Wildlife and birds · Takdah
Orchid centre visit in flowering season
An hour among the shade sheds of Takdah's government orchid centre, best from February to April when most of the hill orchids flower. Close to most homestays, cheap or free, and a good reason to time a Takdah trip for late winter.
The eastern Himalaya is orchid country, with several hundred species growing across Sikkim and the Darjeeling hills. On mossy trunks in the forests around Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong you find everything from tiny epiphytes with flowers the size of a rice grain to showy sprays of Dendrobium and Cymbidium. Takdah's government orchid centre is a nursery where some of these are grown under cover. It is not a show garden. It is a working place with shade sheds, potting benches and rows of plants, and that is part of its appeal.
Come between February and April, when most of the plants flower, and go in the late morning when the sheds are warm and the light is good. Staff are usually busy, but if you show interest someone may point out the plants that grow wild on these slopes. Hours and fees are set by the department and change, and the centre may be shut on holidays, so ask your homestay or check at the gate before you walk over. In the monsoon and early winter far less is in flower.
Keep the visit short and combine it with a walk through the cantonment lanes or down toward the tea; your homestay will tell you the best route from where you are staying. Do not pick or buy plants taken from the wild: many hill orchids are protected, and collecting them is illegal. If plants are offered for sale at the centre, ask whether they are nursery-grown, and remember that airlines and some states have rules on carrying live plants and soil.
Cost: Small fee or free · check locally
Questions people ask
Good to know
When do the orchids flower at Takdah?
Most flowering is from February to April, with a few plants in bloom either side of that. Outside those months you will mostly see green leaves and the nursery at work. If orchids are the main reason for your trip, aim for March and ask your homestay a week ahead how the season is going.
Is there an entry fee at the orchid centre?
If there is a fee it is small and set by the government department, and it changes, as do the opening hours. Ask your homestay or check at the gate before walking over. Carry small notes, because change can be hard to find, and expect it to be shut on some public holidays. Check current status before you travel.
Can we buy orchids to take home?
Only nursery-grown plants, and only if the centre is selling that day. Never buy orchids dug from the forest; many hill species are protected in India and collecting them is an offence. Check airline rules on live plants before you buy, since soil and pots are often a problem in baggage.
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