Munsong Near Kalimpong
Mansang / Mansong / Munsong is a small village about 19 km from Kalimpong. The village, situated at an altitude of 5050 ft, is a small picturesque hamlet and headquarters of the Munsong cinchona plantation. The village offers an excellent view of Sikkim hills including the Kanchenjunga range. A wide view of the Teesta river can also be seen from here.
Getting There
Munsong can be reached either through Kalimpong or Rangpo. Through both routes, the distance is almost similar to about 93 km from NJP. The Rangpo route is relatively faster as you can avoid the crowded Kalimpong town . If you are coming via Rangpo, take the steep uphill road about a kilometre before reaching the Bengal Sikkim border river bridge at Rangpo. The uphill road passes through beautiful natural forests and small villages and a drive of about half an hour will take you to Munsong. The other option is to drive through Kalimpong. You can drive to Delo top and then towards Icheygaon via Bhalu marg. The same road downhill a few kilometres ahead will take you to Munsong
Distance from nearby places
NJP Rail station - 93 km
Darjeeling - 68 km
Gangtok - 55 km
Icche Gaon - 10 km
Rangpo - 15 km
Kalimpong market - 21 km
Delo Kalimpong - 19 km
To See
To understand the attraction of Munsang, one needs to understand its geographic location. Munsong, Icchegaon, Sillery Gaon, Ramdhura etc. are all offbeat hill stations located not far from one another. They are all located on the North West facing the slope of a large hill. Even Kalimpong town is located on the ridge of the same hill. This hill slopes down to Teesta and faces the Kanchenjunga range. So Munsong has the twin advantage of the great view of the snow-capped mountain range and also you can see a wide expanse of river Teesta from here.
It has a beautiful bungalow under the maintenance of the cinchona directorate. The bungalow is called Jalsha Ghar. From the bungalow, a magnificent view of the entire range of Kanchenjunga in the south and of the Teesta meandering through the deep gorges towards the south can be seen. On clear nights, the lights of Darjeeling town and also that of Gangtok in the northwest offers beautiful views from this place. At the time of writing this, the Bungalow is in a dilapidated state and not well maintained despite its great location.
Where to Stay
There are several small Homestays in the nearby area. The largest cluster of Homestay accommodation nearby is at Iccheygaon about 9 km away. Besides, there are homestays in places such as Burmiok Village (Hungma Homestay)and Ramdhura village which are nearby.