So fancying a trip to Darjeeling? You must be lured by the dazzling snow peaks of Kanchenjunga overlooking the hill town? And the beautiful tea gardens on the slopes of rolling hills, the orchids, pines &�rhododendrons, the cute Himalayan toy train whistling its way through the mountains? And you want to combine all that with great sightseeing tours, food, shopping and other exciting activities. Right?
Kanchenjunga Towering Over Darjeeling
Yes, it's all possible in Darjeeling, a gem of a place known for its youthful vibe combined with modern as well as colonial charm. Excited? But perfectly planning &�designing a tour here in the hills is tricky.
I have been exploring Darjeeling for decades, initially as a vacationer and then as a travel writer. Over time I have looked into many aspects of Darjeeling at great depths and can perhaps claim that I know almost every nook and cranny of the hills and a lot about its life, people &�culture.
This website is all about sharing those findings and experiences so that you can yourself easily design a great vacation in Darjeeling Hills and�Sikkim, and book hotels, sightseeing tours &�activities, know where to eat, and more. It not only helps cutting out unnecessary costs, you can shape it exactly the way you want.
And if you read deep, you will also know a lot about the history, heritage, culture, traditions, ethnic food as well as the native people. It's all here for you.
Just to give you a head start about the place, Darjeeling hill town is located at an altitude of 6,710ft in north east India and is part of the state of West Bengal. The nearest airport is Bagdogra and the nearest major railway junction is New Jalpaiguri (NJP).
It takes about 3 hours to reach Darjeeling from both these locations by car. Private taxis (available at NJP and Bagdogra), shared taxis (available at NJP) and bus (available at Siliguri bus stand which is 8kms from NJP) are the main public transports to get to Darjeeling from NJP station or Bagdogra airport.
Hill Cart Road - Approaching Darjeeling
Alternatively, you can take the fascinating toy train ride from NJP or Siliguri all the way up to Darjeeling soaking in the scenic sights of Himalayas in a 7-hour lazy journey.
Read: How to reach Darjeeling to get details including transports, routes and fares for Darjeeling.NOTE: Only private taxis are available at Bagdogra airport, but no shared taxis (unless you book online), bus service or toy train. Unlike in Gangtok, there is no helicopter service from Bagdogra to Darjeeling. You need to go by road and negotiate steep &�winding mountain roads.
Although the area of Darjeeling hill town itself is small (about 10 square kilometers), Darjeeling is also a district and spans over a large area of about 2,100 square kilometers. The district has subdivisions like Kurseong, Siliguri etc as well as the hill resort town of Mirik. So there are many lovely places to visit within Darjeeling hills itself.
Update: Kalimpong, which was earlier a subdivision of Darjeeling district, became a separate district of West Bengal effective 14th Feb 2017 with an area of 1,056 square kilometers of its own. It is no longer a subdivision of Darjeeling district. But that has made no difference to the tourism.
Within Darjeeling town area, you can walk to visit several tourist attractions. Plenty of taxis (which are private commercial vehicles of various types - small &�large) are available at the stands. They offer both local sightseeing tours as well as point-to-point transfers.
You can also get shared taxis (mainly Jeep type vehicles) at the stands, but they are mostly available for transfers between two points. you can of course get off or board at any place in between.
Darjeeling town from a distance
Gangtok (the Capital of Sikkim) which is only 4-hour drive from Darjeeling town along with several other great destinations in the State of Sikkim offer great opportunities to easily combine visits to multiple destinations along with Darjeeling.
Darjeeling hill town was originally set up as a sanitarium or health resort by the British in mid 1800s. But over the years, it earned its name for its world famous aromatic tea and then with opening up of roads and Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, for tourism.
You will see numerous sprawling tea estates in Darjeeling that produce world's best tea, as well as the amazing narrow gauge Toy Train - an engineering marvel of 1880s which could overcome the steep gradients and curves of the mountains and provided a scenic railway transportation in the hills.
Tea Gardens in Darjeeling Hills
Residents are mostly Nepalese (predominantly Gorkhas), Tibetans, as well as some Lepchas and Bhutias from Sikkim. Nepalese are mostly Hindus while Tibetans follow Buddhism. When you compare them with the people of lower plains, they are quite different both in looks and culture. It's an amazing world out there. But they are warm and tourist friendly.
Over the past few decades Darjeeling lacked proper developmental support and had seen random and thoughtless constructions &�overcrowding which it hardly deserved. Despite that the charming, sincere and friendly people of the place have continued to strive hard and successfully preserved pride of 'Queen of the Hills' as one of the best places for tourism even today.
