Chotamangwa

Chotamangwa is a small village settled atop on a ridge of the Mangwa hill situated in the sub division of Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The word Chotamangwa literally translates into ‘A small place of Finger Millet’. Chotamangwa is set at an altitude of about 6000 feet above mean sea level and is covered with lush greenery of Cryptomaria (locally known as Dhupi), Pine, Juniper, Moss and various species of Orchids. Chotamangwa has gained much popularity among tourists due to its serene and tranquil ambience along with the some of the stunning views of the snow-capped and lofty Himalayan ranges of Mt. Kanchenjunga and others, meandering flow of River Teesta, deep valleys, the distant view of Darjeeling and Kalimpong towns and stunning view of the morning sunrise. The rectangular shaped heavenly hill top of Chotamangwa is mostly inhabited by Rai, Tamang, Sherpa and the like communities those are mainly Buddhists and Hindus by religion. These local people of Chotamangwa practices step farming through organic process and they grows rice, millet, lemon along with seasonal vegetables on the valleys. Chotamangwa is also known for its production of Oranges/ Citrus (also known as Himalayan Mandarins) and during winter season the whole village of Chotamangwa blooms with oranges all over. Apart from these the local villagers of Chotamangwa has taken the initiative to start ‘Sustainable Eco Tourism Project’ to welcome tourists with accommodation facilities and offer them the opportunity to explore the village of Chotamangwa and its nearby spots. While at Chotamangwa, though tourists can feel the ‘sound of silence’ all over the village, but this silence frequently gets debarred by the sound of crickets and the symphony of numerous species of birds those inhabit in and around Chotamangwa village. Chotamangwa is an ideal hideout from the madding city crowd for a day or two.

Place to visit around Chotamangwa:
From Chotamangwa in a day trip tourists can opt to visit some of the places located nearby.

Baramangwa: Baramangwa (or Bara Mangwa) is a serene village located at a distance of 12 km away from Chotamangwa. Baramangwa is mainly known for its orange (citrus) orchards, meandering view of River Teesta between the valleys, few terraced farmlands and local huts.
Tinchuley: Tinchuley is another popular offbeat tourist destination in the lap of the Himalayas in Darjeeling sub division and is located at a distance of 10.6 km away from Chotamangwa. Tinchuley is mainly known for its eco-tourism initiative started during 1990s along with surrounding tea gardens, view of the lofty mountain ranges, some view points, monasteries and adventure activities.
Takdah: Takdah or Tukdah mainly an old cantonment area developed during the British era known for its lush green tea gardens, numerous British Colonial Bungalows, deep valleys and stunning view of both sunrise and sunset located at a distance of 15.5 km away from Chotamangwa.
Lamahatta: Lamahatta is another popular tourist spot of Darjeeling hills gaining much popularity for its lush green park, varied orchids, stunning view of the snow-capped Himalayan range and above all Lamahatta Lake nestled atop the hills. Lamahatta is located at a distance of 20 km away from Chotamangwa and tourists can easily opt for a day trip to Lamahatta from Chotamangwa.
Triveni: Triveni (also known as Lover’s meet view point) is the junction point or the confluence point where River Teesta and River Rangeet meets. Triveni is located at a distance of 8.5 km away from Chotamangwa via Peshok. The place is breath taking and tourists while going to Chotamangwa or coming back from there can opt for a visit to Triveni.
Rungli Rungliot Tea Estate: Rungli Rungliot or Runglee Tea Estate is a popular tea estate situated near Takdah and is located at a distance of 16 km away from Chotamangwa.
Darjeeling: Being a sub division of Darjeeling district, Chotamangwa is located at a distance of 33 km away from Darjeeling town. Tourists can easily combine Chotamangwa along with Darjeeling in a single tour plan. Or one can also opt for a day visit to Darjeeling from Chotamangwa.
Other places of tourist visit around Chotamangwa includes Takling Village known for an aged old Buddhist Monastery, Tibetan Medical Centre located around 03 km away from Tinchuley, Mungpoo known for its Rabindra Bhawan (Rabindra Museum) and Cinchona plantation and processing unit is located around 22 km away from Chotamangwa and Ghoom known for its high altitude railway station and Ghoom Monastery is located around 23 km away from Chotamangwa.

Things to do in and around Chotamangwa:
Chotamangwa offers tourists with numbers of activities to try and experience in and around the village.

The most prime activity tourists can try while at Chotamangwa is sit back, relax and enjoy the surrounding beauty of virgin nature along with the stunning view of the snow-capped Himalayan ranges.
Landscape photography is another popular activity to try our while at Chotamangwa. Being situated on a hill top, Chotamangwa offers photographers with some of the most astonishing landscapes which are worth admiring.
For bird lovers and bird watchers Chotamangwa is also an ideal location as the village is inhabited by wide species of Himalayan birds to name but a few are Verditer Flycatcher, Scarlet Minivet, Eurasian Jay, Rufous Sibia, Green Backed Tit, Bar Throated Minla, Hill Myna, Green Magpie and many more.
Tourists can opt to spend time in the orange orchards at Chotamangwa especially in the winter season when these oranges are in full bloom, harvest them or take a sip of fresh orange juice from the garden is once in a lifetime experience.
Tourists can indulge in trekking or hiking activity in and around Chotamangwa, as several short trekking routes emerged from Chotamangwa.
River Rafting is a great adventurous activity and tourists can opt to avail river rafting in River Teesta while staying at Chotamangwa.
Tourists can also opt for a leisure walk by the narrow trails of Chotamangwa village, meet the local people and get to know about their daily lifestyle. Or one can also visit the nearby farmlands and get to know the process to harvest them.
Tourists can keep their evening schedule packed for the sunset view followed by camp fire within the resort premises. Apart from that Chotamangwa also offers stunning view of the galaxy with countless stars along with the distant view of the lights of Kalimpong and Darjeeling town.

