Sittong Village

Sittong Village is a small Himalayan settlement in the Kurseong subdivision of Darjeeling district, West Bengal, situated at about 900 metres altitude. Known as the Orange Village of Darjeeling, it is noted for extensive orange orchards, terraced slopes and views of the surrounding hills. The village offers rural homestay tourism, forested surroundings within Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary fringe, and proximity to viewpoints and rivers, attracting nature and offbeat travellers.

Visitors can expect a quiet hillside village spread across terraced slopes with orange orchards, cinchona plantations, and forested areas. The setting includes traditional Lepcha houses, homestays, narrow village roads, views of the Darjeeling hills and on clear days Kanchenjunga, and nearby natural features such as Riyang River, Jogighat bridge, and viewpoints like Ahaldara and Latpanchar. Exploration is on foot through orchards and village trails with opportunities for nature walks and photography.

Sittong is a historic Lepcha settlement in the Darjeeling hills and developed as part of the cinchona plantation area during the British period. The region later became known for large-scale orange cultivation, which shaped its agricultural identity and rural economy.

The village is predominantly inhabited by Lepcha and other hill communities and reflects traditional Himalayan rural culture, agrarian practices centered on orange and cardamom cultivation, and community-based homestay tourism that preserves local customs and hospitality.