Darjeeling – the land of Golden Himalayas

Darjeeling is a famous city in West Bengal in the northeast India. It is located at an altitude of 7100 ft above the sea level. It is a part of Mahabharata Range which comes under Lesser Himalaya noted for its tea plantations. Another attraction is the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway which is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site connecting the town with the plains having one of the few steam locomotives in India still in service. 

Darjeeling Himalayan Railways

The British style public schools prevalent in Darjeeling educate students from India as well as a few of the neighboring countries. It was developed when the colonial British administration set up a sanatorium and a military depot in the mid-nineteenth century. 

The tea industry and the famous Darjeeling tea has blossomed a lot since then with the extensive plantations of hybrid black tea and new fermentation techniques implemented by the tea growers in Darjeeling giving it a global recognition and ranking among the most popular black tea producers. Nepalis, Bhutia and Lepcha are the prominent communities found over here reflecting a diverse demographic milieu. Of course there are also a few other mainland Indian Ethno Linguistic Groups in Darjeeling. Travelers visiting the North East India will never miss out on this city. Usually people prefer to spare a whole week to explore this hilly region full of serenity and nature. It is also called as Hill queen. 

There are some great sites in this region. Tiger Hill is famous for its fascinating sunrise views over Mount Kanchendzonga which when glows appears to be a mountain of Gold. Then there is Yiga Choeling Monastery popularly known as the Ghoom Monastery since it is located at Ghum at 8,000 ft 8 kilometers from Darjeeling following the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. 

Batasia Loop is famous too for since the Darjeeling Train spirals around itself and tunnels on the hill. To name a few best places to visit in Darjeeling are Himalayan Mountaineering Institute & PNZ Zoological Park, Tenzing Rock, Tibetan Self Help Refuge Centre, Tea Garden (outer view), Japanese Temple, Peace Pagoda & Ropeway, and Mirik Lake. This region is packed with tea gardens and pine forests. If you want to experience this entire thrill contact us for our North-East Tour Package.