Tinchuley

Perched at an elevation of 5800ft, 32km from the Queen of Hills Darjeeling, is quaint mountain village called Tinchuley. The quaint hamlet Tinchuley is a hidden jewel of Darjeeling region. Once a distant wilderness hamlet has now emerged as a self sufficient eco urban village, with the help of World Wildlife Federation and interest shown by the village to convert their village into a model village, Tinchuley has now floriculture projects, forest nursery, and by-compost and vermin-compost manure projects. The word Tinchuley was derived from the local language were "Tin" stands for the word "Three" and "Chuley" for "Oven" i.e. Three ovens. And such name to the village has been given because of the three prominent hill tops that surround the place and which from far look like ovens or chullahs.

The unflustered ambiance of Tinchuley while being endowed with the abundance of natural beauty has made Tinchuley the new found offbeat destination of Darjeeling. Sprawled with green lush valley of alpine forest there are many pictorial places in and around Tinchuley like Tinchuley Monastery which is a very sacred place for the locals has tales about monk who meditated in this monastery for 17years. Tinchuley Sunrise Point is another place in Tinchuley which has become famous among the tourists for the exotic view of sunrise. From this point one can see the Teesta valley, Kalimpong, Eastern and western Sikkim, Latpanchar and the snow capped peaks of the Himalayas. There are other point around Tinchuley which can be reached through a short trek like Durpin Dara, the Tista River, the Rangeet River and Gumba Dara View Point which offers visitor with the most astounding view and serene ambiance giving them a sense of calmness. The mountainous hamlet Tinchuley houses numerous trekking routes in and around it through the dense forest of pine and conifer trees, one such trekking leads tourist to Gumpha Dara rocks feature the magnificence of Indian art and culture during the British Raj. Sited amidst the panoramic and pictorial landscape Gumpha Dara rocks conceal many caves beneath it which hold many mystery of ancient era. Gumpha Dara rocks are of historical significance since they holds 200 years old legend in them. As per the legend a group of lamas with their geylings and jhamtas ran from the dead hand of their enemies and took shelter in the Gumpha Dara rocks. And it is said that the British army would train their soldiers on the Gumpha Dara rocks. Overlooking the beautiful hills of Kalimpong and Teesta Valley Tinchuley with the touch of history has become a must visit tourist destination of Darjeeling.

Explore through the virgin forest of alpine trees which house numerous exotic birds or take a stroll on the banks of river Teesta and Rangeet confluence to feast your eyes with the panoramic view of the snow capped Himalayan Range looming over the entire region while visiting Tinchuley. The freshness of air with the lingering essence of historic era, Tinchuley with its serene ambiance has become the getaway for the tourists who don't want to be lost in the horde of people but in the dense forest amidst the lap of nature.

Best time to visit Tinchuley

Tinchuley can be visited throughout the year due to its favorable weather but to catch the unhindered view of the snow peaked Himalayan mountain range the best time to visit Tinchuley is from mid September to December when the sky remains clear.