Darjeeling, the Queen of the Hills |
Gifted to the British East India
Company in 1817, Darjeeling is now a famous hill resort offering a breathtaking sight of
the numerous peaks of the majestic Himalayas. The views of Kanchenjunga and Mount Everest
are particularly awe inspiring. The luxuriant vegetation is a plant lover's paradise. The
finest blend of Tea comes from the various tea gardens of this region. The Buddhist
Monasteries and the Hindu temples found here are of architectural and cultural importance.
And the Himalayan physiography of lofty mountainous terrain and cascading rivers, offers
adventure sports like trekking, mountaineering and river rafting.
Sightseeing
Batasia
Loop - Five kilometers from Darjeeling and three kilometers from Ghoom, the meter-gauge,
toy train winds its way over this brilliant piece of engineering delight. It is a pleasant
and delightful descent from Ghoom - the highest railway station in the world.
Himalayan Mountaineering Institute - A Trainning Centre for aspiring mountain climbers situated about 2 Kms from Chowrasta, on Jawahar Parbat. It also baosts of an unique museum displaying an array of items used by famous mountaineers.
Tiger Hill is the highest spot in the area at a height of 2590 metres, about 11 km from Darjeeling. The hill is famous for its magnificent dawn view over the Kanchenjunga peak. On a clear day, Mount Everest is also visible. Close to Tiger Hill is Senchal Lake, a popular picnic spot. Ghoom Buddhist Monastery is the most famous monastery in Darjeeling and is about eight km from town. It enshrines an image of Maitreya Buddha (the coming Buddha). A half an hour drive leads to Sonada, where a large and interesting monastery of the Kagyupa sect is situated. Observatory Hill located nearby, houses a Kali shrine and is sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists. Not far from Chowrasta, the centre of the city, is the Bhutia Busty Monastery. Dhirdham Temple, Natural History Museum, Ropeway, Botanical gardens and The Zoological Park are some other attractions.
Ghoom Buddhist Monastery, Observatory Hill, Dhirdham Temple, Padmaja Naidu Himalaya Zoological Park, Natural History Museum, Lloyds Botanical Garden, Tibetan Self-help Centre, Darjeeling-Rangeet Valley Passenger Ropeway, Lebong Race Course, Sandakphu, Phalut, Takdlas, Mirik, Kurseong, Kalimpong.
Access
From Calcutta (665 km)
By air: to Bagdogra (Siliguri) - flight duration is about 45 minutes.
Indian Airlines as well as private airlines operate on this route.
By train: to New Jalpaiguri (Siliguri).
From Siliguri:
By bus/taxi/trekker to Darjeeling (80 km), about 4 hours.
By toy train, which is a meter gauge train operating over breath taking scenery.
The journey takes approximately seven and half hours.
