Darjeeling: the queen of hills:
This beautiful hill station of India is enchanting it’s visitors with some breathtaking panoramas and outstanding greenery for many years. Surrounded by the snow capped Himalayas and lush green tea gardens, It is definitely a paradise on earth. Darjeeling is one of the most visited hill stations in India, a perfect escape from madding crowd all around the year.
The Journey:
We started our journey to Darjeeling from Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose airport, Kolkata and landed in Bagdogra. It took us an hour and half approximately to reach Bagdogra by flight. To avoid inconvenience we booked our car in advance. There are shared taxi services also available to reach the city. It took us three and a half hour to reach Darjeeling. This road gave us some stunning roadside views of cloud capped mountain.
TIP: A rental car may cost anywhere between 3000-4000 depending upon the size and season. A shared taxi is much cheaper option
Itinerary:
The very first thing we did upon reaching the city was, we ate. We stopped at a small restaurant on the roadside and ordered momos. The food was amazing but it was the view from the kitchen that made us go WOW! It was overlooking a massive waterfall flowing continuously. Certainly, making it look dramatic and beautiful.
It was no doubt an amazing start of our holidays. We said goodbye to the girl who made us delicious momos and continued our journey towards the hotel.
We reached the hotel late in the evening and it was located at a hill side. This gave us a major fitness goal as we struggled to climb that steep road. However, the hotel gave us some amazing night views of the city, making it all the worth. Certainly, the journey was exhausting. But we still had things planned. We went for a lovely dinner at the iconic Glenary’s. It was a few minutes walk from our hotel and very easy to locate in mall road. This place is an institution in Darjeeling existing from the colonial times. Most importantly, since 1935 Glenary’s is serving some lip smacking food that includes both bakery and gourmet cuisine. Good food, friends and live music, what else do you need to call it a day. We felt welcomed by this beautiful hill town.
Day one
Holiday or vacation means relaxation and enjoyment. Keeping these factors in mind our plan was also very simple and full of chilling. However, it was made sure that we get to explore every major attraction Darjeeling has to offer.
TIP: summers can be tricky in hills as it rains heavily. Always carry umbrella and raincoat. The weather around June was unpredictable. It rained in intervals.
Toy Train Ride
The first day was to explore the city in one of the most historic ways. To keep our day less frantic we booked our ride at 12:30 to 2pm slot. A two hour ride from Darjeeling station to Ghoom station and then from Ghoom to Darjeeling.
It is advised to book your toy train rides online beforehand in order to avoid the hustle. Moreover, it gets extremely crowded and there may not be any tickets available on the spot. There are options available for Diesel and Coal engines as well. We did our bookings through IRCTC online to avoid all the inconveniences. The ride operates at different time slots which is clearly mentioned in the website.
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railways or DHR is a narrow gauge railway based on zigzag and loop-line technology. It is India’s highest railway station (from Darjeeling to Ghoom) that runs for tourism purpose only. In 1999 the UNESCO declared DHR as a world heritage site. The Ghoom station also has a museum that showcases antique parts of train and pictures dating long back.
Batasia Loop
is Batasia Loop, a scenic uphill train track. This point attracts tourists for the 360 degrees spectacular views of Mt. Kanchenjunga. This is the place where the toy train takes a complete circle or loop and descends 1000 ft. in altitude. A war memorial constructed to honor the brave Gorkha Soldiers in the year 1995, at the center of the loop. The gardens and the views makes it a place definitely worth visiting.
Chowrasta/ Mall road
It is one of those spots where you chill and enjoy the vibes of being in a hill station. Right after our rides ended we straight went to Chowrasta for a quick lunch. It is basically the city center and has markets and restaurants. After all, it was time for us to go far a therapy, YES!! the shopping therapy. Meanwhile, the weather in hills changes every second and there was light rain showers and clouds all over us. Finally, we ended our day gazing at the city lights and sipping some amazing Darjeeling tea at our favorite place Glenary’s.
Day Two
Second day of the trip was a little long. The day started early, as we were suppose to go to Tiger Hills Sunrise observatory and some other points of major interest. Although, it did not went as we planned.
A no sunrise day at the Tiger Hills
The Tiger hills sunrise observatory is one of the major spots to visit in Darjeeling. Above all, the road leading to the observatory with tall green Pine trees on the both sides looked no less than magic. The summers are not ideal to witness a sunrise here. It was cloudy and drizzling and the observatory was under construction at the time of our visit (2018). therefore we couldn’t witness sunrise. There is no doubt with a clear sky, the sunrise and the Mountain Kanchenjunga at the background, it is definitely a sight to behold. We stopped by the dark woods on our way back and clicked hundreds of pictures.
