Best Places to visit in Darjeeling - Xplorevthme

Places to visit in Darjeeling

Darjeeling

There are lots of places to visit in Darjeeling. You must be lured by the amazing snow peaks of Mt Kanchenjunga, picturesque valleys, breathtaking waterfalls, whistling sounds of the toy train. Darjeeling is located at an altitude of 2040 meters above the sea level and we can overlook the rolling down hills, villages, and lakes in the valley. It's very picturesque over here so Darjeeling receives plenty of visitors around the year, especially bikers who go on for long road trips. The air is very crisp up here as well, so lots of tourists visit to escape the scorching heat of the sun. Darjeeling can be reached by Road, Rail, and Air. The nearest rail and air boarding point are new Jalpaiguri, which is located 70 km away, from there you need to catch a private or shared taxi to reach Darjeeling. The roads are pretty treacherous because they are terribly steep and winding. Even though it requires 3 hours to reach Darjeeling from New Jalpaiguri, the driving is completely worth the effort because the countryside is very scenic. Mirik lake and tea gardens on the way are the must visit places. continue to read to know the places to visit in Darjeeling.

Places to visit in Darjeeling

Kanchenjunga Mountain

I won't say that you can see the snow cap of Mount Kanchenjunga around the year, there are specific times, where you can have a spectacular view of the snow studded peaks. The best time to visit is during the springtime i.e. between March and April, where sky remains clear. In addition to this, you can also have a look of the same from October to December, during this period the weather starts freezing and the sky gets clear. From the month of February, it starts getting foggy, so that the visibility can't go beyond a few meters. At that time you landed up in a catch 22 situations, i.e. in which direction you are supposed to see for mounting Kanchenjunga. 

Mount Kanchenjunga

I can assure you that, the best time to see the mount Kanchenjunga is at 04:30 am from the tiger hill during sunrise. You will be exhilarated to watch the sunrays passing through the clouds and striking the snow studded peaks which results in the change of snow color, which gives you a magnificent view of the specter of colors.

The peak can also be seen during the daytime, however, it's not worthy of seeing as you can see the peak as a shiny white. Watching the sunrise on Mount Kanchenjunga is a lifetime experience.

Related: Hill Stations in India which will make you want Retire and Settle down .

Tinchuley Village

Tinchuley is a quaint small mountain village, the public figure comes from the three hilltops which surround the Tinchuley like an oven. Many of the households were converted to guesthouses or Homestays to accommodate the visitors. At that office are limited accommodations for solo wanderers, whereas book lovers can spend a quality time along the river bed. The surrounding countryside is very scenic with tea estates, orange groves, and picturesque landscapes. You like being here because it’s so peaceful and the air quality is really fresh. The localities are gullible with a gregarious personality.

Tinchuley Village

Tinchuley is located 32km away from the Darjeeling, it takes one and half hour to get to the finish. The driving is totally worth the try. Tinchuley is located 1400m above the sea level, from where we can overlook teestha river down the vale.

Perfect time to visit tinchuley is from October to April, the sky remains light with a crystal clear horizon of the glorious mountains and admiring valleys.

Himalayan Mountaineering Institute

The Institute is well outfitted with many facilities both indoor and outdoor. The main auditorium named after the first head of the institute called as Jayal hall. It can house 150-200 pupils at a time. It is used for screening mountaineering films, furthermore, demos and lectures on mountaineering are given. The institute houses a well-stocked library with more than 300 books covering a vast array of topics, which includes flora and fauna, local culture and mountaineering.

A wall is built within the Institute for training purpose, which conforms to the international standard. Training personal uses nearby Tenzu rock and Gombu rock on the Lebong cart road for practical preparation.

Japanese Peace Pagoda

The pagoda is situated 3km away from the city core. Next, to the pagoda, you can possess a feel of the Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Temple. The synagogue was founded by Fujii Guruji, he is a great preceptor for Nipponzan Myohoji. He was a faithful associate of Mahatma Gandhi. If you can walk up the wooden stairs, you will pass the large prayer room. The prayers are done twice daily. 4:30 am to 06:00 am in the morning and 16:30 pm to 18:30 pm in the eventide. The chief priest plays the Ho Ko, the soothing sound fills the entire prayer hall. At one time I received the chance to visit the prayer, I was provided a tiny drum pad and a peg so that I can take on the drum at the same pace as the chief priest. It’s not required to remain in that location while the prayer is going on, You can leave the hall prayer at any time.

The pagoda is situated inside the locality of the synagogue. Pagoda showcases the four incarnations of Buddha. It is the tallest free-standing structure in the Darjeeling. On the mezzanine floor, you can see two lions on either side of the stairs. When you climb up the steps, the four avatars of Buddha can be ascertained which are carved on the pagoda. Sculptures of Buddha are colored with the gold gloss. The four avatars of the Buddha depict the Parikrama i.e. Sitting, sleeping, standing, meditating. The architect sculpted beautiful artwork over the pagoda, which can be witnessed all over it. We can overlook the fantastic sights of pine trees which are located along either side of the walk from the pagoda.

