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Cloud drifting over rows of tea bushes and young trees on a hillside in the Darjeeling tea country
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Photo: Sourabh.biswas003 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Day plancultureTemples & heritagerelaxed

A day to Kurseong and Makaibari — the orchid town and one of Darjeeling's oldest tea gardens

A day from Darjeeling to Kurseong, the orchid town on the toy-train line, and the Makaibari Tea Estate of 1852, whose 1859 factory was the district's first.
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A day down the hill from Darjeeling to Kurseong, the town half way to the plains on the toy-train line, and to the Makaibari Tea Estate below it, one of the oldest gardens in the district. Read our Darjeeling tea gardens guide first, and see the Mirik day trip for the other way down into the tea country.

Photos: Sourabh.biswas003 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Sourabh.biswas003 (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.

Who this is for

Tea lovers and anyone curious about how Darjeeling's tea began, with a car for the day.

Day by day

Day 1

Down the toy-train road to Kurseong

2 stops · 15 min on the road

The town half way down to the plains, and the tea garden below it.

  1. 10:00
    Kurseong
    town · 1 h 9 min from Darjeeling · about 1 h 30 min there
    About 69 minutes from Darjeeling on our routing, at 1,482.55 m by Wikipedia's figure. Its name is said to come from the Lepcha word for the small white orchids of its valleys. The toy-train line runs through the town.
  2. ↓ 15 min by road · 6 km
    12:00
    Makaibari Tea Estate
    park · 1 h 18 min from Darjeeling · about 3 h there
    Founded in 1852, one of the oldest gardens in Darjeeling, whose factory of 1859 was the first in the district. Wikipedia says that in 1988 it was certified organic, before any other tea estate in India. We have no verified visiting hours.

Getting there

By car or taxi from Darjeeling; Kurseong is about 69 minutes and Makaibari about 78 minutes away on our routing. See how to reach Darjeeling.

Where to stay

Darjeeling. We have no verified lodging or prices in Kurseong or at the estate.

Know before you go

  • We have no verified visiting hours or tours at Makaibari; ask before you go.
  • Spring brings the first flush of the tea, which Wikipedia describes as light and floral.
  • Kurseong is about 32 km from Darjeeling by Wikipedia; the road follows the railway in places.

Going together

No one has started a group going on this plan yet. Start one and other travellers can ask to come along.

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Other ways to do it

All Darjeeling itineraries →
A day trip from Darjeeling to Mirik — the lake town in the tea country
A day trip from Darjeeling to Mirik — the lake town in the tea country
Day plan · Couples · leisure
A day trip from Darjeeling to Mirik: 94 minutes to Sumendu Lake, its 3.5 km lake road, footbridge and boats, and lunch in the town among tea gardens.
Best Mar–Apr · Oct–Dec
See the plan →
Darjeeling in three days — Tiger Hill and Senchal, the zoo and the tea, and the old town
Darjeeling in three days — Tiger Hill and Senchal, the zoo and the tea, and the old town
2 nights · 3 days · Family · Classic
A three-day Darjeeling plan: Tiger Hill sunrise, Batasia Loop and Senchal Lake, the zoo and HMI, Happy Valley Tea Estate and the old town on foot. Copy it.
Best Mar–May · Oct–Nov
See the plan →

More places nearby

All of Darjeeling →
Mirik Lake (Sumendu Lake) — the lake town among the tea gardens below Darjeeling
Mirik Lake (Sumendu Lake) — the lake town among the tea gardens below Darjeeling
lake · 9.1 km away
Tiger Hill, Darjeeling — the sunrise viewpoint for Kangchenjunga and Everest
Tiger Hill, Darjeeling — the sunrise viewpoint for Kangchenjunga and Everest
viewpoint · 13 km away
Yiga Choeling Monastery, Ghum — the Old Ghoom Monastery and its Maitreya statue
Yiga Choeling Monastery, Ghum — the Old Ghoom Monastery and its Maitreya statue
temple · 15 km away
Batasia Loop, Darjeeling — the spiral of the toy train and the Gorkha memorial
Batasia Loop, Darjeeling — the spiral of the toy train and the Gorkha memorial
monument · 16 km away
Peace Pagoda, Darjeeling — the white Japanese stupa on Jalapahar
Peace Pagoda, Darjeeling — the white Japanese stupa on Jalapahar
temple · 17 km away
Lloyd's Botanical Garden, Darjeeling — the Himalayan plants below the town
Lloyd's Botanical Garden, Darjeeling — the Himalayan plants below the town
monument · 18 km away
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway — the toy train and its loops
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway — the toy train and its loops
monument · 18 km away
Chowrasta, Darjeeling — the town square on the Mall
Chowrasta, Darjeeling — the town square on the Mall
area · 18 km away

Nearby destinations

All destinations →
The huge copper-coloured seated statue of Guru Padmasambhava on its painted base on Samdruptse hill under a grey sky
Namchi
18 km away · 2 itineraries · 3 places
A long snow-covered Kanchenjunga ridge in blue morning light above dark forested hills with a few wisps of cloud
Pelling
29 km away · 3 itineraries · 8 places
The seated golden and dark-blue Buddha statue on a stepped, richly painted base against a forested hillside and a cloudy sky
Ravangla
32 km away · 1 itineraries · 3 places
Pastel-coloured buildings of Gangtok climbing a steep, forested hillside, seen from a viewpoint across the valley
Gangtok
48 km away · 5 itineraries · 11 places
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Questions people ask

How far is Kurseong from Darjeeling?

About 30 km and 69 minutes by road on our routing; Wikipedia gives 32 km. Kurseong stands at 1,482.55 m by Wikipedia, lower and milder than Darjeeling, on the road and the toy-train line down to Siliguri. It is the headquarters of its own subdivision of Darjeeling district.

Why is Makaibari Tea Estate famous?

It is one of Darjeeling's oldest gardens, founded in 1852, and Wikipedia says its factory, opened in 1859, was the first in the district. It was also the first tea estate in India to gain organic certification, in 1988. The name means corn field.

Can I visit a tea factory near Darjeeling?

Wikipedia says the Happy Valley Tea Estate near Darjeeling reopened to the public in 2008 with its old factory kept as a museum. For Makaibari and other gardens we have no verified visiting hours or tours, so ask before you go, and expect factories to be busiest in the flush seasons.