Sonada

A quaint town located on the National Highway 55 has started to gain attention of the traveler traveling towards Darjeeling. Sonada is a beautiful town in the Darjeeling District of West Bengal which comes on way to Darjeeling just after leaving Kurseong behind. It is 17 km from Darjeeling town and 16 km from Kurseong. The serene ambiance and untapped natural beauty surrounding Sonada has lured many travelers towards it. Sonada was one of the first places where Tibetan Refugees settled down after being exiled from Tibet.

Elevated at an altitude of 6143ft Sonada houses a magnificent monastery Samdrup Darjay Choling Monastery where the body of His Eminence the Venerable Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche has been preserved as a Kardung making Sonada a scared place for the Buddhist pilgrim. At first sight Sonada may look quite small and crowded but there is a saying don't judge a book by its cover so if you look past behind the façade of concrete building you can see Sonada thrives with life and scenic beauty. There are many places with pictorial sights in and around Sonada which may hype the interest of many traveler like Gorato Nalichor Intek Cider's or as the locals call it Gorato is a pilgrim centre where the visitors can see the life of Lord Jesus Christ portrayed through the statues in Gorato. Perched at the edge of a hill, Gorato not only offers a serene ambiance but on a clear day travelers can also get an astounding view of the entire valley with the backdrop view of the snow peaked mountain. Another such place is Shree Shree Sani Mandir located in a walking distance of 10 min from the Sonada Station this place is scared for the local and from here you can see Kurseong town and while returning you can get the taste of mouth watering veg momo (dumpling) in Samarpan, this restaurant is quite famous among the local since it only serve veg dish. Apart from housing some of the sacred places with the most pictorial sights Sonada also offer few amazing trekking trail like towards Chatakpur an Eco-Village, tiger hill which offers one of the most epic sun rise in the Darjeeling. Every season has an unique charisma in Sonada like in summer travelers can relish the soothing weather while feasting their eyes with the vibrant colors of the green valley or during winter being mesmerized when the thins layer of frost gleams like precious jewel under the sun light.

Explore the beauty of a quaint town which has been hidden from the eyes of traveler while being engulfed in the lap of pristine nature. Sonada offers its visitor with some of the most pictorial sight of the adjacent valley which has left its viewer spell bind by the breathtaking beauty along with the serene ambiance and heart swelling hospitality.