Mahakal Temple & observatory hill

Mahakal temple is situated along a hilltop, we can look out on the mall road from the temple as it is girded by the same. It requires 15 minutes to get to the hilltop. Even though the walkway is boring, it is easily worth the effort as you can savor the panoramic sights of the mountains as you expire upwards. If you feel sick or shortness of breath while climbing up, you can call for a rest for a while on the wooden benches which are in between. When you are halfway up you can have a glimpse of the windamere hotel from its tail, it’s an individual property which provides lovely cottages with an open patio to lounge.

When you come nearer to the temple you can see lots of monkeys. Beware of them as they snatch food from you mercilessly. In that respect is a little synagogue along the roadside, it’s of Siddhi sai Baba. If you're concerned in experiencing the tales of the synagogues of that particular area, you can obtain a priest over there you can ask him about the same. He is ready to share all the tales about his temples at the fall of a lid. Right next to it you can see the Lord Hanuman temple.

In one case you cross these temples you can see the Mahakal temple and the observatory hill side by side. Prayers are offered for Lord Shiva, the temple was built in the year 1782 which hosts three Lingas. The three gold-plated icons stand for Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheswara. The synagogue holds a deep-rooted history where Hindu priests and Buddhist monks chant their holy prayers harmoniously.

Alongside the temple, there’s a walkway which leads to observatory hill. Observatory hill gives you the magnificent views of the snow studded peaks of the mesmerizing mount Kanchenjunga. When the sky is clean you can cite the mesmerizing sights of the masses and the underlying valleys. 

Related: Weekend Getaways from Bangalore.

Padmaja Naidu Himalayan zoological park

Zoo spans across 68 acres of the field at an altitude of 2135m. This zoo hosts the some of the amazing high altitude wild animals along with the endangered species which are seldom found out elsewhere in the universe. The zoological garden is situated in the Jawahar parvat area. Before it was recognized as a Himalayan zoo park, Indira Gandhi named this zoo, as Padmaja Naidu Himalayan zoological park in memory of late Padmaja Naidu who is an ex-governor of West Bengal.

Darjeeling zoo is one of the best zoos in the Earth. Royal Bank of Scotland in collab with the British government has presented the “The Earth Heros” award in the year 2014. The zoological garden is considered as one of the best places for conserving Himalayan flora and fauna.

Wild beasts in the zoo: Snow Leopard, Red pandas, Yaks, Jaguar, Bear, wolf etc. The zoo operates from 08:30 am to 16:30 pm in summer and it closes 30 minutes earlier in winter.

Tea garden

Best spots to explore tea tourism are the makaibari estate in Kurseong and happy valley outside the Darjeeling. Usually, they pluck the tea leaves from March to may, these are considered as busiest months. In accession to this, they also pluck occasionally from June to November.  We can remain overnight in the Homestays and can join the plucking of leaves in the tea gardens with the workers. Pull some of the tea leaves, watch them how they are processed, carry them to your home as your own handmade Darjeeling tea.

Tea Gardens

You can sample different grades of black, white and green teas at different lounges. High on the hills with crisp air and misty mountains, sipping a cup of favorite tea is worth visiting the tea gardens.

Toy Train

Where else can you get a steam engine pulling mini coaches up the steep mountains, passing through the alluring landscapes, and overcoming narrow curves,  gradients using excellent technology skills? At some points, the train moves so sluggishly that local school children often hop the train on and forth. The steam engines may tend to skid in steep gradients, you can come across an attendant standing in front of the engine and sprinkling sand on the track to sweep over the trouble. This trouble can be viewed more frequently during the monsoon when the trail is almost wet whole day. You will go by the small towns and the local shops on the way with the children along the street waving at you with a gregarious smile.

Toy train starts from the Darjeeling railway station, it occupies 2 hours for round trip. It starts at Darjeeling and ends at Ghum.  It extends a distance of 14km. The number of trips depends upon the demand and the season. It halts for 10 minutes at batasia loop. It curls around the batasia loop, where you can cite the mesmerizing sights of Mount Kanchenjunga and can too look across the township. There’s a garden in batasia loop, which is concentrated by the war memorial of Gorkha soldiers.

The railroad station in Ghum is located at a higher elevation than the Darjeeling. Within the vicinity of the railway station, you can find the Darjeeling railway museum. The toy train runs from 07:30 am to 16:20 in the eventide. If you are unfortunate enough, you may lose the miniature train ride sometimes every bit they don’t run because of track enhancement or fix.

Coronation bridge

It is well known as sevoke bridge, spans across the teestha river, connecting Darjeeling and New Jalpaiguri. It was made to mark the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Locals call it as baaghpool, as there are two lion statues at the ingress of the bridgework. You can possess a look of this span when you are on the way to the airport from Darjeeling.