Darjeeling is a hill town located in the lap of the Great Himalayas in the north of West Bengal. Darjeeling has high peak mountains covered with lushful green carpet and snowy white caps. You can enjoy the excellent panoramic view of the world’s third-highest mountain, the Kanchanjunga, with a cup of Darjeeling Tea while climbing up an altitude of 2000m on the famous “Toy Train”.
This UNESCO World Heritage Site is noted for its Darjeeling Himalayan Railways and its famous tea industry. The vivid landscapes, tea plantation, eternal weather, and the slopes make it one of the most popular tourist destinations of India.
How to reach ?By road: A drive by taxi or car from Siliguri (Tenzing Norgay Bus Terminus) to Darjeeling.
By rail: The nearest railway station is New Jalpaiguri (NJP) which connects major cities of India. One can then reach Darjeeling from here by the Toy Train from NJP or road route(62km).
By air: The nearest airport is Bagdogra Airport (IXB). Once you reach at the airport, you can hire a taxi or share a cab to get to Darjeeling(96km), which will take you around 3 hours.
Places to visit:The Darjeeling Himalayan Railways: The 2ft (narrow) gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling attracts many tourists every year with its iconic choo-choo-chuff-chuff sound. Its snail speed and the mesmerizing views through its windows makes the journey a complete delight to tourists. So, get your seats marked before heading to Darjeeling from www.irctc.co.in.
Batasia Loop : Located around 5 km from Darjeeling, Batasia Loop is a spiral railway track where the toy train takes a complete 360° turn to climb a hight of 20 ft. There is no better place to get a 360° view of Darjeeling's landscape including the hill town and the snow-covered peaks of the Eastern Himalayas with the majestic Kanchenjunga on one side. And all this from the middle of a lovely flowering garden around which the toy train goes hooting its whistle.
Tiger Hill : If you want to witness the first rays of sun hitting the twin peaks of Kangchenjunga, along with a panoramic view of Everest peeping through the peaks standing by its side, then Tiger Hills makes for a perfect sunrise for you. About 11km from the main town Darjeeling perched at the hilltop above Ghum (also spelled as Ghoom) housing the highest railway station in India, Tiger hill provides you the best location to watch the sky change its color from the darkest shade of blue to the mixture of a lively shade of orange and blue is a sight which can leave any non-believer spellbound. Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary is another nearby attraction you could visit, which inhabits various high-altitude animals and birds.
Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park: It is an ideal place to visit and observe the endangered animals like red panda and snow leopard in their semi-natural habitat and learn more about the wild animals of Himalayan Region. The Zoo plays host to the only collection of Siberian Tigers in India and few other exotic animal species, such as Red pandas, Snow leopards, Himalayan black bears,etc. It is recognized as the largest high-altitude zoo in the country.
Observatory Hill: Like most other hill stations in India, Darjeeling also has a Mall Road and atop the Mall is the Observatory hill. The hill hosts the famous Mahakal temple and the original shrine of Bhutia Busty monastery, making the place of religious significance for Hindus and Buddhists alike.
Japanese Peace Padoga: As you climb up from Clubside along Gandhi and AJC Bose roads, you see this glistening white structure standing out - that's the Peace Pagoda. The Peace Pagoda, one of the 70 odd such structures built under the guidance of Japanese monk Nichidatsu Fujii, is worth a visit during the daily pujas.
Himalayan Mountaineering Institute: The famous tea gardens and enchanting view of Kanchenjunga peak make your journey to HMI a memorable experience.HMI also houses the oldest mountaineering Museum in the country. It was established in 1957. The museum stays open from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm and stays closed on every Tuesday.
Darjeeling Ropeway: Darjeeling Ropeway is also called the Rangeet Valley Cable Car. It provides a thrilling experience and a spectacular view of the valley around the river Little Rangeet.
Darjeeling Rock Garden: Rock garden is a multi-level picnic garden, terraced around a natural fall called Chunnu Summer Falls. The Rock Garden offers a beautiful view of a hill stream cascading over rocks along the slope, done up with flower gardens and sitting spaces at different levels.
Ghoom Monastery: At a grand elevation of 8,000 feet, the Yiga Choeling or old Ghoom Monastery is the oldest Tibetan Buddhist Monastery of Darjeeling. A 15-foot high statue of Maitreyi Buddha is seen in the central hall, made entirely of clay brought from Tibet. The Ghoom Monastery is a much-revered place for the Buddhist community and it restores some rare Buddhist manuscripts that can hardly be found anywhere else. The calmness of the place would revitalize your spiritual quotient.
Singalia National Park: Singalila National Park, located on the Singalila Ridge at a height of 7000 feet above sea level, is a national park of India in Darjeeling. The park is well known for trekking and other adventure sports. The national park is similar to a paradise for trekkers and adventure lovers.
Tea Estates: With over 80 tea estates covering over 17,500 hectares of land, the tea plantations of Darjeeling are a unique aromatic experience to visitors of this hilly tourist trap.
Cuisine of Darjeeling:Tukpa
Momo
Churpi Chocolate
Darjeeling Tea
Chhaang
Bon Voyage !!!...