The Renowned St. Mary Hill of Kurseong, Darjeeling

Kurseong or Kharsang which literally translates to ‘Land of the white Orchids’ in Lepcha language boats
of several places of tourist interest and among them is the renowned St. Mary Hill. After Darjeeling has become one of the tourist hubs of West Bengal, Kurseong has been a popular excursion from the ‘Queen of the Hills’ because of its exotic natural beauty and tourist places of interest.   

Serene and composed, St. Mary Hill placed at a distance of 4 km from the railway station of Kurseong amidst the deep woods is one of the major attractions of Kurseong town in Darjeeling district of West Bengal. The hill houses the eastern Forest Rangers College (EFRC), newly constructed St. John’s Church along with the statue of Mary and Jesus which adorns the hill to give it a look of a stunning hill resort.

Things to Do: While venturing on the way from the Bagdogra Airport or the New Jalpaiguri Railway Station (NJP), your car will likely to stop at the immaculate beautiful Kurseong Hills.

The top of the St. Mary Hill provides a commanding view of the low lying plains nearly about 1525 below and also of the emerald valley of Kurseong town. On your way you will be enthralled with the scenic vistas and the picturesque landscape of this place which is totally beyond words to describe.   

Note: Make sure to carry a camera to capture some memorable moments while in this place.      

Best time to Visit: September to mid-June is the ideal time to visit this hill beauty as it experiences the most soothing climate during this period. 

Accommodation: As Kurseong is a small town, you will find limited number of reasonably priced hotels and resorts for staying. You can opt for mid range to budgeted accommodation options while in this place. Some of the hotels that offer pleasant and comfortable stay facilitated with all modern amenities are Hotel Amarjeet and Cochrane Hotel. Kurseong Tourist Lodge, Kurseong Palace Hotel, Hotel Hill Top are some of the budget hotels that you can opt for longer staying in Kurseong.   

Travel Tips:

Ø  Summer clothing should be light woolen with heavy woolens in winter.

Ø  Make sure to purchase some local art crafts and handicrafts to take back home as a memento along with woolen garments.

Ø  While in this place momo, thukpa, noodles and Churpee are the edibles which are regional, go ahead and taste some of them for satiating your taste buds. 

Ø  English, Bengali, Tibetan are the languages that are spoken in this place with Nepali being the major language.   

How to Reach: Closest airport is Bagdogra at about 48 km whereas the major railway stations are Siliguri Junction at 42 km and New Jalpaiguri Railway Station (NJP) at about 47 km. You can get number of options like car, sumo or bus to reach Siliguri from the airport and railway stations to reach the main town of Siliguri from where you can venture for Kurseong.

    

Once you reach Siliguri you can get plenty of options to reach this place. You can reserve a small vehicle or get on a vehicle to reach.