TIP: October is the best month to visit Darjeeling to spot Sunrise and the mighty Kanchenjunga.
The Wild side of the hills
It was definitely a thrilling experience to visit a zoo/ park located at the hills. Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park is an amazing place for people of all age. It is known for conservation of many eastern Himalayan animal species. To name a few, Red Panda, Snow Leopard and Tibetan Wolf etc. Established in 1958 the zoo falls under the category of a small zoo. this place not only has variety of animals but also gives some outstanding views of the hills.
Happy Valley Tea Estate
After the zoo our next point of interest was the Happy Valley Tea Estate. It is a beautiful tea estate tucked inside the hills of Darjeeling. Certainly, a must visit spot of the city. The whole place looked like a painting from the past. So stunning that words fail to describe and cannot be captured in a camera. Moreover, There were small shops that serve you amazing tea and snacks making your visit more interesting. This tea estate was established in the year 1854 and it is the second oldest tea estate of Darjeeling. It is spread over 440 acres and situated at the height of 2100 meters with amazing views of the hills.
TIP: The ropeway services are not always available, please enquire beforehand.
Tenzing Rock
Tenzing Norgay, was the first man to climb Mt. Everest along with Edmund Hillary in the year 1953. The rock is now used by the Himalayan Mountaineering institute to practice mountain climbing. On top of that tourists can also give it a try with a nominal entry fee. It is located at the side of the road and professionals accompany you wile climbing for the first time. Overall, it’s a fun experience for adventure lovers.
We ended our day with a lavish dinner at the one and only Glenary’s. This place is absolutely amazing, with live music and wide verity of cuisine. Moreover, the ambiance and the views of the city and mountains work as the cherry on the top. Finally, as the night approached we said goodbye to the city.
Day Three
Pashupati Nagar and Illam border
It was our last day in the queen of hills also the last spot that we planned to visit before boarding on our train. At this point we were quit confused about where to go. We had to choose between Pashupati Border and Mirik. Both the places are equally beautiful and green. We went with the former option, because we wanted to grab a bit of Nepali food. For the information of the readers, Pashupati is a bordering area of India-Nepal border. Interestingly, the roads leading to Pashupati has some amazing views and photo points. One of such points are called ‘Simana’, which literally translates into ‘border’ in English. It is a point from where the lush green mountains of Nepal Can be seen clearly.
Pashupati is a market area called Pashupati Nagar in the bordering areas of Indo-Nepal border. It takes almost 2-3 hours to reach this place from Darjeeling. To enter the market people need to show an identity proof at the check post. For an Indian national any one out of three (Adhaar, PAN or Voter ID) is required as identity proof. The market leads straight inside Nepal, it is a gateway to this beautiful Country. The market has variety of shops and food stalls. Apart from that it is also a very easy place to navigate from one corner to another. However, what keeps me interested is the local food joints.
After all the travelling we were hungry enough and went to a little restaurant cum lodge. The name of this restaurant was Omega and we were the only customers. At this point we were not sure what we can get here, but to our surprise we had the best meal of the entire trip.
Goodbye Darjeeling
Finally, the trip came to an end. We created some wonderful memories and spent quality time in peace. For those of you planning a trip soon, I will write some additional information in the later sections.
Important Information
When to Visit ?
October to March is considered as the pick season to visit Darjeeling. During October winter starts and the sky becomes clear. April to June remains relatively warmer and also crowded. lastly, July to September is monsoon season. These months should be avoided as heavy rainfall makes the place un-accessible.
How to Reach?
Darjeeling is connected by three ways, Air, Road and Rail from Kolkata.
By Road: From Kolkata and Siliguri private bus services both luxury and standard are available. Also rental car services can be opted.
By Air: Bagdogra is the nearest airport to reach Darjeeling. One has to fly to Bagdogra and then take a ride of three hours approximately to reach Darjeeling.
By Train: NJP station is the nearest stations and there are several trains available. Also, it is one of the cheapest ways to travel to Darjeeling.
Some Pros and Cons
Cons
- Too commercial and sometimes gets overcrowded
- The man-made sites are over hyped, such as Rock Garden
- Toilets are very dirty, even the restaurants has the dirty ones
Pros
- The weather is amazing. Changes every second from cloudy sky to drizzling.
- The best place to enjoy Tibetan Cuisine
- Naturally blessed
Darjeeling is definitely beautiful and worth visiting. It is a place that has something for every traveler. The natural beauty, the madding market and the amazing food. I would definitely want to go back to this place and also would like to encourage others to visit. So my dear beautiful friends, when are you guys visiting Darjeeling?
Love,
Jinty
