Photo: Vishalrai03 · CC0, Wikimedia Commons

MungpooHeight above mean sea level 1,150 m

village · Darjeeling Hills

Tagore's hill retreat among the cinchona plantations

Best Mar · Oct – Jan0–1 nights

Mungpoo is a small hill settlement at about 1,150 m, roughly 35 km from Darjeeling, built around the government cinchona plantation. Rabindranath Tagore stayed here at the house of Maitreyi Devi on visits between 1938 and 1940, and the house is now a museum, Rabindra Bhavan. Visit for half a day or stay a quiet night.

Mungpoo is a plantation village rather than a tourist town. Its slopes are covered not with tea but with cinchona, the tree whose bark gives quinine, planted here by the colonial government in the nineteenth century and still managed by the West Bengal government. The settlement has staff quarters, a small bazaar, schools and the old factory buildings, with views down towards the Teesta valley. Most visitors come for one house.

That house belonged to the family of Maitreyi Devi, the Bengali writer, whose husband Dr Manmohan Sen worked as a chemist at the quinine factory. Rabindranath Tagore visited them here four times between 1938 and 1940, in the last years of his life, and wrote and read in the house. It is now Rabindra Bhavan, a small museum with his furniture, photographs and some of his paintings and letters. For many Bengali visitors, Mungpoo is a pilgrimage.

Mungpoo is cheap and quiet. There is little to buy and no nightlife, and the main costs are the car and a simple homestay or lodge if you stay over. It pairs naturally with Sittong's orange orchards and Kurseong's tea gardens, all within an hour or so. The roads are narrow and steep, and the monsoon months bring landslides, so come between October and May and check current status before you travel.

Don't miss

Highlights of Mungpoo

Rabindra Bhavan, Tagore's Mungpoo house

The house where Tagore stayed as Maitreyi Devi's guest is now a small museum. See the room he used, his chair and desk, photographs, letters and reproductions of his paintings. It takes under an hour, and the caretakers are often happy to talk about the poet's visits.

Cinchona plantations

The slopes around Mungpoo are planted with cinchona, grown for quinine since the nineteenth century. Drive or walk the plantation roads to see the slender trees and the old factory buildings. It is one of the few places in India where this colonial-era crop still covers whole hillsides.

Tagore's birth anniversary

Every year on 25 Baishakh, which falls in early May, Rabindra Bhavan hosts songs, recitations and gatherings in Tagore's memory. Local schools and visitors from Bengal take part. If you can time your visit for it, Mungpoo feels very different from a quiet weekday.

Views towards the Teesta valley

Mungpoo stands on a slope above the Teesta valley, and the roads around it open onto wide views of forested ridges and the river country below. Morning light is best. On the clearest winter days, snow peaks show on the northern horizon.

An easy pairing with Sittong

Mungpoo and Sittong are close neighbours. Visit Rabindra Bhavan in the morning, drive on through the cinchona slopes, and spend the night in a Sittong homestay among orange orchards. In winter, the two make one of the quietest short trips in the Darjeeling hills.

Told in the hills

Tagore's last hill-station summers

Maitreyi Devi, born in 1914, was the daughter of the philosopher Surendranath Dasgupta and had known Rabindranath Tagore since childhood. After her marriage to Dr Manmohan Sen, a chemist at the government quinine factory in Mungpoo, she invited the ageing poet to stay. Tagore came four times between 1938 and 1940. He worked, wrote and talked with his hosts in the quiet house on the hill, away from Santiniketan and Calcutta.

Maitreyi Devi later recorded those visits and conversations in her Bengali book Mangpute Rabindranath. She went on to write Na Hanyate, her reply to Mircea Eliade's novel about their youthful relationship in Calcutta, which won the Sahitya Akademi Award. The Mungpoo house was later turned into a museum, Rabindra Bhavan, with Tagore's belongings and pictures. Each year on his birth anniversary, local people and visitors gather there for songs and readings.

Pinned to the board

Did you know

Rabindranath Tagore stayed at Maitreyi Devi's house in Mungpoo on four visits between 1938 and 1940.

Maitreyi Devi's novel Na Hanyate, written as a reply to Mircea Eliade's Bengal Nights, won the Sahitya Akademi Award.

The hills around Mungpoo are planted with cinchona, the tree whose bark is the source of the anti-malaria drug quinine.

Things to do

Four ways to spend a day in Mungpoo

1 hour Rabindra Bhavan, where Tagore stayed Mungpoo · Free or a small fee, indicative

1–2 hours Through the cinchona plantations Mungpoo · Included in car hire

Half day Tagore's birthday at Rabindra Bhavan Mungpoo · Free

Full day Mungpoo, Sittong and Kurseong in one day Mungpoo · ₹3,500–5,000 per car from Darjeeling, i…

Getting there

How to reach Mungpoo

Shared jeepA few shared jeeps link Mungpoo with Darjeeling and with Siliguri via the Teesta road, usually once or twice a day, ₹100–200 a seat, indicative 2026. Timings change, so ask at the Darjeeling motor stand or your hotel the day before.

Reserved carA reserved car from Darjeeling costs about ₹2,500–3,500 for a day trip, and from NJP or Bagdogra about ₹3,000–4,500 one way, indicative 2026. Drivers often combine Mungpoo with Sittong or Kurseong. Roads are narrow and winding; check current status before you travel in wet weather.

