Darjeeling- Paradise of the East is a very beautiful hill station situated at an altitude of 2134 m i.e. 6710 feet above sea level. It is located on the northern part of the West Bengal and is famous for its Tea Estates. It is an ideal holiday destination and so we decided to be there for a week in the month of December.
 |
| Darjeeling- view from the Toy Train |
First, we went to New Jalpaiguri from Kolkata and from there, took a toy train to Darjeeling at around 9:00 am. The journey to the hills from the toy train was really incredible. The toy train was small and everyone was amazed to see it. I was really surprised as most of the time the train was running parallel with the cars and other vehicles along the roadside. The train crossed Siliguri, Sukna, Rangtong, Tindharia, Mahanadi, Kurseong, Tung, and Sonada and Ghum. At each station, train halts for one to two minutes.
 |
| Toy train running parallel to the road |
The train was climbing the hills. It was so mesmerizing. The mountains were looking so stunning. The climate was getting cooler, as we were approaching Darjeeling. First time, we felt the chilling weather at Ghum, which is at an altitude of 7407 feet i.e. 2260 m above sea level. It is the highest railway station in India. As toy train left Ghum, we headed for our destination, Darjeeling. Later, the train passed through Batasia Loop - built as a war memorial to the Gorkha soldiers.
 |
| Batasia Loop view from the toy train |
Finally, we reached Darjeeling around 5:30 pm. Though the journey was pretty long as compared to that on a bus or a taxi, but the experience was really wonderful. Darjeeling’s temperature then was around 5-6 degrees Celsius. It was chilling. We stayed at Bellevue Hotel, which is located at Chowrasta. Next few days we spend exploring Darjeeling. We booked a cab for sightseeing.
We visited beautiful
Tea Gardens, Rock Garden, an old Church - probably oldest in Darjeeling
and Rangmanch – place where cultural events are held.
 |
| Tea Gardens |
 |
| Rock Garden |
 |
| Rang Manch |
Next destination was a pious and spiritual place where both Japanese Temple and Peace Pagoda exist.
 |
| Japanese Temple |
 |
| Peace Pagoda |
Darjeeling’s Zoological Park is very huge with variety of animals like white tiger, red panda, deer, bear, yak, tortoise and birds we had never seen before. The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute is located inside the park. It is very attractive indeed.
 |
| Bear at Zoological park |
 |
| Red Panda |
 |
| Himalayan Mountaineering Institute |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tiger Hill is the most famous tourist place in Darjeeling. Mount Kangchenjunga can be seen very clearly from there. The views were really astonishing.
 |
| View of Kangchenjunga and Darjeeling from the Tiger Hill |
 |
| View of Kangchenjunga from the Tiger Hill |
|
|
|
|
|
There are
many other beautiful places in Darjeeling like Ghum Monastery, Jorpokhari,
Tibetan Refugee Self-help Centre and Mirik Lake. We had also visited Pashupati
Nath market, near Indo-Nepal border. Pine forest, on the way to Jorpokhari,
also asks for a stop-over.
 |
| Ghum Monastery |
 |
| Jorpokhari |
 |
| Mirik Lake |
 |
| Indo- Nepal Border |
 |
| Pine Forest |
 |
| Tibetian Refugee Self Help Centre |
Our trip to Darjeeling was really memorable and we enjoyed a lot.
