Darjeeling is a popular hill station, surrounded by tea plantations on all sides. The views over the mountains to the snowy peaks of Kanchenjunga and down to the swollen rivers in the valley are magnificent. Buddhist monasteries; tea plantations; colourful markets and handicrafts shops; trekking are some of the major attractions, not to mention the famous 'toy train' which is part of the fun in getting there. Excursions include Kalimpong on the foothills and deep valleys of the Himalayas; Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, overflowing with ancient temples, palaces, monasteries and colourful bazaars. Darjeeling tea is one of the finest teas in the world and the snowcapped mountains form a picturesque background to the many tea plantations in the region.

Population: N/A

Language(s): Hindi, English

Climate: Cool, Pleasant and sometime wet and Cold

Best times to visit: March To August

Places of Interest

Tiger Hill
About 11 kms from Darjeeling is the Tiger Hill, the highest spot in the area at 2520 metres. Tiger hill is famous for it magnificent view of Kanchenjunga and other eastern Himalayan peaks. Visit pre dawn to enjoy the spectacular sunrise amongst the mountain peaks and on a clear day the peak of Mt. Everest visible.

Ghoom Monastery
On the way back to Darjeeling see the Ghoom monastery, belonging to the yellow sect it houses famous Buddhist scriptures.

How to get there

By Road

Darjeeling is well connected to the other major East Indian Himalayan destinations of Kalimpong and Gangtok, both of which are less than 3 hours away.

By Air

Bagdogra (90 kms away) is served by regular Indian Airlines and Jet Airways flights from Calcutta and Delhi.

By Rail

New Jalpaiguri (100 kms away) is the nearest mainline rail station for Darjeeling and is connected to most parts of Northern India. From here the World Heritage Toy Train takes visitors on the picturesque ride to Darjeeling.