How to reach:

By Air: Bagdogra Airport is the nearest airport to Chotamangwa located at a distance of 70.6 km away. Bagdogra is well connected by regular flight services with Kolkata, Guwahati, Delhi and Bangalore. From Bagdogra Airport tourists will get hired vehicles service to reach Chotamangwa.

By Train: New Jalpaiguri Railway station is the nearest rail head to Chotamangwa located at a distance of 66 km away. New Jalpaiguri Railway Station is well connected by good railway networks with Kolkata and other major cities of India. From NJP by car it takes about 03 to 3.5 hours to reach Chotamangwa (depending on the traffic). Tourists will easily get hired vehicles from NJP railway station to reach Chotamangwa.

By Road: Chotamangwa is well connected by good roadway networks with Siliguri (the gateway to the hills) located around 61 km away. Chotamangwa is also well connected with Kalimpong (24 km), Darjeeling (33 km), Teesta Bazaar (07 km), Sevoke (37 km), Ghoom (28 km) and Jorebungalow (25 km). The journey to Chotamangwa both from NJP and Bagdogra is an unforgettable experience accompanied by the view of lofty mountain ranges along with the shades of tall Pine trees. From NJP or Bagdogra one needs to avail the route via Sevoke and Teesta Bazaar. From there one will come across Bara Mangwa and Serong Village. And from here a drive of another 2 km to the right hand side by the dirt road perched with boulders will reach at Chotamangwa. Tourists can also avail the Hill Cart Road to reach Chotamangwa via Ghoom, Jorebungalow, 06th Mile, Takdah and Tinchuley.

Best time to visit Chotamangwa:
Chotamangwa can be visited throughout the year, but it is advisable to avoid the monsoon season due to the messy road condition. Winters are ideal for the picturesque view of snow-capped Himalayan ranges along with the oranges (citrus fruit) those grows in full bloom in and around Chotamangwa. And it is also an ideal time for bird watchers. Summers are comparatively soothing and are ideal to escape the scorching heat of the plains.

DARJEELING BLOSSOM ECO TOURISM COMPLEX – CHOTA MANGWA

Darjeeling Blossom Eco Tourism Complex (in short DBETC Chotamangwa) run and maintained by Mr. Pradhan is the only accommodation solution available at Chotamangwa. All the cottages of DBETC Chotamangwa are Eco friendly and are keen on serving the tourists those who visits this hamlet. DBETC Chotamangwa is surrounded by orange orchards on all sides and wide varieties of flowers and wild floras those became add on. All the cottages of DBETC Chotamangwa offers picturesque view of Mt. Kanchenjunga from the cottages itself. Around the property of DBETC Chotamangwa there are sitting arrangements available for tourists, where one can sit the all day long and enjoy the beauty and view of mother nature. The evening from DBETC Chotamangwa depicts an awesome view of the night sky. The hospitality and the service of the staffs at DBETC Chotamangwa are excellent and worth remembering.

Services Available:
Arrangements of short treks and fishing in Teesta and Rangeet River.
Arrangement of local sight scene by car on request.
Bonfire and Bar-be-cue on request (but it depends on the availability of woods).
Camping and river rafting along with other adventurous sports.
Foods served here are fully organic and produced in their own farm land.
All the cottages are equipped with attached bathrooms and western toilets.
All the cottages are fully wooden furnished.
Wide spread out space for children to play around.
Hot water available.

Cottages Type and Tariffs:
Maina Per Cottage Rs.1500/-
Suga Per Cottage Rs.1500/-
Daffay Per Cottage Rs.2000/-
Lachay Per Cottage Rs.2000/-
Munal Per Cottage Rs.2000/-
Vangera Per Cottage Rs.-2200/-
Kaliz Per Cottage Rs.-2500/-
Gawthali Per Cottage Rs.-3000/-
Rupi Per Cottage Rs.- 2000/-
Jurali Per Cottage Rs.- 2000/-
Dhukur (Eight Bed) Rs. – 4000/-
GST @ 12% on cottages below 2000/- and
GST @ 18% on the tariff of cottages above 2000/-

HOW TO BOOK: Call us at 9831311606 , 9830381306 to get the current availability status or use the query form furnished below with all you travel queries and submit, we will call/ contact you directly.
Or, you may also directly book from our Kolkata office at: 8C Shanti Ghosh Street, Kolkata – 700003. Nearest Landmark: Manindra Chandra College and Shyambazar Metro Railway Station (Gate No: 3)