Viewpoints · Chitrey
Dawn over the Darjeeling hills from Chitrey
If you sleep at Chitrey, get up before dawn and walk to the chorten. The sun rises over the eastern ridges of Darjeeling and Sukhiapokhri, lighting the valleys from above, and the first trekkers will not arrive for hours.
Chitrey faces east over the deep valley that separates the Singalila Ridge from the Darjeeling hills. Before sunrise the ridges stack up in shades of blue, with cloud sitting in the valley bottoms in autumn. As the sun clears the hills, the light runs across the slopes toward you and the prayer flags begin to glow.
This is not the Kanchenjunga view, which waits higher at Tumling and Tonglu, but it is quieter and closer to village life. Smoke rises from kitchen fires below, a few cows start for the grazing, and the first Land Rovers of the day can be heard grinding up the track from Maneybhanjan.
Bring a warm jacket; Chitrey can drop to near freezing in December. Watch from the chorten or from the lodge garden, then eat breakfast and set off before the day trekkers come up. You will have the trail to Meghma almost to yourself.
Cost: Free
Questions people ask
Good to know
Can you see Kanchenjunga from Chitrey?
Not well; the main view from Chitrey is east over the Darjeeling hills. Kanchenjunga becomes visible higher up, from around Meghma and especially from Tumling and Tonglu. Sleep at Tumling if a sunrise mountain view is your priority.
What time is sunrise at Chitrey?
Roughly 5.15–6.15 am depending on the month: earliest in May and June, latest in December and January. Be at the chorten 20 minutes before for the best colour. Your lodge host can tell you the day's time.
Is it cold at Chitrey at dawn?
In November to February, dawn temperatures are around 0–5 °C, sometimes below. In April and May mornings are mild, 8–12 °C. A down or fleece jacket, cap and gloves are enough for a short sunrise wait.
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