoy the rest of the day by spending times beside Shivkhola River. In the afternoon, you can also stroll around the places.
Sunday : After taking breakfast and taking bath in the River, you can proceed for Ahaldara. Enroute you can take a stopover at Namthing Lake. After reaching Ahaldara, spend your day by sitting in a chair and staring at the Mt. Kanchenjunga. Post lunch you can stroll around Latpanchar.
Monday : After experiencing the glorious sunrise, you can take your breakfast and proceed for NJP. Enroute you can visit Sittong (famous for the orange orchard) and also at Mahananda Wild Life Sanctuary.
Where to stay :
In Shivkhola you can check-in to Shivakhola Adventure Camp. You can directly call the owner Mr. D.P. Pradhan at this number : +91-7076012314 / +91-9851382665
You can stay at Humro Home in Ahaldara. The owner of this resort is Mr. Padam Gurug : +91-9475959974 / +91-8926015477 / +91-8906232202
Approximate Budget :
You can complete this weekend getaway from Kolkata by spending only Rs. 4500 - 5500 per head twin sharing basis (except train fare).
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