Darjeeling beckons thousands today for a leisurely respite from the bustle of the madding crowd. The traveller – whether a tourist or a trekker, an ornithologist or a photographer, a botanist or an artist – will find in Darjeeling an experience which will remain etched in one’s memory – forever.
Darjeeling conjures visions of snow peaks, serenity of vibrant green hills steeped in splendour, a land of breathtaking beauty crowned by the majestic Himalayas. Darjeeling is one of the most magnificent hill resorts in the world. This heavenly retreat is bathed in hues of every shade.
Flaming red rhododendrons, sparkling white magnolias, miles of undulating hillsides covered with emerald green tea bushes, the exotic forests of silver fir – all under the blanket of a brilliant azure sky dappled with specks of clouds, compellingly confounds Darjeeling as the queen of hill stations. The crest of Kanchenjunga shining in the first dawn light truly supports the title.
Happy Valley Tea Estate
Walking through a tea garden on the gentle hill slopes of Darjeeling and seeing the tea processing is always a special experience. And a great way to experience this is by visiting the Happy Valley Tea Estate which is located about 3 kms away from Chowk Bazaar area. The approach is through a narrow winding downhill road which is quite steep. There are some points on the way from where the mountain vistas are simply spectacular. And tourists will pass by local homes and cottages.
The estate and the factory is open from 8am to 4pm from Tuesday to Saturday. While there is no entree fee, you will need to take a guide for which there is a small fee. The factory usually remains closed from November to February because tea plucking does not take place during winter. You can however see the tea gardens from outside. Happy Valley Tea Estate is located around 3 km from Chowk Bazaar which is the main market area of Darjeeling town.
Tiger Hill
Situated at an altitude of 2590 meters and 13 km from the town, this spot has earned international fame for the magnificent view of the sunrise over Kanchenjunga and the great Eastern Himalayan Mountains. Even Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, is also visible from here. Tiger Hill is 11 kms (6.8 miles) away from Darjeeling Town and above Ghoom area. After the Ghoom station, you will need to take the narrow uphill Senchal road on the right. It takes about 40 minutes from Darjeeling town to reach to the summit by car.
Visitor can either book own car or take a shared jeep that leaves from the Club Side Taxi stand at the base of Nehru Road and below the Mall. There are shared jeeps and taxis leaving from Chowk Bazaar area as well.
Kalimpong
Kalimpong is a sleepy little town that is situated at an altitude of 1,200 m and at a distance of 50-odd km to the east of Darjeeling. It was once the hub of the trans – Himalayan trade between India and Tibet-merchants used to ferry goods by mule caravans over the Jelep La Pass on the Sikkim-Tibet border. The name of this town has historic significance. Kalimpong was once the headquarters of a Bhutanese Governor.
River rafting at the Teesta River can be done. Drive time is apprx. 1 hr. 10 mins. From the retreat. Crockety, Kalimpong is one of the colonial bungalows of the British Raj during their rule of India. It has excellent architecture and is majestic looking. Wool traders of Britain in the 18th century built it.
The nearby airport of Kalimpong is Bagdogra in the vicinity of Siliguri. It is placed at a distance of around 79 km from the town. The bordering rail is New Jalpaiguri, which is almost 77 km away from Kalimpong. This is an important railway station in the northern Bengal and also serves as a gateway to the remote northeastern India. This is well linked with Sikkim and other major cities of India
Kurseong
It is a hill station situated in Darjeeling District of West Bengal, India located at an altitude of 1458 meters (4864 ft), and just 30 km from Darjeeling. It has a pleasant climate throughout the year and the winters are not as severe as Darjeeling’s.
The Land of the White Orchids nearest major railway station is New Jalpaiguri (NJP) railway station, which is about 53 km from Kurseong. The town is based mainly on schools and tourism. The best times to visit Kurseong are between March end and May and between the end of August and October. The Chogyal (Monarch) of Sikkim ceded Kurseong to the British Empire in 1835.
Kurseong is about 47 km from Siliguri and is connected to the city by road and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. The nearest airport is at Bagdogra.
Tenzing Rock And Gombu Rock
Tenzing Rock, a gigantic natural rock in Darjeeling is named after Tenzing Norgay, the man who created history by climbing the Everest first time along with Edmund Hillary in 1953. Opposite to this is the Gombu Rock named after Nawang Gombu, nephew of Tenzing who was the first person to climb the Everest twice, once in 1963 and then in 1965. He took over as the Director of Field Training at Himalayan Mountaineering Institute after Tenzing retired in 1976. Both these rocks are used for rock climbing training by HMI.
