My lonely planetコミュのDarjeeling (Little paradise in earth)

Places to visit in and around Darjeeling

Tiger Hill

Standing at a height of 2590 m (8482 ft.), Tiger Hill
is 11 km from Darjeeling. An early morning trip to the
Tiger Hill promises an unique experience. A view of
the sunrise amidst the Himalayan range has earned it
an international fame. From here you can get a glimpse
of Mount Everest, the highest mountain and
Khangchendzonga range.

The Observatory Hill

Apart from the magnificent view it commands, this hill
atop the Mall also is attached with great religious
importance as a revered temple complex for both the
Hindus and the Buddhists.

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway or the Toy Train

A visit to Darjeeling is incomplete without a ride in
the toy-train of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR).
The miniature train, given heritage status by UNESCO,
covers the distance of 88 km between New Jalpaiguri
station and Darjeeling. This fascinating narrow gauge
steam engine train still operates with the original
steam engine and the loops and the Zigzags along the
route are remarkable feats of engineering. The journey
from New Jalpaiguri may be a pleasant experience but
it is the short ride from Darjeeling town to Ghoom,
the nearest station, that becomes a joy ride in itself.
The Toy Train is considered an engineering marvel and
some prefer to call it one of the wonders of the world,
to be preserved forever.

Batasia Loop and the War Memorial

About 5 kms. from Darjeeling, this railway loop is a
marvellous feat of engineering and with its magnificent
view of Darjeeling town with the Kanchenjunga mountain
is worth an experience, whether aboard the Toy Train or
just watching the Toy Train pass through this loop.
The War memorial is constructed in the memory of the
brave sons of Darjeeling who died for the country since
Independence in 1947.

Tea Gardens: While in Darjeeling a visit to any nearby
Tea Garden to watch the actual process of the
manufacturing of Darjeeling Tea is worth it. Some of
the Tea Gardens also sell their packet teas. There are
about 70 tea gardens in this hill region and the most
accessible one is the Happy Valley Tea Estate, which is
about 3 km from the town or within a walking distance
of about 40 minutes (Closed on Monday).

Buddhist Monasteries

In and around Darjeeling there are important and
interesting Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries. The oldest
one is called the Yiga Cholling Monastery which is
situated about 8 km from the town at Ghoom and
enshrines an image of 'the Coming Buddha' or the
Maitriya Buddha. It was constructed in 1875 and belongs
to the Gelugpa Sect. The Samten Cholling Monastery is an
other interesting monastery nearby. The Drukpa Kargyud
Monastery, also known as Dali Monastery, is a big
monastery located 5 km from the town. It belongs to the
Drukpa Sect and the Drukchen Rimpoche resides here.
The Bhutia Busty Monastery is situated at C.R. Das Road
and is within 15 minutes walk from the Mall.

Japanese Peace Pagoda

The Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist inaugurated the Japanese
Peace Pagoda in 1992. It is a recent landmark
constructed by Japanese Monks and commands an excellent
view of the town and the Himalayan Range.

Dhirdham Temple

Situated just below the Railway station the temple is a
structural replica of the famous 'Pashupatinath'temple
of Kathmandu, Nepal.

The Mall and Chowrasta

The Mall road originates and culminates at the
Chowrasta which is the hub of Darjeeling town, a square
on the ridge of Darjeeling town and a good place to sit
and relax. It is ideal for a leisurely walk around a
setting that is perfect. A walk around The Mall is a
must just at any time of the day with the pleasant view
of the mountains, valleys with rhododendron trees and
old houses.

Bengal Natural History Museum

While taking a walk in The Mall a visit to the Museum
of Natural History which lies close by is worthwhile.
This fine small museum exhibits a unique collection of
the fauna of the Himalayan region, especially of the
Eastern Himalayas.

Himalayan Mountaineering Institute

It was founded in 1954 after the historic conquest of
Everest on the 29th of May in 1953, when two people set
foot atop Mount Everest. They were, Tenzing Norgay
Sherpa from Darjeeling and Sir Edmund Hillary from
New Zealand. As an honour to the great Sherpa this
Institute was formed with the aim of imparting
mountaineering skills to all the enthusiasts. Tenzing
Sherpa himself was one of the founding members and also
the Field Director of the Institute.
It is situated on Jawahar Parbat and adjoins the Zoo.
This Institute also houses a mountaineering museum
which holds a rare collection of mementos from various
Everest expeditions like equipments used by Tenzing
Norgay and Edmund Hillary on their way to Mt. Everest
and a letter written by George Mallory, the British
climber who was lost while climbing Mt. Everest and
whose body was found just a few years back. Nawang
Gombu, the first man to have climbed the Everest twice
is presently the Chief Advisor for the Mountaineering
Training.

Himalayan Zoological Park and Snow Leopard Breeding
Centre

About 2 km. from the town, this high altitude wild life
park and new home of India's only collection of the
Siberian Tiger, Himalayan Black Bear, Barking Deer etc.
Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park or the town
Zoo exhibits some rare Himalayan Fauna including the
Snow Leopard, Red panda, Tibetan Wolf, Himalayan
Pheasants, etc. It is a treat for all wild life
enthusiasts. Just nearby is a very successful
Snow Leopard Breeding Centre.

Lloyds Botanical Garden

This is a colourful garden situated just below the
market. In 1878 Mr. W. Lloyd gifted 40 acres of
hillside to make a garden with local plants and
flowers. It still has the most varied collection of
rhododendron, magnolia, orchids, etc. of the Eastern
Himalayas. It also has a glass-house full of alpine
flowers and also features an Orchid and a collection of
medicinal plants.

Darjeeling Rangeet Valley Passenger Ropeway

This Ropeway is in one of the most beautiful part of
the town and is situated at North Point about 3 km from
town. The cable car ride takes 6 passengers at a time
and it passes over the lush green tea gardens with
breathtaking view of the mountains (Kanchenjunga) and
provides an experience that cannot be easily forgotten.
The valley has glorious views of Sikkim and the river
Rangeet

Handicrafts

Darjeeling has some interesting places to watch the
local handicrafts being made as well as a various
range of choice handicraft souvenirs. The Tibetan
Refugee Self Help Center is a self-supporting Center
for Tibetan refugees, which manufactures some
intriguing Tibetan handicrafts. Established for the
rehabilitation of Tibetan refugees who had followed the
Dalai Lama to India in early 1959. It offers a wide
choice of Tibetan handicrafts; Tibetan woolen carpet is
very popular. Hayden Hall, a Roman Catholic social
service center also has a handicraft section with the
purpose of helping the local poor people.
Handmade items are available for sale at reasonable
prices. The Manjusha Bengal Emporium offers prominent
hill handicrafts, handloom and silk products of West
Bengal for display and for sale. It is situated at
Nehru Road. Gram Shilpa is another such showroom
displaying Khadi handloom silk products and set up by
the Khadi and Village Industries Commission,
Govt. of India. It is situated in Chowrasta.