DARJEELING

Lakshadweep (Laccadive Islands)  is one of the worlds most spectacular tropical island systems. Thirty- two sq. km of land spread over 36 islands surrounded by 4200 sq. km of lagoon rich in marine wealth. Currently ten Islands are inhabited. They are Agatti, Amini, Andrott, Bitra, Chetlat, Kadmat, Kalpeni, Kavaratti, Kiltan and Minicoy.

Nestled among the rolling mountains with the glistening Mt Kanchenjunga towering over the azure sky, Darjeeling fondly called "Queen of the Hills"is internationally known and famous for its tea industry. With the plantations dating back to the mid 19th century, the highly savored blends found here have been considered among the worlds finest. The history of Darjeeling is intertwined around the tea plantations. Darjeeling is also on the world up being on the list of UN World Heritage site owing to the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway where the century old miniature steam engine still chugs uphill.

Darjeeling also plays host to two of the world's rarest animals, the Himalayan Red Panda and the elusive Snow Leopard.

Best Time to Visit Darjeeling: April to June and September to Novembe
 

How to Reach Darjeeling?

By Air
The nearest airport is Bagdogra(Siliguri), which is a mere 3 hours drive from Darjeeling.

By Train
The nearest railhead is at New Jalpaiguri (Station Code NJP). From here one has to take the world renowned Toy Train which winds its way up the hills to Darjeeling. From New Jalpaiguri the famous Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), known to all as the 'Toy Train' now listed as a World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO starts the journey to Darjeeling.

By Road
Darjeeling is very well connected to Siliguri which is a terminal city. A fleet of luxury State/Private buses run overnight to Siliguri from Calcutta. From Siliguri, a 2 hour scenic drive through tea gardens and forests brings you to Darjeeling.

Distances from Darjeeling

Mirik - 50km                   Kalimpong - 50km
Kurseong - 35km             Siliguri-80
Sikkim-100                     Calcutta -651 kms
Gangtok -100 kms

Must See in and around Darjeeling

Dhirdam Temple - Located near the Darjeeling Railway Station, Dhirdham Temple with a slight Tibetian touch was built in 1939 by Rai Saheb Purna Bahadur Pradhan. Lord Shiv's statue outside the main temple depicts "Pancha Bakram Tri Netram" meaning five different facial expressions of Lord Shiv in different moods and the Third Eye.

Tiger Hill - At 11 kms from the town and at an elevation of 2,590m (8482 ft) one can view the world's most majestic mountains- "Khang- Chen-Dzod-Nga" of mighty Kanchenjunga, the king of them all. About 135 km away is Tibet's Chomol Hari mountain, said to be the world's most beautiful peak. Kanchenjunga 28,146 ft dwarfing the two others, Kabru (24,000 ft) and Janu (25,300 ft), conical in shape, leaps into view only 64 km away.

Batasia Loop - Aboard the "toy train" from Siliguri to Darjeeling just below Ghoom and 5 km from Darjeeling is the Batasia Loop -- an engineering marvel and feat. Almost imperceptibly, the railway line negotiates a circle and descends 1,000 ft in altitude where  one gets a grand view of the town of Darjeeling perched on the slopes of hills and Mt. Kanchenjunga in the background.

Barbotey Rock Garden - At a distance of 10 km from town, is a very attractive picnic spot with natural water falls. The Rock Garden was constructed by The Gorkha Hill Council Tourism Department. The road to the garden is a steep and winding.
 
Observatory Hill - Observatory Hill is known for being the oldest site in Darjeeling.

Mirik Lake - Mirik is at an altitude of about 5,800 feet and almost midway on a 100 km alternative route between Darjeeling and Siliguri. Mirik is an excellent scenic spot, and Kanchenjunga is visible.
 

Natural History Museum - Museum of Natural History showcases a collection of t flora and fauna of the region. The specimens are displayed in true to life attitudes of all birds species, reptiles and animals found in the different altitudes in the Eastern Himalayas.

The Lebong Race Track - 8 km from Chaurastha this is the smallest and the highest racetrack in the world. Races are held here regularly.
 