There is a board right on top of the Tenzing Rock that says HMI Rock Climbing Training Area. While facing the Tenzing Rock, the left side or the left face of the rock is used by the professional rock climbers and the trainees. Most tourists make a mistake of going over to the right side where the approach to the top of another parallel rock is quite shorter. Actually the right face of the rock can be used by amateur climbers or even tourists for climbing. However one needs to take help of guides and pay some nominal fee. The gradient of the right face is gentle and surface is easier for climbing.
Hayden Hall
Hayden Hall is a private non-profit making organisation in Darjeeling that works towards development of under privileged women in the area and help them become self reliant. The building is located on Laden La road with an outlet called Hayden Hall Shop on the ground floor facing the road. The shop sells items which are all handcrafted by the poor women from the local community. Hayden Hall offers both a shop with plenty of handmade items at reasonable prices and a charitable society to explore.
Hayden Hall Shop has a stand outside with small metal boards which very nicely summarize the stock it keeps. The main items here include carpets, shawls, sweaters, scarves, socks, bed covers, table mats, cloth bags, purses, caps etc.
Trekking
There are two major seasons for trekking holiday in Darjeeling, one beginning in March and closing in the first week of June. During this season, adventure on the trekking routes in Darjeeling is combined with occasional showers and a splendid flora show. Another season for trekking begins in October and concludes in November, with trekkers enjoying the aftermath of heavy monsoon and the beginning of harsh winters.
Trekking in Darjeeling is one experience that no thrill-seeker would want to miss out on. The panoramic view of the Mt. Everest and Mt. Kanchenjunga is what makes trekking in Darjeeling an unforgettable experience.
One of the major treks in North Bengal is Sandakphu. The trail of Sandakphu abounds in rhododendrons, primulas, magnolias, orchids and a variety of ferns. There are also about 600 species of birds inhabiting on the slopes of the mountains. Thus the trail provides great opportunity for birding along with enthralling trekking experience. Along with the breathtaking view of Kanchenjunga and Everest, trekkers get an opportunity to catch a glimpse of awe-inspiring 8 thousanders like Mt. Makalu and Mt. Lhotse.
Toy Train
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), popularly known as the ‘Toy Train’ is one of the main attractions of the region. The track on which the train runs is only 600 millimeters wide. The size of the train is commensurate giving it the name ‘Toy Train’. Narrow gauge trains are used in parts of India to travel to hill stations. The most magnificent train journeys through the narrow gauge are the gorgeous terrain. UNESCO has declared the DHR as a World Heritage Site.
Passenger Cable Car
Darjeeling-Rangit Valley Passenger Cable Car is popularly known as the ropeway. It is about 3 km north of the town and situated at what is known as the North Point. The Ropeway is India’s oldest passenger ropeway and connects Darjeeling with Singla Bazaar at the bottom of the valley. The present ropeway has been extensively modernized and visitors can now safely travel over the clouds to witness the aerial view of the lush green tea gardens below. Darjeeling Ropeway or cable car station is located at Singamari which is 3 km away from the Chowk Bazaar.
Food
Undeniably, the most popular food of Darjeeling is the Momo. Momos are steamed dumplings stuffed with either pork, beef or vegetables and served with a spicy chilli and tomato paste along with soup. Another popular dish is the Thukpa, which is a noodle dish with meat and/or vegetables in soup. Apart from these dishes, the restaurants in Darjeeling offer a wide variety of traditional Indian, continental and Chinese cuisines to cater to different palates.
Reaching Here:
Air: Fly down to the nearest airport Bagdogra which is 94 kms from Darjeeling town and take a private taxi. It takes little over 3 hours to reach Darjeeling from Bagdogra airport
Rail: Take a train up to NJP (New Jalpaiguri). Darjeeling is only 88kms from here. You will get ample taxis and shared jeeps from NJP to reach Darjeeling in about 3 hours.
Road: There are regular buses including Rocket and Volvo services between Kolkata (Calcutta) and Siliguri Main Bus Terminal (known as Tenzing Norgay Bus Terminus located on Hill Cart Road). From Siliguri main bus terminal area, you will get buses, shared Jeeps and private taxis for Darjeeling. Distance between Siliguri and Darjeeling is 80kms.
