Badamtam Tea Estate

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India /West Bengal /Darjeeling /Darjeeling

Sight Address : Badamtam Tea Estate is Nr. Rangit River, Darjeeling 734101, India Edit

Detail InformationEdit

Badamtam Tea Estate was planted in 1861 by Christine Barnes and its name is said to have been derived from a Lepcha word, which means a ‘bamboo carrier’. It is one of the most scenic gardens found here which represents a magnificent view of Kanchenjunga. A calm and majestic fourteen feet high bronze statue of the Buddha sculpted by a renowned artist, poses like a guardian of peace over the vistas of tea bushes.Badamtam Tea Estate is located in the Lebong Valley about 17 kilometers west of the Darjeeling town. After the end of the two estates viz. Bada Ging Tea Estate and Chhota Ging Tea Estate, starts the area of Badamtam tea estate and goes till the Majhi Tar basin in Sikkim. The estate is situated at an altitude ranging between 305 metres to 1830 metres above sea level. Badamtam teas are considered excellent Darjeeling teas and are known for their delicate and light China as well as for their brisk and bright Assam varieties. The estate boasts of modern management methods, state-of-the-art machineries, bio-dynamic processes as well as of a reliable and dedicated workforce that work in harmony together to contribute to the garden’s excellence. Badamtam Tea estate was planted by Christine Barnes in the year 1858 before commercialization by the Lebong Company. The name of the estate, could have been derived from a Lepcha word, which means a bamboo water carrier. Badamtan Tea Estate was originally owned by the more than 150-years-old Lebong Tea Company. The tea estate was one of the tea company owned and managed by the British. It is located across the Rangit River. A walk to this tea estate will take a refreshing half a day. Badamtan Tea Estate is also a place en route in a hiking from Darjeeling and Glenburn. You can purchase first flush tea, which fills the estate with sweet flavour and fine aroma. One should not miss the Buddha of Badamtan, a 14-foot-high statue of Lord Buddha. Unlike the usual closed-eye position, this statue has Buddha’s eyes wide open as if looking up to gods above, having attained enlightenment.

Badamtam Tea Estate

HistoryEdit

Badamtam Tea Estate in early days, was owned by Lebong Tea Co. under the British. The 150 year old garden is known for its exquisite teas, panoramic location and some of the best views of the valley. Close to it is the beautiful 14 feet statue of Buddha of Badamtam.

Must SeeEdit

Attraction

Visiting TimeEdit

9 am to 6 pm

Closed OnEdit

N.A.

Best Season to VisitEdit

Winter (December to January)
Spring (February to March)
Summer (April to June)
Autumn (September to November)

Best Time To VisitEdit

Morning , Afternoon , Evening.

Time Required for SightseeingEdit

N.A.

Ticket Required : No Edit

Individual National Adult Rs. : N.A.

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Individual Foreigner Adult Rs. : N.A.

Kids Rs. : N.A.

Still Photo Camera Rs. : N.A.

Video Camera Rs. : N.A.

Guide Required : No Edit

Approximate cost: N.A.

Dress Code (If Any) : No Edit

Dress Require: N.A.

Restaurants NearbyAdd / Edit

N.A. ; N.A. ; Ph/M – N.A. ; Food Serve – N.A.

How to ReachEdit

Taxi : Intra-city transport is mostly by hired taxis. The private taxis or cars are essentially of two types – small cars like Maruti Vans or Santros, and large ones like Scorpio, Tata Sumo etc. While you can always take a private taxi/car from outside the station or airport, negotiate the rates and move for Darjeeling, it is always advisable to take one from the Pre-Paid taxi counters located inside the station and the airport.

Bus : You will get buses only from the Tenzing Norgay Central Bus Terminus located on Hill Cart Road in Siliguri. It is about 8kms from NJP station. The usual route is by Hill Cart Road and the travel duration is about 4 hours. Bus fare from Siliguri to Darjeeling Via Hill Cart Road: Rs. 50.00 per person Bus fare from Siliguri to Darjeeling Via Mongpu: Rs. 80.00 per person. The Mongpu route is taken in case the Hill Cart Road is closed. After getting down at the bus stop, you can take an auto-rickshaw, or hire a taxi to reach the destination within the city.

Train : New Jalpaiguri is the nearest major railway station. New Jalpaiguri is well connected to major Indian cities, especially Kolkata. The diesel engine hauled toy train leaves NJP station at 9am and takes about 7 hours 15 minutes to reach Darjeeling. You can also board the train from Siliguri Town Station or Siliguri Junction Station that are 5kms and 8kms away from NJP respectively. There are also toy trains available from Siliguri Junction and Darjeeling for joy rides. These are steam engine hauled toy trains. Check out Darjeeling Toy Train Services for current status and schedules.
NJP to Darjeeling (1st Class): Not operational since Sept 2010 due to track damage
NJP to Darjeeling (2nd Class): Not operational since Sept 2010 due to track damage
Darjeeling to Ghoom & back Joy Ride (First Class): Rs. 270.00 per person if booked through IRCTC website. This two hours ride includes entry fee for the DHR Museum at Ghoom.
Siliguri Junction Station to Tindharia & back Joy Ride: Rs. 496.00 per person. After getting down at the railway station, you can take an auto-rickshaw, bus or hire a taxi to reach the destination within the city.

Air : Darjeeling does not have an airstrip. The nearest airport is Bagdogra airport (IXB), near Siliguri, which is a 3-hour (approx. 90 km) drive from Darjeeling. Indian, Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines are the three major carriers that fly to Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati from Bagdogra. Indian Airlines (2254230; Chowrasta) (10am-5.30pm Mon-Sat). Pineridge Travels (2253912; pineridge@mail.com; Nehru Rd; h10am-5pm Mon-Sat) For domestic and international flight tickets. After getting down at the airport, you can take an auto-rickshaw, bus or hire a taxi to reach the destination within the city.

Others : Toy train are also available for this destination.

Things to CarryEdit

Carry bottle of drinking water.Sun-screen, sun glasses, tissue-rolls, roll of duct-tape, extra batteries, torchlight, water, energy-bars are ‘must-carry’ along with a First-aid kit.
•Medicines to carry when you are travelling to a new place or when you’re away from home town (which must be approved and prescribed by your physician or medical practitioner) are:
• Painkillers
• Anti-inflammatory
• Wide-spectrum antibiotic
• Anti-diarrhea
• Anti-constipation pills
• Mild sleeping pills – just in case you feel very overwhelmed by the altitude and atmosphere because of which you are unable to sleep.