How to reach Kalimpong — from New Jalpaiguri, Bagdogra, Darjeeling and Gangtok
How to reach Kalimpong: New Jalpaiguri 72 km and Bagdogra 78 km by road on our routing, Pakyong airport, the road from Darjeeling and Gangtok, and from Delhi.
ArticleVerified 2026-10-26
Things to do in Kalimpong — monasteries, hill views, orchids and the Teesta river
The best things to do in Kalimpong: the Durpin monastery, Deolo Hill, Dr. Graham's Homes, the orchid nurseries and the Haat Bazar, with times from the town.
Kalimpong is a quiet town. Wikivoyage rates its sights below Darjeeling's, but calls the town quiet and pleasant to explore on foot, with colonial-era buildings scattered through it. Here is what the sources point to, with drive times from the town centre on our routing.
Photos: Amitabha Gupta (CC BY 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
The monasteries
- [Zang Dhok Palri Phodang](/places/zang-dhok-palri-phodang), the Durpin monastery, about 11 minutes away. It holds rare Tibetan texts and the 108 volumes of the Kangyur.
- Gaden Tharpa Choling Monastery, about 7 minutes away, one of several Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the town. Wikipedia says monks who fled Tibet after 1959 founded many of them.
- Wikivoyage also names the Lepcha Bong Gumpa, the Tamang Gompa and the Zhekar Choede Monastery.
The hills and the view
- [Deolo Hill](/places/deolo-hill), about 16 minutes away, at about 1,704 m: a park, a Hindu temple and a 360-degree view. Wikivoyage lists paragliding from the hill; we have no verified operators or fares.
- The Kalimpong Science Centre, set up in 2008, stands on top of Deolo.
Schools and museums
- [Dr. Graham's Homes](/places/dr-grahams-homes-kalimpong), about 9 minutes away, the Scottish school opened in 1900.
- Wikivoyage lists the Kalimpong Art Gallery, the Lepcha Museum, the Nature Interpretation Centre and Mangal Dham, a memorial to Guru Mangaldasji. We have no verified opening hours for any of them.
Flowers and the market
Wikipedia says Kalimpong has a flower market famous for its orchids, and nurseries that export Himalayan bulbs and tubers. Wikivoyage says the weekly Haat Bazar, held on Wednesday and Saturday, is a lively market of clothes and vegetables, and that most of the Tibetan shops are along Rishi Road.
The river
- [Teesta Bazaar](/places/teesta-bazaar), about 27 minutes down, where the Rangeet joins the Teesta. River rafting is run from here on stretches of 3 to 12 km.
Further out
- Algarah, about 28 minutes east, a small bazaar town at about 1,780 m.
- Pedong, about 40 minutes east, a ridge town at about 1,240 m near the ruins of a Lepcha fort.
Plans
Copy the one day in Kalimpong or the two days with Teesta and Pedong. Read when to visit Kalimpong and how to reach Kalimpong.
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Questions people ask
What are the main things to do in Kalimpong?
Visit the monasteries, above all Zang Dhok Palri Phodang on Durpin Hill; climb Deolo Hill for the park and the view; see the school that Scottish missionaries founded; walk the town and its Wednesday and Saturday market; and look at the flower nurseries. Drive down to the Teesta at Teesta Bazaar for the river and rafting.
Is Kalimpong known for flowers?
Yes. Wikipedia says horticulture is important to the town, which has a flower market notable for its range of orchids, and nurseries that export Himalayan bulbs, tubers and rhizomes. It also calls Kalimpong well known for its flower exports, above all indigenous orchids and gladioli. Ask your hotel which nurseries welcome visitors.
Is one day enough for Kalimpong?
One day covers the Durpin monastery, Dr. Graham's Homes and Deolo Hill, all within about 16 minutes of the centre. A second day lets you drop to the Teesta at Teesta Bazaar, about 27 minutes away, and drive out to Pedong, about 40 minutes. Wikivoyage rates Kalimpong's sights below Darjeeling's but calls the town quieter.