When our car started entering a narrow path leaving the main road, a pinch of doubt struck my mind; “Isn’t this a wrong turn?!” For the time we couldn’t expect anything special inside, except the steep edge and some scattered woods around, though we were excited! Certainly, a double-decker wooden house peeked behind the rows of trees. The driver geared up straightway and stopped the car in the house yard; with a little smile, he mentioned “ ভাইয়া পঁহুচ গয়ে সীমানাদারা, আপকা হোমস্টে (Brother we have reached at Simanadara, here is your homestay)”.
Oh my god! We were almost hanging at the absolute edge of the steep hill! Sudden wonder grabbed us all, “Shall we stay in this wooden house!”
The person stepped ahead with a calm smile, “Sir, welcome to our homestay at Simanadara”, Eagerly started picking up our luggage to rest them in our allotted rooms.
Majestic Beauty of Simanadara
To be honest, we didn’t expect such majestic beauty hiding behind the woods and hilly turns! It’s simply incredible! The absolute serenity of the surroundings makes this place a perfect gateway for peace lovers, solo travelers, and passionate honeymoon couples.
The rally of mountains is the most special feature of Simanadara viewpoint. Not a single or couple, rather rows of wavy mountains envelop the whole valley, producing a magnificent sight all around. A sensational eagerness to touch them and feel them grabs you completely when your blinkless eyes experience them! You feel, they exist so close to you, though they reside miles away from the little hilly hamlet, Simanadara!
The hilly edge steeply meets a widespread green valley far below, Rongpo River flows across the valley in a tireless motion. Floating clouds often restrict your sight, sometimes they hug you on all four, letting you get wet with them.
Gangtok hills are situated in the north corner of Simanadara; sometimes you may see, small flights float across the northern mountain for landing at the newly built Pakyong Airport. If you are a lucky fellow, you may also experience the tip of Mt. Kanchenjunga sitting on the balcony of Simanadara homestay; it just needs to be a clear day with the cleanest northern sky.
Related: Holidays in Rishyap (Rishop)
How can you spend an exciting day at Simanadara
Most tourists visit Simanadara for experiencing peaceful holidays. It’s a perfect place to spend lazy hours watching the unlimited natural beauty, enjoying snacks, food, and maybe some light drinks.
The morning glow of Simanadara
Your day starts with a cup of tea and a healthy meeting with the morning mountains. The cool breeze shakes you a bit when you experience the morning glow sitting on the homestay balcony. What can be a better start-up, especially for the urban residents who remain wrapped by polluted air throughout the year!
A healthy morning walk across the nearby farmland is worthy, but avoid any sort of trekking idea at Simanadara. The mountains are really steep here, and not safe for trekking without the help of experts; you may not get such a trekking expert around Simanadara.
Trip to Rangpo River
Rangpo Riverbank is an exciting place around Simanadara. So, if the Homestay owners suggest you to visit Rangpo River, don’t deny. You may plan this trip After Breakfast, so that you can return before lunch. The homestay owner will arrange a car for you accordingly, and may also join your team as a guide (as he did with us).
Reaching Rangpo Riverbank is a matter of a short road trip (approx. 30 min) through the serpentine hilly road. The bumpy road may irritate you for a while, but the beauty of the crystal clear Rangpo River must let you forget all the hassle. Situating at a far lower altitude compare to Simanadara, surroundings of Rangpo River possess a relatively hotter atmosphere. So, you can plan to take your bath in the chilled River water and get refreshed.
You may find interesting: Munnar Tourist Places: 12 Best Places to Visit in Munnar Hill Station
Lunch Time
Upon return, you can enjoy your readily hot lunch served by the homestay owners. They have a dining room for fooding purposes, but you can fairly enjoy your lunch sitting at the homestay’s viewing desk (unless it’s unoccupied by other tourists).
After lunch session is the best time to gossip; you can also prefer to spend some solo or private hours in the afternoon. But get ready for the upcoming event, the sunset!
Related: Charkhole – One of the most promising offbeat destinations in North Bengal
Majestic Sunset view from Simanadara
Simanadara is an exceptional spot in North Bengal, where the sunrise view is absent, but the picturesque sight of the sunset is very unique in Simanadara. You shouldn’t miss this anyway.
The evening sun is expected to set peacefully behind the last mountain of the infinity rows, but due to the cloud and mist, this ever-demanding sight remains unaccessible often. Nevertheless, the exclusive beauty of colorful evening sky, shades of mountains, and groups of returning birds create an absolute magic forest around Simanadara, before and after the sunset.
