Darjeeling is synonymous to tea all over the world. No other flavour is believed to be finer than those grown here. Darjeeling, also called the queen of the hills, sits like a crown over the sweetest part of India a.k.a Bengal. The name Darjeeling has been derived from the Tibetan language and it translates to ‘land of the thundering bolt’.
For a budget traveller who loves walking around, Darjeeling is heaven. Supplemented by cheaper travel options at certain zones, this hill town has a lot to offer to a thrifty traveller. In this guide, I have tried to compile a walking circuit of the places to visit in Darjeeling. This is based on my own trip in February 2019.
Darjeeling can be visited almost throughout the year. However, it is better avoided during monsoon when landslides are frequent. Winters are pretty cold with occasional snow and excessive tourism has brought in water crisis especially during summers. Hence a humble request, whenever you visit a beautiful place like Darjeeling, be a responsible traveller/tourist.
Siliguri, 63 km, is the main entry point to Darjeeling. The Hill Cart Road connects the two cities. Taxis (TATA Sumo) are easily available on sharing basis (₹ 200/- per head) from Siliguri to reach Darjeeling. The cheaper option (₹ 103/- per head) is to travel by North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) buses that ply every hour in the morning from Tenzing Norgay Bus Terminus in Siliguri. It takes almost three hours by either means to ascend the hills provided there are no traffic. Besides roadways, Darjeeling has its own railway head — a part of the heritage Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR). The New Jalpaiguri (NJP) Jn. near Siliguri is a major railway station that has connectivity to rest of India. The 52541 NJP DJ Passenger is the only train connecting NJP to Darjeeling daily. The journey on this narrow-gauge heritage train takes nearly seven hours (minimum fare is ₹ 1420/-). The Bagdogra airport is for those who prefer taking the aerial route.
At Darjeeling, the buses/sumos drop off at Hill Cart Road taxi stand. In this guide, this will be the starting point of the walk for each circuit. With tourism booming, there are plentiful options at all budgets for stay in this hill town. Hotels in Gandhi road are probably the most popular among tourists due to its central location.
Circuit #1:
Starting from the taxi stand, walk towards Jorethang along the Lebong Cart Road for about one kilometre. The first stop on this circuit will be on your left. The Happy Valley Tea Estate is the second oldest tea estate of Darjeeling. From the Lebong Cart Road, a narrow road looping through the vast tea estate would take you downhill to their factory. The estate offers a guided tour of the tea making process at their factory along with a session of tea tasting. The guided tour is chargeable at ₹ 100/- while it is free to go around the plantation. As a souvenir, you can buy the best of their teas from the factory outlet.
Climb back up to the Lebong Cart Road and continue a few steps forward. On the right will be the Darjeeling Old Cemetery. This cemetery is often regarded to be one of the hidden gems of Darjeeling. Rarely frequented by tourists, the cemetery is the resting place of early British settlers. The place offers a wonderful view of the Happy Valley Tea Estate below and on a clear day the snow-clad Himalayas. It is open daily from sunrise to sunset and entry is free.
Another 500 m down the same road is a tri-junction where the Robertson Road running downhill joins the Lebong Cart Road. Climb up the incline of Robertson Road and you would reach the gates of Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park or what is commonly known as Darjeeling zoo. This zone also houses the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI) and the Bengal Museum of Natural History (BMNH). A combined fee of ₹ /- is charged for entering this place. The zoo, spread over an area of 67.56 acres, is the largest high altitude zoo in India and specializes in breeding animals adapted to alpine conditions. The HMI was started back in 1954 following the first ascent of Mt. Everest by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hilary the previous year to promote mountaineering as an organized sport in India. Today, HMI has become the hub of mountaineers aspiring to capture the heights of Himalayas. Tourist can access only a limited area of the institute that includes a museum, activity zone and a theatre. The museum houses memoirs of Indian expedition to several heights across the world besides mountaineering artefact. The BMNH, as the name suggests, is a collection of flora and fauna samples from all over the state of West Bengal. From what it started in 1903 as a small museum, today it houses numerous bird and animal specimens, including skulls, horns, head mounts and skins.
After exiting from the zoo keep walking straight towards the Mall. The Shrubbery Nightingale Park is about one kilometre from the zoo. Situated on Richmond Hill area, this oval-shaped park provides a picturesque view of the Eastern Himalayas. The park also houses a giant statue of Lord Shiva along with an associated temple.
Further along, the Robertson Road on the left is Raj Bhawan or the Governor's house. Near the entrance of the Raj Bhawan is a four-point crossing. From here take the Mall road going left. This stretch of the road is a no vehicle zone. There are few viewpoints here where you can sit and relax along with some hot tea brewed by local women. Towards the Mall end of the road, is the entrance to Mahakal Mandir. This is one unique temple you can see in Darjeeling. Sitting atop the Observatory Hill, this temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is an amalgamation of Hindu and Buddhist religions. The sound of the temple bells along with the fluttering of the prayer flags provides a unique aura to this place.
Circuit #2:
If you have not taken a ride on the toy train yet, head to Ghoom early morning and catch the 52587 Kurseong-Darjeeling Passenger that leaves Ghoom at 8.35 am. Apart from the two daily trains mentioned earlier, DHR operates joy rides for tourists from Darjeeling to Ghoom and back with halts at Batasia Loop and Ghoom. Seats for these rides can be pre-booked online through IRCTC. The charges are between ₹ 1000/- and ₹ 1600/- depending on the type of train — steam engine or diesel engine hauled. If you are tight on a budget like me, take a taxi to Ghoom early morning and then return by the passenger train. The Ghoom railway station is itself iconic being the highest railway station in India.
