Senchal Lake - tourmet

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India /West Bengal /Darjeeling /Darjeeling

Sight Address : Senchal Lake is located near Tiger Hills 11 Km (from Main Town) to the south-east of Darjeeling and is close to Tiger Hills. Edit

Detail InformationEdit

Senchal lake, is the main reservoir of potable water for the town of Darjeeling, India. The lake is located at an altitude of 8,160 ft (2,487 m) atop a hill. The hill also has one of the highest golf courses in the world. Senchal is a favourite picnic spot. A tourist lodge at Senchal provides accommodation to tourists. This lake is a part of the Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary. Senchal Lake is located at an altitude of 8515 feet above the sea level. This lake serves as the water reservoir for the supply of water for Darjeeling. It is especially appreciated for its scenic splendour—a picnic spot, which is very popular among the tourists, both Indian and others. The area has a 9-hole golf course with a clubhouse. The Senchal Lake is about 11 km from the Darjeeling town. It is the main reservoir from where the water is supplied to Darjeeling. At a height of 8515 feet above sea level, it lies close to the Tiger Hills. It is an attractive picnic spot, which boasts of a 9-hole golf course and a clubhouse. The Senchal Lake is a place of scenic splendour and popular among tourists from around the world.

Senchal Lake.in Darjeeling

HistoryEdit

Senchal Lake is surrounded by trees and forests in all sides. The forest area has different kinds of trees and plantation including oak forest, pines and Birch. There are over 350 types of flowering plants in this area including Rhodendrons and Orchids. Although access to the sanctuary is restricted, you can take special permission from the ranger’s office at Jorebunglow and take a guide to go around the area. There are different types of wildlife that can be seen in the dense forest here. Animals include Himalayan black bears, barking deers, leopards, monkeys, flying squirrels and many more. The sanctuary is also great for watching different kinds of birds. The entire Senchal sanctuary covers an area of about 39 sq. km. including the lake. It is actually the south east extension of the Singhalila National Park. There is a 9-hole golf course at the Senchal area which is supposed to be one of the highest golf courses in the world. It has a club house as well. However the course can be accessed through the Senchal road that leads to the Tiger Hill and is little away from the lake.

Must SeeEdit

Attraction

Visiting TimeEdit

9:00 am-4.30 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 .

Time Required for SightseeingEdit

N.A.

Ticket Required : Yes Edit

Individual National Adult Rs. : Rs 6

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.