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The grey-green Teesta river running through a steep forested gorge, seen from a viewpoint above the confluence with the Rangeet
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Photo: Subhrajyoti07 · CC BY-SA 4.0
1 night · 2 dayscouples and friendsmonasteries and riverbalanced

Two days in Kalimpong — monasteries and Deolo, then the Teesta and Pedong

A two-day plan for Kalimpong: the Gaden Tharpa Choling and Durpin monasteries and Deolo Hill, then Teesta Bazaar and the ridge town of Pedong, with drive times.
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Two days in Kalimpong. The first stays on the ridge with the monasteries of Gaden Tharpa Choling and Zang Dhok Palri Phodang and the view from Deolo Hill. The second drops to the river at Teesta Bazaar, then climbs east to the ridge town of Pedong.

Photos: Subhrajyoti07 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Bernard Gagnon (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.

Who this is for

Couples and friends who like a mix of monasteries, views and a river, with a drive each day.

Day by day

Day 1

The town's monasteries and the hill

3 stops · 36 min on the road

A gentle first day: two monasteries, then the hilltop view; keep the afternoon free for the market.

  1. 09:00
    Gaden Tharpa Choling Monastery
    temple · 7 min from Kalimpong · about 45 min there
    A Tibetan Buddhist monastery about 7 minutes from the centre, one of the several that monks founded in Kalimpong after 1959.
  2. ↓ 13 min by road · 6 km
    11:00
    Zang Dhok Palri Phodang
    temple · 11 min from Kalimpong · about 1 h 15 min there
    The Durpin monastery, founded in 1957, with the 108 volumes of the Kangyur.
  3. ↓ 23 min by road · 11 km
    15:00
    Deolo Hill
    viewpoint · 16 min from Kalimpong · about 1 h there
    The 1,704 m park and viewpoint, best when the afternoon is clear.
Day 2

Down to the river, and out along the ridge

2 stops · 58 min on the road

Start early: the Teesta is a 27-minute drive down, and Pedong is about 40 minutes the other way.

  1. 08:00
    Teesta Bazaar
    town · 27 min from Kalimpong · about 1 h there
    The river village at about 90 m, where the Rangeet joins the Teesta at Triveni; rafting is run from here on stretches of 3 to 12 km.
  2. ↓ 58 min by road · 30 km
    13:00
    Pedong
    town · 40 min from Kalimpong · about 1 h there
    About 40 minutes east of the town on the old trade road; a ridge town at about 1,240 m with a view of Kanchenjunga on a clear day, near the ruins of the Lepcha fort of Damsang Gadi.

Getting there

See how to reach Kalimpong for the road from New Jalpaiguri and Bagdogra, and the best time to go.

Where to stay

Stay one night in Kalimpong. We have no verified lodging, prices or booking rules.

Know before you go

  • Do the river on the dry-season day; the monsoon can close the road down to the Teesta.
  • We have no verified rafting operators, fares or safety rules, so ask in town and check the river that morning.
  • The Indian Army patrols much of the Teesta area; follow local advice and ask before you photograph.

Places on this route

Zang Dhok Palri Phodang — the Durpin monastery above Kalimpong
Zang Dhok Palri Phodang — the Durpin monastery above Kalimpong
temple · 11 min from Kalimpong
Deolo Hill — the 1,704 m viewpoint above Kalimpong
Deolo Hill — the 1,704 m viewpoint above Kalimpong
viewpoint · 16 min from Kalimpong
Teesta Bazaar — the Teesta and Rangeet confluence below Kalimpong
Teesta Bazaar — the Teesta and Rangeet confluence below Kalimpong
town · 27 min from Kalimpong

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 Kalimpong itineraries →
One day in Kalimpong — the Durpin monastery, Dr. Graham's Homes and Deolo Hill
One day in Kalimpong — the Durpin monastery, Dr. Graham's Homes and Deolo Hill
Day plan · First visit · monasteries and views
A relaxed one-day plan for Kalimpong: the Durpin monastery on its hill, Dr. Graham's Homes below Deolo, and the 1,704 m hilltop park with its wide view.
Best Mar–May · Oct–Nov
See the plan →

More places nearby

All of Kalimpong →
Dr. Graham's Homes — the Scottish school below Deolo Hill
Dr. Graham's Homes — the Scottish school below Deolo Hill
monument · 895 m 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
16 km away · 2 itineraries · 3 places
Roofs and hotels of Darjeeling spreading down a steep ridge under distant blue mountain ranges and soft cloud
Darjeeling
21 km away · 9 itineraries · 13 places
The seated golden and dark-blue Buddha statue on a stepped, richly painted base against a forested hillside and a cloudy sky
Ravangla
29 km away · 1 itineraries · 3 places
Pastel-coloured buildings of Gangtok climbing a steep, forested hillside, seen from a viewpoint across the valley
Gangtok
33 km away · 5 itineraries · 11 places
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Questions people ask

What can you do in Kalimpong in two days?

Spend the first day on the ridge, at two monasteries and the Deolo Hill viewpoint, and the second in the valley and out along the old trade road: Teesta Bazaar, where the Rangeet joins the Teesta, then Pedong. On our routing Teesta Bazaar is about 27 minutes from the town and Pedong about 40 minutes.

What is Pedong known for?

A ridge town about 20 km east of Kalimpong, at about 1,240 m, on the old trade route to Tibet by the Jelep La. Wikipedia says it has a panoramic view of Kanchenjunga, and that the ruins of Damsang Gadi, a fort the Lepchas built in 1690, lie near it.

Can you go rafting on the Teesta from Kalimpong?

Yes, from Teesta Bazaar, where Wikipedia says rafting is offered on three stretches, 3 km for families and 8 or 12 km for adventure, on Class I to III rapids. We have no verified operators or fares and the river changes in the monsoon, so ask in Kalimpong and check conditions on the day.