Now let me introduce you to Chhota Mangmaya (called Chhota Mangwa by many), a small hilly hamlet of Darjeeling district. Still unknown to many people this quaint village is not touristy type and could provide great relief from a stressful city life with its amazing weather and ethereal views. The primary reason of adding this place to our itinerary was to see the orange orchards for which this small village is famous for. But little did we know at that time that this little gem of Darjeeling district had many more things to offer apart from the orange orchards.
We had previously booked a cottage for one night at Darjeeling Blossom Eco Tourism complex at Chhota Mangwa. This complex is perched on a ridge and is owned by Mr M.K.Pradhan. It has 8 cottages and 2 log huts with varied range of prices and provides all basic amenities, but this is not the place where one can expect luxuries such as TV and phones in each room. Even there is no geyser installed in any of the rooms and the staff provide hot water in buckets by carrying it from a common place in the compound with solar water heating set up. Mr Pradhan has made it very clear that this is not a place with star facilities, but it was started with the intention of promoting Eco tourism and providing employment to the locals. And we felt he has very well succeeded in his noble endeavour as Chhota Mangwa now attracts many people who want to rejuvenate their tired souls in the lap of nature. We already knew that the last few kilometres to Chhota Mangwa has real rough roads and smaller vehicles would not be able to cover that distance. So we had requested Mr. Pradhan to arrange a vehicle to pick us up from Kalimpong. Even though it turned out to be a little more expensive, but we had the satisfaction of travelling with a driver who was well acquainted with the rugged road.
On the way we stopped at another village named Bara Mangwa, to have a tour of one of the orange orchards. There is a new resort coming up at the Orange orchard and Mr Pradhan informed us that it would be ready by next year and we could come there once again to enjoy a stay in the resort with a backdrop of orange garden. We were given free access to explore the orchard and the 1st view of the orchard left us jumping with joy as there were big juicy oranges all around us. The orchard was really really huge and we could see orange trees laden with umpteen oranges till the point our eyes could see. There were many oranges that had fallen on the ground and we were really surprised to see no one was bothered to pick them up. We ambled around the orchard for some time and clicked a few pics. While coming back our driver picked two oranges and gave to us to taste and believe me it was one of the tastiest oranges I ever ate. So I wanted to buy a lot of oranges from there, but we were told that they are not sold loose like this and the whole harvest had already been sold to someone for a fixed amount. We left the place with the hope to see oranges again at Chhota Mangwa.
It was around 2 pm when we reached Chhota Mangwa Eco Tourism complex. The complex looked really beautiful with varied colors of flowers everywhere and unbeaten view of mountains at both sides. The pavement is wonderfully designed with cottages at one side of it and some wooden as well as cement made benches here and there that add to the beauty. The cottages have been wonderfully designed with each having a view of the Mountains and on a clear day Kanchenjunga can even be seen from the bed itself. There is a common balcony type space in front of each cottage where dining table and chairs have been set up to have tea/coffee while enjoying the view. A restaurant has also been set up with a view of the mountains.
We moved into our cottage which was small yet cosy with wooden flooring and an attached bathroom. Front side of the cottage was made of glass and with the screens removed, it rendered amazing view of the mountains. We were provided warm water by the staff to freshen up followed by two cups of hot tea that welcomed us into the cool weather. After half an hour we moved to the restaurant to have lunch and the yummy taste of the homely food cooked with farm fresh vegetables made our day. It was around 3:30pm by then and we wanted to explore the surrounding area before the sun went down. We started walking downhill on the path besides the resort and after walking for around 15 minutes we found an orange orchard again. We asked a few kids nearby whether we were allowed to visit the garden and they nodded and guided us with the route. The orchard was much smaller compared to the one we visited at Bara Mangwa and had smaller oranges. But it looked beautiful with lots and lots of oranges everywhere. Apart from the oranges we found abundant squash grown everywhere and also we saw tree tomatoes for the 1st time. We clicked a few pics and came back. On the way back we met an elderly woman and requested to have a photograph with her. She agreed and when we showed her the pics she got ecstatic like a child clapping and smiling. The only word we could understand from whatever she said was first class. This reminded us that still there is simplicity and innocence left in the people of these hills that is long lost in the people of the cities. We came back to the resort as it was already evening and sun has gone down quite early. Cold had also grown stronger and the the weather demanded 2 cups of hot coffee. As night fell, the hills at both sides of the complex started glowing with the lights of the houses creating an impression of a starlit sky and we stood in the balcony for long time enjoying the serenity.
