Tinchuley Monastery

In Darjeeling district, there is a small village called Tinchuley situated 3 km above Tadha at 5,800ft altitude. The meaning of the Tinchuley is three ovens which mean three chullahs in Hindi. The name is given as Tinchuley because of the way it looks. The village is surrounded by three hilltops which from a distance look exactly like chullahs or ovens. Tinchuley faces Kalimpong hills. The place is vastly developing as a tourist destination. The WWF (World Wide Federation) has been assisting around 17 families in the area for developing an organic village and also for promoting village tourism.

There are some homes in the village that have been converted into homestays and guesthouses for the tourists. There are Tinchuleymonastery, Kalimpong which support many modern ways of farming, like vermiculture, floriculture and many other types of organic projects.

What activities can you do around Tinchuleymonastery, Kalimpong

• You can take a visit to the Tinchuley Monastery, Kalimpong. There was a Lama who had meditated, for around 17 years. Outside the wall, you will find a much longer line of the prayer wheels.

• You can take a visit to the tea gardens there. Around six tea gardens are all present, within some short distances where you can visit to experience how tea plucking is done, garden life, visit the factories and look around to see how tea processing is done. Rungli Rungliot is the closest well known, tea estate. The other important one is the Peshok Tea Estate.

• Explore nature by taking a stroll around the ferns and forests for some minutes so that you can reach Gumbadara. This place is an ethereal viewpoint to see savour the Rangeet River and various other beautiful parts of Sikkim. Also, if you visit this viewpoint on a clear day then you can also see the majestically beautiful Kanchenjunga. The large heavy rocks present there have many historical meanings. If you are a rock climber, then it will be a great ground for training. Also, if you are interested in caves then you can get to explore a few caves here too.

• Visit the Tinchuley View Point to catch up on the magnificently beautiful view of sunrise. Visit the place to see how the Himalayan Peaks and the Kanchenjunga's snowy peaks sparkle in the early daylight. The view is magnanimous.

• You also visit the Lover’s View Point located on Peshok Road and the Peshok tea garden. From the view Pont, you can see beautiful pictures of the Triveni, which is the confluence of the Rangeet and Teesta rivers.

• Next what you can do is, take a nice walk around the lovely villages and trek around nature trials. Your guesthouse can even arrange for some local guide who can help you with directions. Also, the people there are very friendly, once you start communicating with them. Their hospitality is very nice. Almost every village house has flowering pots all around.

Which time of the year is the best to visit Tinchuley Monastery, Kalimpong

The best time for visiting the Tinchuley Monastery, Kalimpong is from the month of October to April. At this time of the year, you get the best view of the valleys and mountains as the sky remains absolutely clear. Also, from November to February, there would be quite cold in Tinchuley making it impossible for the visitors to go around.

How Can You Reach Tinchuley Monastery, Kalimpong

From Darjeeling, by car, it takes around 1.5 hours to reach the Tinchuley Monastery, Kalimpong which is 32kms in the distance. Then from NJP, it will be 73 km a drive of 2.5 hours. Then you will have to cover 77kms, around 3 hours from Bagdogra. And then finally from Kalimpong, 1.5 hours of drive to cover 35kms.

Why Visit Tinchuley, Kalimpong

If you are a nature lover, then you must visit the Tinchuley, Kalimpong to see the beautiful views of the Himalayan range, Teesta flow, tea gardens, lovely mountains, variety of birds, the culture, and local food of the place along with fresh and relaxing walks around the village.

By taking a visit to the Tinchuley Monastery, Kalimpong you can get closer to yourself. You will get to spend some quality time with yourself away from all the typical crowd and noise. As Tinchuley is a quiet and calm village, it offers some great tranquillity which most of the people in cities long for.