ROMANTIC PLACE IN DARJEELING | LAMAHATTA | A DAY WITH MY COUSINS | TRADITIONAL DRINK IN DARJEELING |

Equipment / Gadgets that I use for making videos and travel : CAMERA - Canon M50 : https://amzn.to/2ROob6P AUDIO MIC : https://amzn.to/2uPcNOV TRIPOD 1 : https://amzn.to/31cY7Fu TRIPOD 2 : https://amzn.to/2OimDjc Bagpack (WILDCRAFT) : https://amzn.to/2SaC8uD #darshanvlogs #lamahatat #darjeeling Lamahatta has been developed as an eco-tourism place in late 2012. Earlier in the same year when the Chief Minister of the state Ms. Mamata Banerjee was passing by Lamahatta in March, she stopped by for a while and took some pictures of this roadside mountain village, its vast stretching forests of dhupi & pines, and the magnificent views of the peaks and rivers around. Soon with support from the state government, the villagers and forest protection teams worked together to create a lovely tourist place. Lama in Lamahatta stands for Buddhist monk and Hatta for hut - a monk's hermitage. Lamahatta is located at an altitude of about 5,700 feet and at a distance of 23kms from Darjeeling hill town (takes little over an hour by car). Although it's just a small village where farming and cattle rearing are the main sources of livelihood, Lamahatta is well connected by the Darjeeling-Kalimpong state highway. The main inhabitants here are tribes like Sherpas, Yalmos, Tamangs, Bhutias and Dukpas. They have all come together to join hands with the government workers to create an eco tourism place with a government funding of about Rs. 1.5 crores. So what does eco-tourism actually mean for Lamahatta? It means that the ecological balance and the bio-diversity of the environment will remain undisturbed, and the inhabitants of this place will work closely with the tourism development here and run such operations so that they earn out of it and make it sustainable in the long run. As a result several homestays have come up here, all owned by the local villagers. There are 15 rooms with a total of 34 beds and all accommodations have basic amenities including attached toilets, basic furnishing, beds etc. In addition, five tents have been created each with attached toilet, twin beds, cupboards etc. Each tent can accommodate two persons. While all these are developed on one side of the road, on the other side of the road a vast stretch of beautiful manicured garden has been created along the slope of the hill and under the dense dhupi and pine forest. This is the 'Roadside Garden'. From the homestays, you just walk across the road to the entrance of this garden. The garden is full of seasonal flowering plants including white and other colorful orchids. There is an entry fee of Rs. 10/- per person. You will get tickets at the small ticket counter on the opposite side of the road. A young lady manning the counter will also volunteer to show you the homestays if you so want. There is a pathway which goes through the park for taking a leisure stroll. Along the way you will find wooden & bamboo made gazebos where you can relax and soak in the charm of the garden. There are wooden benches on the pathway as well. You will see a row of colorful prayer flags fluttering in one side of the garden. Locals say that the breeze that passes through the prayer flags purify the surroundings and minds of the people. There is also an wooden watchtower created to get the best possible views around Lamahatta. Locals call it 'Machan'. Actually you get magnificent views from several different places in the garden. What can you see? Probably some of the best that any place in Darjeeling district offers .... on a clear day you can sea the snow peaks of Kanchenjunga, Tiger Hill, Namchi of Sikkim, Darjeeling town and its landscapes, and the Rangeet river flowing below.

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