Sonada · Darjeeling · West Bengal
A family homestay on the lap of Tiger Hill, wrapped in garden and hill air. Three rooms with attached bathrooms, hot tea on the verandah, the toy train passing just down the lane, and Kanchenjunga on a clear morning.
01 — About us
Roshni Home Stay is a clean, green place with a common verandah and rooms that all have attached bathrooms, sanitised before you check in. Sit out with hot tea or coffee and watch the hills change colour. In winter there is snowfall, and a warm bonfire to sit around after dark.
We're right off NH55, so taxis are easy — and the toy train passes down the lane, visible from your room.
Short films from around the house — the sunrise run, the toy train, the walk down to the falls.
02 — Our rooms
All with attached bathrooms, hot water, breakfast, a toiletry kit and wi-fi. Call or WhatsApp for the current tariff.
Attached bath · hill view
Attached bath · garden side
Attached bath · verandah access
03 — About Darjeeling
Darjeeling sits at about 2,000 m on a ridge in the eastern Himalaya, looking north to Kanchenjunga — at 8,586 m the third-highest mountain on earth. The hills below town are stitched with tea gardens whose first flush is drunk across the world, and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1999, still climbs them at walking pace. Sonada, where we are, is one of the small stations on that line.
Darjeeling town sits high on the ridge; Sonada is a little below it on the same railway line.
The third-highest mountain on earth, visible to the north-west on clear mornings.
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway has run since 1881 and became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999.
The hills around town grow the muscatel first and second flush drunk all over the world.
Rhododendron and magnolia in flower, first flush being plucked, clear cool days.
Monsoon. Green at its deepest, waterfalls full, mist most afternoons — the quiet season.
The clearest skies of the year. Best odds of Kanchenjunga at sunrise.
Cold and bright, occasional snowfall, bonfires after dark.
04 — Getting around
Sonada is a good base for nature lovers, trekkers, campers and anyone after a laid-back, isolated holiday. We can arrange a car for any of these.
We sit on the lap of Tiger Hill, the most famous sunrise point in the region — Kanchenjunga first, then the valley.
A short run from the house to the falls, best after the monsoon when the water is loud.
A forest village at the edge of Senchal sanctuary — the walking here is the reason many guests come.
A quiet hillside shrine telling the life of Christ, set in the trees.
Mall Road, the tea gardens and the railway are 45 minutes away by taxi; the village walk starts at our gate.
05 — Good to know
Anything not answered here — just call or message. We reply the same day.
At Agriculture Gate on Hill Cart Road in Sonada, Darjeeling district, West Bengal 734209 — opposite the State Seed Potato Multiplication Farm. Sonada sits on NH55 between Kurseong and Darjeeling town, on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway line, so taxis pass the gate in both directions all day.
Darjeeling town and Mall Road are about 45 minutes away by taxi. The house sits on the lap of Tiger Hill, so the sunrise point is a short early-morning drive — guests usually leave around 4:00 am to be there before first light.
From New Jalpaiguri (NJP) railway station it is roughly 2.5 hours by car, and from Bagdogra airport (IXB) roughly 3 hours. Both routes come up Hill Cart Road and pass directly through Sonada. Shared and private taxis run all morning; we can also arrange a car to collect you if you tell us your arrival time.
Yes, on a clear morning. Kanchenjunga — at 8,586 m the third-highest mountain on earth — stands to the north-west. October and November give the clearest skies of the year and the best odds; during the June-to-September monsoon the mountain is usually behind cloud.
Breakfast is included with every room. There is also a kitchenette and a BBQ grill on the property. Tell us in advance if you would like other meals or have any dietary needs and we will arrange it — we cook for guests as a family would.
All three rooms have attached bathrooms with hot water, and they are sanitised before you check in. Free Wi-Fi covers the whole house. Every room also gets a toiletry kit, and there is housekeeping, a shared terrace, a common verandah and a first-aid kit on site.
Yes — there is snowfall in winter, usually between December and February. Those months are cold and bright, and we light a bonfire in the garden after dark for guests to sit around.
March to May brings rhododendron and magnolia in flower, the first flush being plucked, and clear cool days. June to September is the monsoon — deepest green, full waterfalls, mist most afternoons, and the quietest season. October and November have the clearest skies and the best chance of seeing Kanchenjunga at sunrise. December to February is cold and bright with occasional snow.
Yes. We arrange car rentals and can set up the Tiger Hill sunrise run, Indreni (Rainbow) Falls, the Chatakpur forest-village trek at the edge of Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary, The Grotto, and a day in Darjeeling town. A village walk starts right at our gate.
Yes, there is shared parking on the property, and we are just off NH55 so the gate is easy to reach by car.
Call or WhatsApp us on +91 70012-12272, or email roshnihomestay.com@gmail.com with your dates and the number of guests. Booking with us directly is the quickest way to check availability and the current tariff.
Yes. It is a small family home with only three rooms, which suits couples, families and solo travellers who want somewhere quiet. It is a particularly good base for nature lovers, trekkers, campers and photographers, since the walking and the sunrise points start close by.
06 — Find us
Daily flights from Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati, then a car up Hill Cart Road.
Overnight trains from Kolkata and Delhi; shared and private cars all morning.
We're right off the highway, so taxis are easy to find in either direction.
The toy train passes down the lane and can be watched from your room.
Call, message or email us — we answer the same day.