Evening joy at Simanadara
With the disappearance of sunlight, the emergence of new visual blooms across the valley. The appearance of infinite numbers of nightlights over the hilly corners generates a splendid sight, even in the darkness of night; the valley looks like a safe home of millions fireflies. In the daytime, you can never guess the presence of so many hidden villages in the lap of the great himalayan mountain; it’s simply amazing!
You can plan from campfire with roasted chicken to make your evenings more joyful and ever-remembering. You have to inform the homestay owners accordingly earlier so that they can arrange it.
At the end of the evening glory, the homestay owners serve delicious dinner with hot chicken Kasha and Roti/ rice. If you love to taste local chicken instead of broilers, inform them before afternoon.
You may like: 14 Best Places to visit in Coonoor Hill Station
Other Places to visit near Simanadara
Simanadara is a fine place to spend 1-2 nights, but a longer stay in this place may bore you. Better, you plan a compact trip to cover nearby beautiful spots.
Below, I have introduced some of the best places nearby, that you may visit before or after attending Simanadara.
| Destinations | Distance | Approx. journey time |
|---|---|---|
| Ichhegaon | 30 km | 1.2 h |
| Changey falls | 27 km | 1.4 h |
| Sillery Gaon | 40 km | 2 h |
| Tandrabong | 42 km | 1.5 h |
| Kalimpong | 44 km | 1.5 h |
| Rishop | 53 km | 2 h |
| Lava | 53 km | 2 h |
| Charkhole | 65 km | 2.5 h |
Where to stay at Simanadara
Although there are a few homestays around Simanadara, Moktan Homestay is the best one with all the excellence, as I described above. After years-long hard work and dedication, the homestay owners, Mr. Rajesh Moktan and Ms. Vandana Subbar built up this beautiful homestay at the absolute edge of the hilly ditch, which becomes a part of pure nature.
A green yard in the middle of the homestay is the ideal place for enjoying sunburn. It is beautifully bordered by a garden of colorful flowers; a sitting area has been equipped at the edge of the yard for providing you with a splendid wide-angle view of the valley. Three one-storied guest rooms reside in a row just behind the yard, a kitchen-cum-dining is attached to this in a vertical alignment.
The double-decker wooden cottage on either side of the green yard is the most exciting part of Moktan homestay, especially the first floor of the cottage. The splendid panoramic view of the wavy mountains and the green valley is widely visible from the balcony, offering you romantic hours with your loved one!
The wooden house is capable to accommodate 4 families in its four rooms, 2 on the ground floor and the other 2 on first floor. All 7 guest rooms in Moktan Homestay are equipped with attached bathrooms.
Owners of Moktan homestay provide four times foods as the part of booking deal. On guests’ demand, they arrange country chicken (দেশী মুরগী), camp-fire, roasted chicken, and a trip to Rangpo River in exchange for a reasonable amount of money.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning about the gentle hospitality of the homestay owners is invaluable, which adds the sweetest memory to this unforgettable trip.
You may contact the owner, Rajesh Moktan at +918145876939.
How to reach Simanadara
Simanadara is well accessible from any part of North Bengal including New Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong, or any other nearby offbeat location. In our case, Simanadara was the last spot to cover during our trip and we reached there from another offbeat destination, Tendrabong.
However, if your starting destination is different, no need to worry even if the driver doesn’t know the exact location of Simanadara. Googlemap fairly helps to locate the place.
From the nearest railway station New Jalpaiguri (88 km) it needs about 3.5 hours to reach Simanadara. From Bagdogra airport (93 km), you have to travel around 4 hours. Approximate car rent is INR 3500-4000, which varies depending on the season.
If you are traveling from Kalimpong it’s easier to access Simanadara; it takes only 1.5 hours to cover the distance.
Related spot: Heavenly Gurudongmar Lake at Sikkim
Wrapping up
So, if you are planning for a north Bengal trip in your upcoming vacation, don’t hesitate to spend at least a night at Simanadara Moktan Homestay. It’s much more worthy than I could explain here.
If you have any further queries, feel free to drop your question in the comment box below. I’ll be glad to help you next.
Have a nice trip!
Dr. Suvankar Das is a scientific advisor by profession, associated with a CRO organization. He pursued his doctoral degree in Chemistry in 2015. Later, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher & scientist in a couple of institutes/companies.
Besides his scientific journey, Dr. Das is also a passionate traveler and travel blogger. He loves to share all his travel experiences with other travelers so that everyone can enjoy hassle-free holidays with their own tour plans.
He believes, the most beautiful thing in this world is the WORLD itself. so there is no way to live like a clock; rather live it like a compass!
