Darjeeling, the Queen of Hills is a charming old Victorian town in West Bengal. Surrounded by tea gardens with Himalayan mountains in the background, Darjeeling is as picturesque hill resort as one can imagine. The town is as rich culturally as it is naturally. The Victorian style town reflects the days of British rule in India. The town is full of colonial style buildings and churches.
After the Independence, Darjeeling became shelter to Tibetans, brutally assaulted by the Chinese. Today Darjeeling has become home to Tibetans community who have blend their culture in the city with several Buddhist monasteries. The city also has some influence of Hinduism with several Hindu temples. This unique cultural diverseness lure millions of tourists to travel Darjeeling.
Today Darjeeling is world-renowned tourist destination. Its rich cultural diverseness attracts foreign tourists while domestic tourists enjoy summer breaks in the hill station. Darjeeling is important center of adventure tourism in India. The town is delight for trekkers. There are several trekking trails like Sandakphu and Phalut trek that throws some challenge to adventure lovers. White Water rafting and Mountain Biking are also popular adventure sports in Darjeeling.
A visit to Darjeeling is never complete without visit tea gardens in the town. You can learn more about the tea processing. Don't forget to buy some local art and craft by Tibetans. Colorful festivals of Darjeeling like Tea and Tourism Festival are delight for travelers. Darjeeling also serves as gateway to Sikkim and adventure travel in North East India.
WHEN TO TRAVEL
Darjeeling is idea escape for summer vacation. The best time to travel Darjeeling is April to June and October to December. However recently Darjeeling tourism has upped the efforts to increase tourist season from late September to first week of February. As part of the effort is Tea & Tourism Festival started last year.
Tourists should avoid traveling to Darjeeling during monsoon season. The hill resort witness regular landslides that can block road access to the town.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN DARJEELING
Himalayan Mountaineering Institute - The institute was started by the late Tenzing Norgay. He along with Sir Edmund Hillary were the first men to climb Mount Everest. The institute exhibits all the equipments used by these two man during the climb to Mount Everest.
Tiger Hill - The hill is the highest point in Darjeeling that offers breathtaking views of Mount Kanchenjunga during the sunrise. Tiger Hill is located 14km from Darjeeling. For best views take a shared taxi around 4am in the morning to reach Tiger Hill. This spot is quite popular among tourists and during peak tourist season it gets crowded even early in the morning. On a clear day you can even view Mount Everest from this spot.
Japanese Peace Pagoda - One of the may Buddhist monasteries in Darjeeling, Japanese Peace Pagoda is part of 30 pagodas built all around the world. There is a small temple just next to this impressive building.
Observatory Hill - According to the legend once Red Hat Buddhist Monastery stood at this very spot until Nepali people destroyed it in 19th century. Observatory Hill is one of the oldest sites in Darjeeling.
Tea Gardens - Visiting tea gardens of Darjeeling is a unique experience for the tourists. There are over 70 tea gardens in the region where you can learn about the Darjeeling tea manufacturing process. You can also buy world class Darjeeling tea direct from the tea factory.
Ghoom Monastery - This is among the most popular Buddhist monasteries in Darjeeling. It is situated 6km from city center. The 4.5 meter statue of seated Maitreya Buddha is the main highlight of the monastery.
Bhutia Busty Gompa - With Mount Kanchenjunga in the backdrop, Bhutia Busty Gompa once stood at Observatory hill. There is a library inside the Gompa that contains some very old Buddhist texts.
Aloobari Gompa - is ideal place for some shopping. The monks at the Aloobari Gompa sell religious accessories.
Rock Garden - A very beautiful garden with small waterfall and several varieties of flowers. Rock Garden is a nice picnic spot.
Nightingale Park - Also known as Srubbery Park, this park is good alternative to Tiger Hill to see nice sunlight magic on Kanchenjunga. There is a temple and large statue of Lord Shiva inside the park. During the peak tourist season cultural programs are performed inside the park from 4pm to 8pm.
Toy Train - Also known as Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the Toy train is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a 86km long train route from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling. The train is still powered by steam engine. Toy train ride has become quite famous tourist attraction of Darjeeling. The train covers 86km of journey in 8 to 10 hours with the speed of 15 km h. The same distance can be covered by jeep in half the time. But this charming train takes you to a ride through beautiful mountain valleys that is an unforgettable experience.
White Water Rafting - has become important adventure tourism activity in Darjeeling. White Water Rafting is offered on the Teesta and Rangeet rivers in the backdrop of scenic Himalayan peaks. Foreign tourists interested in White water rafting will have to carry their passport and visa to the Teesta Bridge & Rangpo for registration. You can book with local tour agents but made booking at least 5 days in advance.
Trekking - Darjeeling is paradise for adventure lovers, notably trekkers. There are two trekking seasons in Darjeeling. First one starts in March and ends in June while second season is September to December. Singalila Range Trek is the most popular route and the first organized trek route in India. One of the difficult trek is Darjeeling to Kanchenjunga which takes around 23 days to complete. Darjeeling to Sandakphu is 118 km route that takes 4 days to complete. Darjeeling to Rimbick is another trekking route that takes around 6 days.
HOTELS IN DARJEELING
Darjeeling has plenty of hotels to stay. Mid Range hotels are ideal to stay in Darjeeling. The services are good and they are quite affordable. Please choose budget hotels wisely. The services of budget hotels in Darjeeling is considered to be very poor. Alternatively you can stay at forest guest houses in Darjeeling. But you will require to obtain permission from Forest Department - http://westbengalforest.gov.in/. Some good hotels choices are:
Mayfair Hotel Darjeeling ($181), Seven Seventeen ($27), Snow Lion HomeStay, Dekeling Hotel and Hotel Sonar Bangla Darjeeling. Here is the complete list of hotels in Darjeeling.
HOW TO REACH
By Air - Bagdogra (96km) is the nearest airport from Darjeeling. Several Indian airlines offer flights to Bagdogra. Air India, Air Deccan and Jet Airways have flights from Delhi, Guwahati and Kolkata. SpiceJet operates from Delhi and Kolkata. Druk Airways offers international flights from Paro and Bangkok.
By Train - You can take Toy train from Siliguri and New Jalpaiguri. However due to earthquake in Sikkim in 2011, Toy train route is closed for repairs. There are direct trains to New Jalpaiguri and Siliguri from Delhi, Kolkata, Varanasi and Guwahati.
By Bus - You can opt for bus service from Siliguri to Darjeeling. However due to steep, twisty climb its quite slow. Its better to take shared taxi from Siliguri which is fast and cheap way to reach Darjeeling.
By Taxi/Shared Jeep - Shared jeeps are offered from Siliguri, nearest town with Railway station that has trains from major Indian cities. The shared jeeps is the most popular and cheapest mode of transport to reach Darjeeling. Usually these taxis are shared by 3-4 people while jeeps are shared by 8 to 10 people. Shared taxis are available from all parts of the town. Similar service is offered from New Jalpaiguri.
