In this blog post, I’m going to share with you our amazing experience of visiting Tinchuley and Lamahatta, two beautiful places in North Bengal. On our next day after checking in, we headed for Tinchuley and Lamahatta after having heavy breakfasts comprising of Aloo Paratha and Curd with achaar at Rose Villa Heritage Homestay.

Tinchuley Gumbadara Viewpoint

Tinchuley is a small hamlet located about 28 km from Darjeeling and around 3 km from Takdah. The name means “three ovens” in Tibetan, because of the three prominent hilltops that resemble ovens. Tinchuley is famous for its stunning views of the Kanchenjunga range, its lush green tea gardens, and its organic orange orchards.

The serpentine Tinchuley-Lopchu road that passes through the Gumbadara viewpoint offers majestic mountain views. About 3 km from Takdah, the montane hamlet of Tinchuley is known for its views of the eastern Himalayas and the Teesta and Rangeet rivers. From the Gumbadara viewpoint, you can see the picturesque view of river Teesta and Rangeet, and it is located at an altitude of 6000 ft.

Tinchuley village is distinguished by three prominent hills that envelop the valley settlement below. The rivers Teesta and Ranjeet intersect near the village, which makes for a popular geographical landmark. The involvement of the World Wildlife Federation has contributed to the region’s natural bounties. Apart from tea plantations and orange orchards, it is also known for floriculture, vermiculture, and organic farming.

On the far side, we could see hazily the gigantic statue of Shiva at the Char Dham in Sikkim. We could make it as we had been there before. Tinchuley is a hidden gem that deserves more attention from travelers. It is a place where you can reconnect with nature and yourself.

Peshok Tea Estate

We then stopped at Peshok Tea Estate for a fantastic view of the tea gardens and the majestic Himalayan Mountain. Lovely green tea gardens are all around. Some workers were picking the tea leaves. They’re experts, and they know which one is to be picked. There was a small tea shop by the road amidst the lush green tea estates. We went there for tea, and we specifically asked for the local tea, which they obliged. We had aloo-chana with Bhujia there along with tea. The taste of fresh, organic tea is amazing.

We could see the Teesta River at the far end and the Rangeet River flowing down the valley. The Rangeet River is a tributary of River Teesta, the largest river at Sikkim. It originates in the Himalayan mountains in the West Sikkim district. The river also forms the boundary between Sikkim and West Bengal. It is a perennial river and obtains its waters from the melting summer snow of the Himalayas and the rains of monsoon.

Lovers Meet Viewpoint

We drove down the road towards Gangtok. We stopped on the way at the Lovers Meet Viewpoint. From here we saw a magnificent view of the confluence of the River Rangeet with the River Teesta. River Rangeet originates from the glacier of Mount Kabru- lower Kanchenjunga region. Teesta originates from a lake popular as ‘Tso Lhamo lake’ in north Sikkim.

The river Rangeet with its deep green and crystal-clear water gushes in and meets the forceful mountain stream Teesta at a point called Triveni. The confluence takes place on relatively flat terrain and is surrounded by mountains on all sides.

This confluence of Teesta and Rangeet is also known as Triveni. Some call it Lover’s point. It is considered to be a holy place where two great Rivers meet. Rangeet is considered to be a male river who meets his beloved Teesta at this point, hence the name ‘Lover’s Point’.

We had guava chaat and coffee there before descending to the actual confluence spot.

The Legend

It is believed that once upon a time the beautiful Teesta and her friend and soulmate, Rangeet playfully challenged each other to a race down the hills. They decided to take their own routes and fixed up on a place far away from their region. Since they were venturing out of a known territory for the first time they decided to take help of some friends. Teesta agreed to be guided by a snake while Rangeet took a mountain bird as his guide. When they set out flowing vigorously following their guides, the snake moved fast without being distracted followed by Teesta. The mountain bird however kept getting distracted flowing through the mountains and enjoying its beauty much to the annoyance of Rangeet as he wanted to win the race desperately. Teesta having followed the snake reached much in advance and waited patiently for her friend Rangeet. Rangeet after reaching late and realising that he has lost the race got angry and threatened to go back. Teesta pleaded with him and requested him not to leave her behind. This made Rangeet come down and meet his beloved, never to be parted again. Ever since that time this place where two river Gods met is considered to be holy and sacred. As two eternal lovers met at this point, so this place is famous as Lovers Meet.

Triveni

From the Lovers Meet Viewpoint, we drove down to the confluence of the River Rangeet and River Teesta.

There are many small camps were there for those who want to spend their time on the lap of nature by the rivers. There were facilities for rafting also. But most of the rafting was done by the tourists on the plain water on rafts. We removed our shoes and folded our pants up to walk into the river.

The inexplicable beauty of this place can be deduced from the fact that despite the utmost differentiation, nature creates a portrait so beautiful that you will be left charmed by the banks. With lush green forests of Kalimpong Hills as an addendum, Triveni mesmerizes you with the long valley and a much calmer bank to engage in fun activities.

Lamahatta

Lamahatta is another gem of a place, situated about 6 km from Tinchuley at an altitude of 6800 ft. It is an eco-tourism village that offers a serene and picturesque environment for nature lovers. The main attraction here is the roadside garden, which is a beautifully landscaped area with colorful flowers, benches, gazebos, and prayer flags. Lamahatta stands for Lama for Buddhist monk and Hatta for hut: a monk’s heritage. Lamahatta ecopark is a famous spot with its vibrant bright flowers. A watch tower built at the park surrounding the stem of the pine tree is another attraction offering outstanding views.

From Lamahatta, we returned to our homestay. I hope you liked this blog post and found it useful. Do let us know your thoughts and questions in the comments section below. And don’t forget to subscribe to our blog for more stories. The next post will be on our next-day experience of our visit to Ghum and Darjeeling, which follows soon.