Lungsel : Travel Guide

Overview – Lungsel

If you love peace over pep, Lungsel is for you. It is also for those hungry for adventure and keen to commune with picturesque outdooars. There’s is ample for them to do. Then there’s is the view of mighty Mt Kanchenjunga on a clear day, a soothing balm of weary city eyes. For travellers who care to listen, to tune into the universal music of nature and culture, wake in the morning with chirping of birds, Lungsel offers rare, unheard of melodies.

Road to Lungsel

Lungsel is about about 90 kms from Jalpaiguri, my native place. I started off early morning. I will taking the route through Gajoldoba–>Odlabari–>PutharJhora Tea Garden–>Lungsel. Had breakfast at ‘Boroli Restaurant’ of Gajoldoba. The foods and the ambience of the place is simply ‘wow’ and the rates are also reasonable. After crossing Gajoldoba Barrage we headed for Odlabari through Khatambari forest. A rugged drive blessed with tea gardens like Manabari and PutharJhora will take you to ‘Lungsel’. The road from PutharJhora goes 12 km uphill till we reach Lungsel. Last few kilometres the road is really bumpy and it takes a taste of your driving skills.

Lungsel Homestay

There is only one homestay at Upper Lungsel. Mr Sanjeev Chettri, the host is a cheerful guy who takes good care of you. The homestay has two rooms raised on wooden platform. The rooms are on the upper floor and on the ground is the dinning space and kitchen. The rooms have a small private balcony overlooking the Noam mountain forest. There is also a common balcony for both the rooms. The cosy from inside and has wooden floor. Inside the room there a two couches, a wardrobe, a tea table and the bed quite large to comfortably accommodate two. The washroom is clean with western toilet. The rooms have glass panels and the view is simply amazing. The rooms have a tin shed and it started to drizzle at night. The sound of the rain on a tin roof and pitch dark surroundings makes the atmosphere to indulge into gossip with a cup of tea. There is small compound and on the other side is a concrete building which is the residence of the host, where three rooms are available for guests. I would suggest everybody coming to Lungsel to stay at the wooden cottages. In the compound there is a place for BBQ and bamboo chicken. From the compound there a staircase that goes down and takes you the organic garden of the homestay. So, you can enjoy the taste organic vegetables and the food tastes awesome.

Our Trip to Lungsel

This was family trip. Once we reached Lungsel we were greeted by Mr Chettri and his wife. It was about 1:30 pm when we reached Lungsel. It was foggy and misty. It was quite cold and I had to put on my jacket. After lunch, we went for a walk in the Noam Forest. The trail is about 1 km and goes down from the homestay. Himalayan birds like Scarlet Minivet, Sultan Tit, Himalayan Bulbul, Great Barbet and may other species of birds can be seen in the trail. In the evening we returned to the homestay. With a small gettogether we polished off 1 kg of bamboo chicken. Trust me it was a real Himalayan delicacy. At Lungsel dinner will be served at 8:30 pm. Yes you read it right, its 8:30 pm. Most of us go for dinner later, but when you stay at homestay you need to adjust. So, our dinner was over by 9:00 pm and we went to bed. The sound of the rain on a tin roof and pitch dark surroundings makes the atmosphere for a deep and sound sleep.

Lungsel Village Trails and Malbazar Park

In the morning we went for a walk along the village. Every person will on the way will smile and greet you. The economy village of the village is agriculture based. Most of the home have livestock and are engaged in large cardamom cultivation. It the time of return we took the road through Jhandi. Another offbeat and beautiful destination in North Bengal. Jhandi is 3 km uphill from Lungsel. We had a stop over at Jahndi. Jahndi is famous as a sunrise view point. From Jhandi we took the road towards Upper Fagu–>Gorubathan–>Malbazar. We had our lunch at Malbazar. There is beautiful park at Malbazar, my son was really excited to visit the park. Visit to the park took me down to the memory lane. In late evening we finally reached Jalpaiguri, we our lungs filled with the air of Lungsel.

Food Menu at Lungsel

Talking about food let me share with you the menu – a) Breakfast – Puri, Sabzi, Boiled Egg and Tea b) Lunch – Rice, Sagh, Dal, Sabzi, Fish and Salad c) Evening Snacks – Veg Pakora and Tea d) Dinner – Roti, Dal, Sabzi, Broiler Chicken and Salad

Sightseeing/ Attractions/ Things to Do – Lungsel

• Village Trail – Go for village in the evening, where every house has beautiful courtyard and view of lush green countryside.
• River Side – Go for picnic at the riverside.
• Day Visit to Jhandi and Nokdara – Day visit to Jahndi and Nokdara.
• Campfire and relish your taste buds with BBQ and Bamboo Chichen.

Best Time to Visit

– Sept to May

How to reach Lungsel

– Nearest railhead is New Mal. From New Mal, Lungsel is 50 km.