Zurantee Tea Estate

A patrimony resort from the obscure wheels of time

“I am going to stay here as long as my yearning for this place depreciates”, I felt this and told my companions desperately, as I was completely dissolved with the exaggerated and soulful beauty of Zurrantee. We drove for almost two-hour from Shiliguri across the serpentine passage, in the fellowship of the glittering river Teesta , this tea estate is situated at highest point of mystical Dooars, North Bengal, on the foothills of eastern Himalaya nuzzled between rivers Neora and Murti. However, the most part of Dooars surrounds tea gardens with voluptuous Himalayas at the backdrop.

Before any vacation, I start thinking where to go, how to reach, the food, indulgence, hospitality and all that. You must know to enjoy a pleasant and the memorable tour and that is only possible if the destination is pre-planned and if you know exactly what is in store for you. Therefore, I decided to visit Zurrantee tea estate with family. I stayed at Zurrantee estate for almost three days but still it was not enough for me. My heart was hankering for more and more. Those Lush green tea plantation, tranquil ambience and loads of old worldly charm –simply made me feel like heaven on earth. As soon as I stepped out from my car, this 124-years old luxurious bungalow has whole-heartedly embraced me.

Narrative

Unlike other tea tourisms of India, Zurrantee in Dooars is a unique destination. The attempt of transforming the luxurious Director’s bungalow into a luxury resort with much love, sensitivity and devotion was indeed superb. Moreover, while doing that, the heritage and the history were well preserved. It was built in 1890 and it is one of the oldest and well-maintained bungalows of that region. Initially I was enjoying the whole of the place and its ambience, but the more I was getting disperse with the place I can discover the beauty of nature witnessing picturesque lawn studded with fresh colorful flowers which includes Bougainvillea, Lilly, Forget-me not and other montane flowers. Perhaps this place is ideal for those who love travel in an authentic form and it is a paradise for bird watchers as well. Birds like ‘Grey Nightjar’, ‘Maroon Oriole’,

‘State backed Forktail’, ‘Yellow Vented Bulbul’, ‘Red Vented Bulbul’ ‘Long- Tailed Sibia’,’Oriental Pied Hornbill’ and many other different kinds of birds found here. Hence, Zurrantee Tea Estate offers rich ecological niche with varied spectrum of flora and fauna dispersed in its unique forest.

Tea and Tourism

India’s tea tourism is somewhat similar to what they call European wine tourism. Did we ever try to find out, how our favorite brand of tea reaches our kitchen shelf?

We do not even care about the fact. Many of us would not even believe if I say that this tea before reaching the cups undergoes a gamut of procedure until final blending. Therefore, if you are among those very keen to see how this wonder beverage produced, a tea tour seems to be the best option. And if your choice is Zurrantee then there could be nothing better than this. Planning an Ecotourism means a responsible travel to natural areas; this conserves the Environment and contributes towards the welfare of the local people at the same time. There are varied angles, which lay down the motive behind tea tourism, firstly, to overcome the financial crunch faced by the industry for the decade, secondly, to generate employment and lastly to explore the greenery of the garden away from the concrete jungle, and to get well accustomed with the tea industry, especially with the plantation and the manufacturing process.

Sights

Zurrantee is located in the Chalsa region of Dooars and offers many activities. You can visit Noara Valley Reserve forest 45 minutes from Zurrantee. If that is not enough to satisfy you can have a Jungle Safari too at nearby Gorumara National Park (30 minutes drive). There are towers like Chuk Chuki, Medhla, Jatraprasad; and Khunia that can also be visited to watch wildlife activities in Dooars region. The popular tourist spot Suntaleykhola is close by. You can also stroll down a bit to listen to the hums of the river Zurrantee.

Home Stay

Zurrantee owns a British style Heritage Tea Estate that is beyond luxurious. It consists of three sprawling bedrooms with attached bath including all modern amenities and one master suite. Drawing and Dining room has a fireplace, which is common. It has also amenities for tourist’s entertainment. It has a ‘Piano- Room’ along with that it has facilities for cards and pool tables. It also has a vintage gramophone where you can easily tune into old classics and can enjoy the retro feel within yourself. Briefly, Zurrantee gives you all that charm and pleasure you want from a vacation. It can also be a great honeymoon destination. Pissed up with your work and daily schedule, a trip to Zurrantee Tea Estate for 3-4 days would be awesome.

Special attraction

Once you are into this Tea Estate, you can enjoy the taste and flavor of the local culture. Special trip could be arranged to Lava, Laoleygaon and Kalimpong with account to extra cost. It also has facilities for Golf and Tennis to nearby Chalsa Planters Club. It provides with all the required services like laundry, doctors call, fee car parking, pick and drop from the station/airport. Evening snacks at the Gazebo overlooking the Dooars plains.

How to go

3 hours drive from Bagdogra Airport 2 hours 30 minutes drive from New Jalpaiguri Railway Station. New Mal Bazaar is the nearest railway station connected with a few trains from Kolkata and Delhi on the Delhi-Guwahati route.

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