After reaching back to Darjeeling starts the main walk of circuit #2. Our first destination — Japanese Temple and Peace Pagoda. Ask for the stairs to reach the road to Japanese Temple or alternately look for St. Columba’s church near the station. This church was built in 1894. The stairs connect Hill Cart Road to Gandhi Road. On reaching the top, take right and move up towards Hotel Villa Everest along the Lal Kothi Road. The temple is merely 1.5 km from here but the climb may make it a bit tiring. Peace Pagodas are Buddhist stupas build to inspire peace in the world. Most of these monuments were built after World War II and the one at Darjeeling was dedicated in 1992. The Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Temple or Japanese Temple is a two-storeyed Japanese style building located near the Peace Pagoda.
Enjoy the downhill walk now. Take your steps back through the Lal Kothi Road, passing via Hotel Villa Everest till Gandhi Road. At around two kilometres from the Peace Pagoda, near the Gandhi Road and Laden La Road crossing, is Darjeeling Clock Tower. The clock tower is a part of the current day Darjeeling Municipality building. It was constructed in 1850 and served as the Town Hall of Darjeeling before being converted to municipality office. A few meters from the clock tower is another UNESCO world heritage site — Darjeeling Head Post Office. It was opened in 1921 and is one of the oldest post offices in the region.
From here, follow the Nehru Road up to Darjeeling Mall. The Nehru Road and Mall are one of the most vibrant areas of Darjeeling and popular among tourist for street shopping and foods. Two of the iconic restaurants - Keventer’s and Glenary’s are located here. From the Mall, we head to Bhutia Busty Monastery. As you reach the flats of the Mall through Nehru road, the C. R. Das roads run downhill on the right and lead to Bhutia Busty monastery. This is another beautiful place unfrequented by tourists. Along the way is the Deshbandhu Museum, a two-storeyed white building on the left. This is the house where Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das stayed during the last few months of his life.
Return to Mall and take the NCC Road on the left of the stage to reach St. Andrews Church. This is an old Anglican church built in 1843. On the way, you will also see the Gorkha Ranga Manch (Bhanu Bhawan) on the left. The church is just opposite to it. Going further along the NCC Road would take you near the gates of Raj Bhawan.
Circuit #3:
A day for a long morning walk. Start early and head to Ghoom on a shared taxi. You would be dropped off at Ghoom Railway station. Start walking back towards Darjeeling. The first stopover en route is Ghoom monastery at nearly one kilometre. This monastery is one of the oldest monasteries in Darjeeling and houses a 12 feet statue of Maitreya Buddha.
Further 1.2 km towards Darjeeling is Batasia Loop. Batasia loop is an example of an erstwhile engineering marvel. The height difference between Darjeeling and Ghoom was too steep for the steam locomotives to ascend, hence a double spiral loop was designed to negotiate the climb. The hill around which the railway track loops has a beautiful garden and houses the Gorkha War memorial at the centre. On a clear day, one can get a wonderful view of the Kanchenjunga range.
The third point on this walk is Dali Monastery, 1.5 km from Batasia Loop. The Sangag Choling Monastery (or Dali Monastery) is an ornate, colourful monastery built in typical Tibetan style long the steep hill as you enter Darjeeling. The monastery is open from early morning till evening.
Dheerdham temple, the final point on the walk is just below the Darjeeling Railway station. This temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is a look-alike of the Pashupatinath temple of Kathmandu, Nepal.
My trip:
The three circuits mentioned above are based on how I travelled over three days in Darjeeling. On day 1, I had taken the first bus at 6 am from Siliguri and reached Darjeeling by 11 am. After settling down it was almost 1 pm when I started my walk along circuit #1. As it was an unplanned trip it took me some time to figure out the routes I should take. On day 1, I could visit only the tea estate, HMI and BMNH, Mahakal mandir and the Mall. Exploring half of the zoo is still pending. I visited the Shrubbery Park on Day 2 after completing circuit #2. On day 3, I started early and completed circuit #3 well before noon and took my return bus to Siliguri. Below is a list of several other suggested tourist places that I could not visit during my trip in February 2019 and hence could not include in the guide.
Other tourist spots:
Tiger Hill: Watching the sunrise from Tiger Hill is among the must-do things in Darjeeling. The changing colours of Kanchanjunga as the sunlight strikes the mountain is a visual treat. Tiger Hill is located 11 km from the town at an altitude of 8400 feet. It is advisable to start as early as 3.00 am from Darjeeling to secure the best spot at the watchtower.
Ava art gallery: The gallery established in 1965 showcases works of one of the geniuses in the field of embroidery art, Ava Devi. It is located on the Hill Cart road between Dali Monastery and Darjeeling railway station and can be clubbed along circuit #3 walk. It is open from 8 am to 12 pm and again from 1 pm to 5 pm. There is no entry fee to visit the art gallery.
Rock Garden
Darjeeling ropeway
Rangeet Valley tea garden
Tenzing and Gombu rocks
Here's a map of the tourist places and the circuit.
More pictures from the trip are on my Instagram profile @ag1805x. Use the hashtag #ag1805x_in_Darjeeling.
References:
- Darjeeling-Tourism.Com
- Darjeeling District Web Portal
- West Bengal Tourism
Here's a map of the tourist places and the circuit.
More pictures from the trip are on my Instagram profile @ag1805x. Use the hashtag #ag1805x_in_Darjeeling.
References:
- Darjeeling-Tourism.Com
- Darjeeling District Web Portal
- West Bengal Tourism
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