Lloyd Botanical Gardens - Lloyd Botanical garden with charming laid out terraces is situated just below the Edern Sanatorium and easily accessible from the Bazar Motor Stand. Open to the general public the year round, it also organizes a flower show during the summer months. The garden was developed by Sir Ashley Eden on a land gifted by Mr. W. Lloyd.

Victoria Falls - Just down south of the Railway Station lies the stunningly beautiful Victoria Falls created by the Kalijhora, a small stream. From a height of 100 feet it cascades down to the valley below, through deep ravines to Sidrapong. Here we have the first Hydel project of India which harnesses the waters of the Victoria Falls for generating the electric supply for Darjeeling, and its suburbs.

Tadakh Orchid Culture Center - Twenty-six kilometers from Darjeeling, Tadakh is a beautiful picnic spot. It is run by West Bengal Forest Corporation. Nearly 110 varieties of both hybrid & local orchids are cultured here.

Aloobari Monastery - 3 Km to the south, en route to Ghoom on the Tenzing Norgay road lies the Aloobari Monastery with a touch of Tibetian architecture and a colorful history.

Yiga-Cholang Buddhist Monastery - Eight kilometers from Darjeeling at an elevation of 8,000 feet just before the Batasia loop, is the Ghoom Tibetan Monastery, belonging to the Yellow Sect of Buddhists who worship a 15-foot statue of the "Coming Buddha" (Maitreya Buddha) built in 1875 by Lama Sherab Gyantso.

Ghoom Rock - About 15 km from Darjeeling, on the Ghoom-Sukhia pokhri road, at an altitude of 7,900 ft, stands the 100-foot high enormous detached rock, offering a grand view of the mountains and the Balsan Valley.

Senchal Lake - Situated at an altitude of 8,160 ft, 10 km to the south-east of Darjeeling, has a lake and golf links on the summit. The springs that feed the lake also feed the town, the lake is the reservoir of Darjeeling's water supply.

The Teesta and Rangeet - The magnificent Teesta and the graceful Rangeet, add to the beauty of Darjeeling. The confluence of the two provides one of the most picturesque scenes along the course. From the icy heights of the lake Chalamu, at an elevation of 17,500 ft in Sikkim originates the majestic Teesta fed by several streams rising in the North. It is joined, in a mighty Rangeet, 6 km from Sevoke. passing through Jalpaiguri and Bangladesh at Rangpur.

Darjeeling Rangeet Valley Passenger Ropeway - The Darjeeling Ropeway connects Darjeeling with Bijanbari down in the little Rangeet Valley. A mono-cable type, with one rope acting both as tractor and carrier, the Ropeway travels at a speed of 6.5 km an hour. From an elevation of 7,000 ft, in Darjeeling's North Point, a bi-cable passenger ropeway, carrying six at a time, in a boxed car, descends to 800 feet at Singla.

Himalayan Mountaineering Institute - Situated on Jawahar Parbat and adjoining the Zoo the institute was founded in 1954 after the historic conquest of Everest on the 29th of May in 1953 by Tenzing Norgay (Sherpa) from Darjeeling and Sir Edmund Hillary from New Zealand. As an honour to the great Sherpa this Institute was formed with the aim of imparting mountaineering skills to all the enthusiasts with Tenzing Sherpa as one of the founding members and also the Field Director of the Institute.

Darjeeling tea plantation tour - Darjeeling tea estate tour lays bare for the visitors the complex process of tea plucking, processing and sorting. Visitors to the tea estate are given a tour of the factory and (in some cases) invited to a tea tasting ceremony. Some estates also offer luxury and heritage accommodation to guests. There are some tours which encourage the engagement of tourists with the workings of a tea estate.

Happy Valley Tea Estate (Pamphawati Gurungni Road, nearest to the town)
To see how Darjeeling tea is processed, visit one of the closest gardens, the Happy Valley Tea Estate, 3 km (2 mile) outside town on the way to the zoo and the Tibetan refugee center.It is one of the highest tea estate here and also has some of the oldest tea bushes.

Rajasthan Holiday Packages

Royal Rajasthan (14 days)	Forts and Palaces tour (21 days)
Rajasthan with Golden triangle (16 days)	Rajasthan Cultural Tours (16 days)
Pushkar Fair Tours (19 days)	Rural Rajasthan Tour (12 days)