Rail / AirBagdogra (IXB) is the nearest airport, about 65 km away, and NJP the nearest big station. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway does not reach Mungpoo; the closest toy-train stations are Kurseong and Ghum, each about 1–1.5 hours away by road.

Costs in Mungpooindicative, 2026

Reserved car day trip from Darjeeling₹2,500–3,500
Shared jeep seat, Darjeeling or Siliguri → Mungpoo₹100–200
Rabindra Bhavan entryFree or a small fee, indicative
Homestay or lodge with meals₹1,200–2,500 per person per day
Tea and snacks in the bazaar₹30–100

Fares and fees change with fuel prices, season and local union rates. Check current rates before you travel.

Money-saving tip

Do Mungpoo on the way to a Sittong homestay rather than as a separate day trip, so one car covers both and you save a full day's hire.

Where to stay

Sleeping in Mungpoo

Mungpoo has very few places to stay: a handful of small homestays and simple lodges, mostly with shared meals, at roughly ₹1,200–2,500 per person per day with food, indicative 2026. Most visitors come on a day trip or stay nearby. Sittong's orchard homestays are close and better set up for guests. For hotels, stay in Kurseong at the WBTDC Kurseong Tourism Property or Cochrane Place, or in Darjeeling at the WBTDC Darjeeling Tourism Property, Dekeling or the Windamere, and visit Mungpoo for half a day.

On the map

Drawn by Darjeeling Tour Plan from Natural Earth outlines (public domain). Borders as depicted by India. Not for navigation.

Next stations

Near Mungpoo

All of Darjeeling

Sittong1,200 m

Orange orchards and hornbill forest below Kurseong

Village · best Nov – Jan · 1–2 nights

Kurseong1,458 m

Tea gardens, Netaji's house and the train in the bazaar

Tea country · best Mar – May · Oct – Nov · 1–2 nights

Darjeeling2,042 m

Tea, toy trains and Kangchenjunga from the Mall

Hill town · best Mar – May · Oct – Dec · 2–4 nights

Ghum2,258 m

India's highest railway station, Batasia Loop and an old monastery

Monastery town · best Mar – May · Oct – Dec · 0–1 nights

Questions people ask

Mungpoo: questions answered

Where is Mungpoo

Mungpoo is a small plantation settlement in the Kurseong subdivision of Darjeeling district, at about 1,150 m, above the Teesta valley. It is roughly 35 km from Darjeeling, close to Sittong, and about 55–60 km from Siliguri. It is known for the government cinchona plantations and for Rabindra Bhavan, where Tagore stayed.

Is Mungpoo worth visiting

Yes, if you are interested in Tagore, Bengali literature or plantation history, or if you want a quiet half day off the usual Darjeeling circuit. There is not much else, so most people spend one to three hours here and combine it with Sittong or Kurseong. Travellers looking for big views or shopping may find it too quiet.

How many times did Tagore visit Mungpoo

Rabindranath Tagore visited Mungpoo four times between 1938 and 1940, staying with Maitreyi Devi and her husband Dr Manmohan Sen. These were the last years of his life; he died in August 1941. Maitreyi Devi recorded his visits in her Bengali book Mangpute Rabindranath, and the house is now Rabindra Bhavan.

What is the best time to visit Mungpoo

October to April is best, with dry roads and clear views, and winter adds Sittong's orange season nearby. Early May brings Tagore's birth anniversary programme at Rabindra Bhavan. Avoid June to September, when landslides often affect the narrow roads. Check current status before you travel in wet months.

How do I reach Mungpoo from Siliguri

Take a reserved car from Siliguri, NJP or Bagdogra, about ₹3,000–4,500 and 2–2.5 hours, indicative 2026. A few shared jeeps run from Siliguri, usually once or twice a day, ₹100–200 a seat. Routes depend on road conditions, so let your driver choose and check current status before you travel.

Can I stay overnight in Mungpoo

Yes, but choices are few: a handful of small homestays and simple lodges, usually ₹1,200–2,500 per person per day with meals, indicative 2026. Many travellers prefer Sittong, which is close and has more homestays, or Kurseong for hotels. Book ahead around Tagore's birth anniversary in early May.

Who was Maitreyi Devi

Maitreyi Devi was a Bengali writer and poet, born in 1914, daughter of the philosopher Surendranath Dasgupta and a protégée of Rabindranath Tagore. She hosted Tagore at her home in Mungpoo and wrote about it in Mangpute Rabindranath. Her novel Na Hanyate, a reply to Mircea Eliade's Bengal Nights, won the Sahitya Akademi Award.

Is there an entry fee at Rabindra Bhavan Mungpoo

Entry is free or a small fee, and charges may apply for cameras. Opening days and hours can change, and the museum may close on some days. Confirm locally before you travel, especially if Mungpoo is the main purpose of your trip. Check current status before you travel.

What else can I see near Mungpoo

Sittong's orange orchards and homestays are a short drive away. Latpanchar, inside Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, is known for hornbills and has its own cinchona plantation, and nearby Ahaldara viewpoint looks over the Teesta valley. Kurseong's tea gardens and toy-train station are about an hour away, and Darjeeling about 1.5–2 hours.