Karmi Farm - tourmet

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India /West Bengal /Darjeeling /Darjeeling

Sight Address : Karmi Farm is located PO Kolbong,Via Bijanbari, Darjeeling, India Edit

Detail InformationEdit

Karmi Farm is a family-run farm that offers comfortable accommodation in Darjeeling. This farmhouse is floored using traditional wood and decorated with hand-woven rugs that are locally made. The farmhouse used local workers to produce organic food in Nepalese and Sikkimese traditional way. Sometimes food is brought from outside. The farmhouse has fabulous terraces that overlook the valleys. Cosy log fires make the cooler evenings lovably warmer. There are three ways to reach Karmi Farm: you can get dropped at the foot of the hill and walk around 15 minutes; a 90-minute jeep ride through tea gardens, followed by a 3-hour ride through countryside; or 8 hours walk.

Karmi Farm.in Darjeeling

HistoryEdit

Karmi Farm is a family home that is very much a part of the surrounding villages and has been for decades. Andrew Pulger-Frame currently runs the organic farm homestay, although his mother or other family members – and even returning guests who are part of the extended family – are often in residence. Karmi is the old homestead of Andrew’s mother Deki, whose family lived there since the early part of the 20th century. In 1960, Deki married a Scottish tea planter, and the family divided their time between India and Scotland.Andrew had fond memories of growing up in the tea gardens as a boy, and in 1998 he returned to Karmi Farm to open it as a homestay. But it’s far from your typical homestay. Here, guests partake of the nearly endless opportunities for magnificent trekking and bird-watching in the mountains that offer breath-stopping vistas; but Karmi also conducts art retreats and yoga clinics throughout the year. The farm is also home to a medical clinic staffed by many guest volunteers who often come for weeks or months at a time; any guest is welcome to volunteer with the clinic as it offers free and low-cost treatments to villagers, many of whom walk for hours to be seen. Tom and Emily, an English couple who had been at Karmi for six weeks working in the medical clinic. You can read their blog about it here.

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

1 to 2 hours

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.