Weekend Getaways from Kolkata

You can plan weekend getaways from Kolkata to the Sunderbans region or Darjeeling as both these places are close to the city, and have loads of campsites and hotels.

Popular Destinations for Weekend Getaways near Kolkata

Darjeeling

• Location: The town is located in the extreme northern part of West Bengal, and is approximately 631 km from Kolkata.

• Terrain: Darjeeling has a mountainous terrain as it lies in the Mahabharat Range of the Himalayas. The average elevation of this famous hill station is 6700 feet above sea level.

• Attractions: Some of the most popular places to visit here include Tiger Hill, Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Peace Pagoda and Bhutia Busty Monastery.

• Climate: Due to its elevation and location in East India, Darjeeling experiences a wet tropical highland climate. June is the hottest month with highs of 19 degree Celsius and lows of 13 degrees. January is quite cool with mean maximum temperatures of 11 C, and average minimum temperatures of 2 degrees. In each of the months of June, July, August and September, more than 450 mm of rainfall is recorded in the town.

• Accommodation: If Darjeeling is to feature in your weekend getaways from Kolkata, then staying at Glenburn Tea Estate may be quite an experience.

1. Rooms: This property has a total of eight suites, four each in the Burra Bungalow and the Water Lilly Bungalow.

2. In-Room Amenities and Facilities: Fruit baskets, toiletries, large beds and embroidered linen are features of every suite. The bathrooms of seven out of the eight suites have bathtubs while all have showers.

3. Dining: You can enjoy your meals in the common dining hall, in your rooms, in the Morning Room, terrace of the bungalows or in the gardens. Apart from South-East Asian, European and Indian dishes, you can relish cakes, cookies, marmalades, breads and barbecue items; all made from their own produce.

4. Activities: On-site recreational facilities include board games, Wi-Fi connection, newspapers, common television and music library. For a better vacation, travel to the banks of the Rangeet River and fish for as long as you want. The estate has fishing equipment, but you can bring your own as well. Other fun engagements here include hiking, massages, informative cooking classes and learning the process of tea production right from plucking leaves to packing the product. There is even a lodge by the river within the estate that has two rooms, a verandah and towels if you feel like swimming.

Sunderbans

• Location: About 40 percent of the Sunderbans region lies in the southern part of the state of West Bengal while the remaining 60 percent is in Bangladesh.

• Terrain: The region is a gigantic mangrove forest, drained by the Ganga River and numerous of its distributaries and tributaries. Riverine islands, swamps, marshes and thickly forested land are features of this region.

• Attractions: The Sunderbans is known for its tigers and other animals, such as crocodiles, snakes, deer and many species of winged creatures.

• Climate: Hot and humid weather conditions with negligible change characterise the climate of the Sunderbans.