Welcome to Katha
Katha means story. Our homestay around Pradhan Fatak, Sittong-II, embodies the living hills with its 13 well-designed rooms inspired by the local culture, the Lepcha and Rai communities, and the iconic tea gardens of Darjeeling.
Fresh home-made meals, misty mountain views, nearby attractions, and while away time in our bamboo house. Come and experience the beauty, traditions, and peaceful charm of Sittong with us.
The visit to Katha was Incredible! This was a special experience, due to the peacefulness, warmth of the people, and the beautiful mountain scenes. Fresh food and cosy ambience were what we enjoyed about this. A beautiful place for rest, nature, and for Sittong's charm.
Every room is named after a community or a story of the Darjeeling hills. Pick a room to read its story.
Room 01 of 13
The Lepchas call themselves Mutanchi Rongkup, "the beloved children of God", and are known as the original people of Sikkim and the Darjeeling hills. Nature worshippers, they honour Mount Kanchenjunga as their guardian deity. The room shows their traditional dress, the men's dumpra and the women's dumvun.
Room 02 of 13
The Bhutias, who call themselves Drejongpas or "people of the rice valley", are of Tibetan origin and live across Sikkim, Darjeeling and Kalimpong. Followers of Vajrayana Buddhism, they wear the graceful kho (bakhu) and celebrate Losoong and Losar, their New Year festivals.
Room 03 of 13
Sherpas came to Darjeeling from the Solu Khumbu region of Nepal in the late 1800s and became the backbone of Himalayan expeditions. Tenzing Norgay, who reached the summit of Everest in 1953, made Darjeeling his home and became chief instructor at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute.
Room 04 of 13
The Rai, or Khambu, are one of the Kirat peoples of the eastern Himalaya. Their best-known festival, Sakela, is held twice a year, at sowing time (Ubhauli) and at harvest (Udhauli), when families dance the sili in a big circle to thank nature and their ancestors.
Room 05 of 13
A salute to the Gorkha soldiers, famous worldwide for their courage, their khukri and the battle cry "Jai Mahakali, Ayo Gorkhali". Their motto says it all: "Better to die than be a coward." Today the Indian Army has seven Gorkha regiments, and many families from these hills have served in them.
Room 06 of 13
Named after the drink that made Darjeeling famous. Dr Archibald Campbell planted the first tea here in 1841, and today 87 estates grow Darjeeling tea, the first product in India to get a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2004. The mural honours the tea pickers behind the "Champagne of teas".
Room 07 of 13
A connected room for families, with leafy walls and old black-and-white photographs of the tea estates. It celebrates the gardens that still cover these slopes, including Mahaldiram tea garden right here in Sittong-II.
Room 08 of 13
The story of this room is coming soon.
Room 09 of 13
The story of this room is coming soon.
Room 10 of 13
The story of this room is coming soon.
Room 11 of 13
The story of this room is coming soon.
Room 12 of 13
The story of this room is coming soon.
Room 13 of 13
The story of this room is coming soon.
About Sittong
Sittong is a cluster of hill villages in the Kurseong subdivision of Darjeeling district, divided into Sittong-I, Sittong-II and Sittong-III. Sitting at around 4,000 ft, it is best known for its orange orchards. From November to January the hillsides turn golden with Darjeeling mandarins.
Away from the crowds of Darjeeling town, Sittong is a place of forest trails, small streams, the Riyang river in the valley, and wide views of the hills. On clear days you can see the snow peaks of the Kanchenjunga range from the viewpoints nearby.
Life here moves slowly. Mornings start with birdsong and mist, and evenings end with a quiet sky full of stars.
Ask us and we'll help you plan each day
Visit between November and January to see the orchards heavy with fruit, Sittong's most famous sight.
A hilltop viewpoint with a 360° view of the hills, tea gardens and, on clear days, the Kanchenjunga range.
A small lake surrounded by pine forest near Ahaldara, at its fullest during and after the monsoon.
Forest walks and birdwatching in the higher reaches of the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary.
Cinchona plantations and the Rabindra Bhavan, the house where Rabindranath Tagore stayed.
Walk down to the Riyang river and the Jogighat bridge, and visit the old Lepcha monastery in Sittong.
Sittong-II · Darjeeling