Risheehat Moktan Homestay

Risheehat Moktan Homestay is a small, family-run homestay in Risheehat (also spelt Rishihat), a tea estate village about 14 km east of Darjeeling town in West Bengal. The Moktan family has four rooms for up to 14 guests, cooks vegetarian meals at home, and the stay starts at ₹1,300 per person.

Risheehat is one of the closest true villages to Darjeeling, yet it feels a long way from the Mall. The houses sit among some of the steepest tea slopes in the district, with the Kanchenjunga range to the north and Darjeeling town on the ridge across the valley. The name is usually translated as "home of holy sages", and the estate was once known as Tsering Bagan. It is the kind of place where the day is set by the tea pluckers on the slope below rather than by a sightseeing schedule.

There are four bedrooms, which together sleep up to 14 guests. That makes the homestay a good fit for a family or a group of friends taking the whole house, and a quiet one for a couple when it isn't full. Rooms are priced at ₹1,300 per person per night. Tell us how many of you are travelling and we will suggest the best way to split the rooms.

The Moktan kitchen is vegetarian. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and evening tea are all cooked at home, simple and filling, with whatever is fresh. When you enquire, check with us whether meals are part of your quote for your dates; it depends on the booking. If anyone in your group has dietary needs, let us know ahead so the family can plan.

Risheehat is a place for walking rather than driving.

• The tea estate: Risheehat is a certified organic tea garden of more than 250 hectares, owned by Jay Shree Tea since 1955. The paths between the bushes make for long, easy walks, and its second flush is known for a muscatel flavour.
• Dhaychen Pemaling Gumba: a small monastery near the top of the village, where people from the surrounding villages gather on Buddha Purnima.
• Krishna and Radha temple: a newer temple in the estate.
• Liza Hill: once a separate estate, now a division of Risheehat, where workers grow anthuriums, dahlias and other flowers.
• Village walks and bird watching: the slopes and the streams on either side of the garden are good for birds early in the morning. Families here grow oranges, cardamom and vegetables, and a walk with the hosts is the best way to see it.
• Darjeeling town: about 14 km away, close enough for a day of the Mall, the toy train and the town's cafés before you come back down to the quiet.

The route runs through Darjeeling. From New Jalpaiguri (NJP) station or Bagdogra Airport, take a car up the hill road to Darjeeling, then continue about 14 km east to Risheehat. A private car all the way is the easiest option. Shared jeeps run as far as Darjeeling, but shared transport between the villages beyond is scarce, so ask us to arrange the last stretch. Allow most of a day for the journey from the plains.

October to March usually brings the clearest views of Kanchenjunga, with cold nights in December and January. Spring and early summer are when the estate is busiest, with the first and second flush being plucked on the slopes around the house. The monsoon months are green and very quiet, but expect cloud and wet roads.

• Check-in is at 12 noon and check-out at 10 am.
• Free parking is available.
• Pets are welcome; please tell us when you book.
• Suitable for families, couples and senior citizens.
• Bonfire in the evenings on request.
• The postal address is Risheehat Khasmahal, Darjeeling 734102; the Risheehat Farmstay is the nearest landmark.
• Bring warm clothes. Even in summer, evenings on a Darjeeling hillside turn cool.