The town center of Darjeeling is known as Mall or Chowrasta, which is a flat open public square, a pedestrian only zone, free of vehicular traffic and surrounded by colorful stores with backdrop of mountains and valleys. Mall is the place where most locals and tourists hang around.
Most tourists try to stay near the Mall area to be close to hub of all activities, restaurants and shops. So due to high demand, numerous hotels of all types have mushroomed near the Mall area. Alternatively you can stay a bit away, enjoy nature &�views, and a location relatively free of crowd.
10-year old Davina Tamang of Darjeeling. She features on Darjeeling Tourism Card. She was only 4-years old then.
During spring, summer and autumn, the weather in Darjeeling is pleasantly cool and perfect for city dwellers who flock in volumes during such time. Many come to enjoy the rains in monsoon and the chill in winters as well.
When you imagine such visits are combined with wonderful views of snow peaks and valleys, tea gardens, forests &�flowering plantations, amazing sightseeing tours &�activities, great food &�stays, and all at affordable prices. won't you love to pursue a vacation like that?
There is much more to Darjeeling than just a few days of fun and frolic. Won't you like to know why the name Darjeeling in the first place? It's location &�terrain, about its rich colonial history, how a land that once had only 10 people living in it became a world known tourist destination?
And what about the people of the area, where did they come from, their religion, culture and language? How about the flora and fauna in the region? A little knowledge of all this will add a special flavor to your visit to this wonderland. Go through Insights into Darjeeling to know about them all.
So ready to further explore Darjeeling tourism and all its treasures? Before you dive deeper, just want to let you know that the eBook on Darjeeling &�Sikkim is a great resource to plan your tour and get deep insights into various attractions of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Sikkim including trips, tours and rides.
Now the treasures of Darjeeling hills. go through the links for details.There are countless tourist places here including great viewpoints offering magnificent views of Kanchenjunga snow peaks, Buddhist monasteries, historical churches, temples, rolling tea estates on mountain slopes, museums, art galleries, parks &�gardens, waterfalls, cable car ride offering you stunning views of the mountain landscapes and tea gardens below, and more.
Some of the top attractions in Darjeeling includes Riding the Heritage Toy Train, Sunrise view from Tiger Hill, Ropeway or the Cable Car ride offering a wonderful view of tea gardens, Darjeeling Zoo showcasing amazing high altitude animals of the Himalayas such as the Red Panda, Clouded Leopards, Yaks, Tibetan Wolves, Himalayan Black Bear, etc.
You should also not miss out on the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI) and its museum which are co-located in the Zoo compound, Dali and Ghum Monasteries, Happy Valley Tea Estate, the Japanese Temple &�Peace Pagoda, Botanical Gardens, Mahakal Temple located on top of Observatory Hill, Rock Garden &�Ganga Maya Park, etc.
Go through the above link for details.You will need to take a vehicle or in some cases simply walk to visit some of the great tourist places I mentioned above. While most tourists go for the 3-Point, 7-point or Mixed-Point sightseeing tours offered by the local taxi drivers and tour operators, there are some great tours and hikes like heritage walk, tea garden walks, village tours and others that are hardly known to tourists.
Day trips to places like Mirik, Kalimpong and even Lamahatta and Mongpu will keep you immersed in marvelous scenic views &�sights. You can even make a Jeep safari to Singalila (high altitude national park) and beyond to Sandakphu, a place known for offering one of the best views of four of the world's highest five peaks, all in one stretch of snow. You will find them all in the link above.
You will get all sorts of accommodations in Darjeeling including budget, mid priced and even luxury hotels &�resorts. Several tea estates in Darjeeling operate Tea Garden Resorts some of which are restored original bungalows of the British Tea Planters that still retain the British aura. There are home stays as well in some of the tea gardens and plenty in Darjeeling town.
This guide will first tell you about the overall hotels scenario in Darjeeling, what to and not to expect, and then take you through a list of accommodations on different categories. You will find links that will provide detailed reviews and insights into the accommodations along with pictures.
When it comes to food, Darjeeling can offer great many options. Starting from Thai and Tibetan cuisine, to Indian, Chinese, Continental and Nepali dishes. There are real good food for all. Some of my favorites include the Nepali thali, Tibetan wanton soup also known as momos in soup, and a Naga dish that is prepared with dried bamboo shoots with meat.