We had previously booked a cottage for one night at Darjeeling Blossom Eco Tourism complex at Chhota Mangwa. This complex is perched on a ridge and is owned by Mr M.K.Pradhan. It has 8 cottages and 2 log huts with varied range of prices and provides all basic amenities, but this is not the place where one can expect luxuries such as TV and phones in each room. Even there is no geyser installed in any of the rooms and the staff provide hot water in buckets by carrying it from a common place in the compound with solar water heating set up. Mr Pradhan has made it very clear that this is not a place with star facilities, but it was started with the intention of promoting Eco tourism and providing employment to the locals. And we felt he has very well succeeded in his noble endeavour as Chhota Mangwa now attracts many people who want to rejuvenate their tired souls in the lap of nature. We already knew that the last few kilometres to Chhota Mangwa has real rough roads and smaller vehicles would not be able to cover that distance. So we had requested Mr. Pradhan to arrange a vehicle to pick us up from Kalimpong. Even though it turned out to be a little more expensive, but we had the satisfaction of travelling with a driver who was well acquainted with the rugged road.
 |
| Cottages |
 |
| Log Huts |
 |
| Another set of cottages |
 |
| Orange tree loaded with oranges |
 |
| View of the orchard |
 |
| A branch laden with oranges |
 |
| Fresh juicy oranges |
 |
| A short trek to the resort |
 |
| Benches in the resort compound |
 |
| Beautiful Flowers |
 |
| Our Cottage |
 |
| Inside the cottage |
 |
| Oranges and Tree Tomatoes |
Dinner was served by 8:30 pm and after having a palatable and sumptuous dinner we went to bed. There were no other guests in the complex on the day we checked in and it proved to be a good opportunity for us to enjoy the place at its best as there was no noise except the sound of crickets and the whispering wind. This reminded me of one of my uncles who had once told me that there is nothing better to see than nature and nothing better to hear than music and that seemed so true to me sitting in this beautiful place secluded from the maddening crowd of the city.
I woke up to the chirping of birds at 6:30 in the morning and after many failed attempts to wake my husband up I surrendered and came out of the cottage to have a look at the surrounding. Even though Kanchenjunga had been elusive for the last 2 days due to cloudy weather, this time God became a little merciful to us and the weather became a little better. Then my eyes saw something that made me feel euphoric, yes, it was Mt. Kanchenjunga standing in front of me with pride as if he was greeting me with a smile. The view was not absolutely clear, but at least it was better than the last two days. I went to the other side of our cottage that gives a view of the Kalimpong hills and the vista there was an absolute surprise. There were clouds down in the valley surrounded by mountains and shining with the rising sun's rays. The place looked like heaven and I felt myself lucky to have witnessed such a rare scenery. I took some pics and ran to our cottage in the hope of getting my husband out to see this. This time he stepped out of the bed murmuring that I was the only devil who came in his bad dreams and did not let him sleep peacefully. But once he witnessed the spectacle, he thanked me for being the devil in his life :)
 |
| Morning View |
 |
| Food with a view |
 |
| Nature Trail |
There is a beautiful monastery in the near by Takling village named Phunchok Choling Monastery which is around 100 years old and I was very keen on visiting it. But unfortunately we lost track on the way and had to come back to the resort without visiting the monastery. We had lunch and bid adieu to Mr Pradhan and his staff to catch our train back to Kolkata. They tied some kind of cloth around our necks to wish us a happy journey and we left the place with many good memories. We had booked the same vehicle again for returning back to NJP and this time our driver Prem took a different route which passed through Tinchuley. The return journey was much smoother as the road via Tinchuley was in much better condition except the 1st one or two kilometres. Even the road was very scenic as the vehicle passed through pine forests and Peshok Tea Estate. We had a stop at the tea estate to click a few pics and then at Lovers meet view point to see the confluence of Teesta and Rangit river.
 |
| Peshok Tea Estate |
 |
| Meeting point of Teesta and Rangit River |
Travel Tips:
1. You can book the Eco Tourism Complex at Chhota Mangwa either by calling them directly or on-line through their website. Details below.
Mr. M.K.Pradhan
Darjeeling Blossom Ecotourism Complex,
Post Office: Takling Darjeeling, 734312
Cell Phones: 9800072639, 8972549897, 9332901041
Email: pradhan_mk18@yahoo.in
http://www.darjeelingblossomecotourism.com/
2. Food charges at Darjeeling Blossom Eco Tourism complex are INR 450 per person for vegetarians and INR 600 for non-vegetarians. This includes Morning Tea and breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Evening tea and snacks. But I am not very sure about the evening snacks as we were not served any. The food is sufficient and tasty and is prepared from home grown vegetables.
3. Chhota Mangwa can be visited all through the year because of its cool weather. But if you are too keen on seeing the orange orchards full with ripe oranges, then November to December is the best time, mostly late November to late December. Orange Orchards could be found both at Bara Mangwa and Chhota Mangwa, but the orchards at Bara Mangwa are more beautiful as they cover large areas and the oranges are bigger in size. Another thing to keep in mind is the harvest time of oranges which is end of December at Bara Mangwa and late January at Chhota Mangwa.
4. From Chhota Mangwa, one may opt for sightseeing of nearby places that would include Tinchuley Sunrise Point, Rangli Rangliot Tea Estate and few other places. Also, one may trek to one of the very old monasteries in the nearby Takling village or explore the nearby villages to get accustomed to village lifestyle.
5. Below are some useful links related to Mangwa:
http://www.chotamangwa.com/
http://weekenddestinations.info/2011/distance/501-kms-and-above/chota-mangwa-kalimpong-61-kms-from-siliguri/
http://www.baramangwa.com/baramangwa_what_to_see.html
http://www.darjeeling-tourism.com/darj_0000cc.htm
https://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/West-Bengal/Kalimpong/blog-655039.html
http://www.tripadvisor.in/Hotel_Review-g304557-d6676017-Reviews-Darjeeling_Blossom-Darjeeling_West_Bengal.html#REVIEWS