While there are food of all types, there are also wide price ranges that would suit the pockets of all types of travelers. In fact, there are some tin shack eateries that are really great and offer excellent food at very affordable prices. They have remained favorites to many returning tourists.
Starting from handmade crafts &�jewelry to many different types of curios, woolen clothes, jackets and kashminas, Darjeeling can be a shoppers paradise. There are some shops that are known for collections of some of the greatest pictures of Darjeeling's life and landscapes. And what about taking back home the "Champaign of Tea" from the place where it is produced? During the peak season, most of the shops in Darjeeling remain open until 8pm.
The fun and entertainment in this mesmerizing hill town can continue through the evening till late hours if you have the will to pursue. However, there are no nightclubs or lounge that remain open till the wee hours. all nightlife venues in Darjeeling close by 11pm. There are some great pubs and bars in Darjeeling where many locals and tourists gather in the evenings.
The Toy Train as it is fondly called, has been the romantic heart of Darjeeling that has touched everybody who has been to this hill paradise. It was introduced in 1881 by the British connecting Siliguri with Darjeeling with a narrow gauge line. It helped cut down the enormous time it took to transport passengers by bullock cart and horse carriages along the Hill Cart Road. It also allowed the less affluent Europeans living at the lower plains to visit the health resort.
If you love to trek and enjoy the nature, don't miss out on one of the many great treks in Darjeeling hills. There are routes offering stunning views of the mountains, forests and wildlife. There can be light treks over few days with 4-5 hours of walk a day that even casual walkers can undertake, or heavier treks for several days over mountain landscapes that offer fabulous experience.
Where else in the world can you get a vista of four out of five highest peaks of the world in one stretch of snow, or get to see exotic rare animals like Red Panda, or view flowering plants like rhododendrons, magnolia, carpets of primula and over 600 varieties of orchids? I have been to such fascinating treks and shared my experience in the link above.
When should you visit Darjeeling? Depends on what and how you want to enjoy. Most visitors target the view of Kanchenjunga in a temperate weather. Many others like to feel the winter in the hills and the occasional snow. Others love even the monsoon and play of the mist.
And there are some who just want to experience the mountains and villages when there are no tourists, when Darjeeling is at its serene best. This section will guide you through the weather conditions in Darjeeling in different seasons, and let you know what can you expect and what you can't.
If you plan to explore Darjeeling and want to know where is what, you need a good map. Unfortunately there aren't many good maps of Darjeeling available, because in mountainous terrain where places are located at different altitudes, it's not easy to draw up 2-dimensional maps. But I could finally solve the puzzle. Here is a map that I use extensively to uncover all the treasures in the hills.
No discussion of Darjeeling is complete without a discussion on its Tea. After all this is what had originally placed Darjeeling into the world map. During my numerous trips, I have been to many tea gardens and estates in Darjeeling, seen the tea production processes, and had tasted tea at their outlets.
Depending on the quality, Darjeeling Tea can range from Rs. 700/- a kg for regular black tea to well over 50,000/- a kg for white organic tea. I've been lucky to have seen even samples that broke the world record in tea pricing during a tea auction.
And after you have explored this website and grabbed all my findings and experiences, I would like to say one thing though. wherever you are in the world, do pursue a visit to Darjeeling. It has all the greatest ingredients to make a perfect vacation. You will come back again. I have been coming back repeatedly since my childhood.
Mark Twain said about Darjeeling: "The one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once by even a glimpse would not give that glimpse for the shows of the rest of the world combined". Well honestly, Darjeeling is perhaps not the same as what it once used to be, because time takes its toll. But if you come with passionate eyes and heart, Darjeeling is still as amazing as it had always been.
Tourists mostly flock to main Darjeeling town and sometimes get frustrated with the mushrooming of concrete buildings and roadside stalls, lack of adequate infrastructure, and the mad rush. But the district of Darjeeling is quite huge and you should visit some of the offbeat places in the outskirts of the town or spend a couple of days in a tea garden to appreciate Darjeeling's fabulous nature &�scenic views and experience spontaneous hospitality that is an integral part of the local culture.
And after your visit, do share your Darjeeling Travel Reviews &�Stories so that we all get to know about your own experience as well. Experience and findings are after all the pillars of this website. And do keep coming back to this website. I continue to post my latest findings and experience here. There are far more pages in this website than what you may imagine. scan through the top menu.
And finally, if you like my website, I'll appreciate if you share it with your friends through facebook, twitter or whatever. That'll greatly support the cause of this website, and that is to let Darjeeling be known the way it actually is. May Darj make your day.
