Travelling to me is everything i want to do for my whole life, but when it comes to mountains its HAPPINESS. When you breath the fresh mountain air, treat your eyes to the spectacular views and lose yourself in the charming nature, its a treat for life and you feel refreshed from within. India has some of the best hill stations in the world among them i am going to tell about one of the most beautiful hill station, The Queen of Himalayas – Darjeeling.
Darjeeling is the town in India’s West Bengal state, in the Himalayas foothills. Darjeeling is all about tea garden and tea industry, its scenic views of the world’s third highest mountain Kanchenjunga and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways.
So, in this article i am going to share about top 10 Places to visit in Darjeeling, all the details, locations and every little things to do in Darjeeling.
1. The Mall Road
Mall Road which is also known as ‘chowrasta’ is the main tourist point in the local of Darjeeling, people spends hours in Mall Road. There are many shops, cafes, street foods available here. If you are a shopaholic and foodie person then mall road is for you. Picturesque road surrounded by nature, you will enjoy your time only by sitting there. And most importantly if the sky is clear you can spot the ranges of Mt. Kanchenjunga from Mall road.
Location – Located on the top of Nehru Road.
Entry Fee – No Entry Fee.
2. Tiger Hill
Tiger hill is the absolute heaven, it has the panoramic view of Mount Everest and Mount Kanchenjunga together. If you are the luckiest person on earth which i mean if the skies are crystal clear then you will be able to witness the sunrise and the ranges of snow covered Mt. Everest and Mt. Kanchenjunga together. And trust me that will be the most breathtaking moment of your life. All you have to do is wake up at 3am in the morning book a car which can be provided by the hotel authorities and hike up to the tiger hill and experience the most spectacular nature of mother earth.
Location – Tiger Hill is located 11kms (6.8 miles) from Darjeeling town and above ghum.
Entry Fee – No Entry fee.
3. Batasia Loop
On the way to Darjeeling from Siliguri by the famous Toy Train journey passes through the Batasia Loop and the War Memorial, perhaps one of the most picturesque train routes in all of Darjeeling. This place attracts tourists for spectacular view of Mt. Kanchenjunga and other snow covered Himalayan peaks and lushly green nature all around. Its an excellent place to spend time with family and friends.
Location – Located near Ghoom West point, Ghum, West Bengal.
Batasia Loop – 15/- per person.
4. Rock Garden
The Rock Garden also known as Barbotey Rock Garden at Chunnu Summer Falls and Ganga Maya Park. Its one of the most attractive place in Darjeeling. The way to rock garden is filled with stunning views of hills which is covered with fogs. I remember when i visited rock garden it rained heavily for few minutes and the weather stayed dizzy which added the most stunning view of the nature in rock garden. It has an amazing waterfall and a way to hike above the hills to catch the most picturesque view from above.
Location – 10km away from Darjeeling town.
Entry Fee – 20/- per person.
5. Japanese Peace Pagoda
Its a Buddhist Temple in Darjeeling. Peace Pagodas is designed to focus for people of all races and creeds to help unite them in their search for world peace. Its the most peaceful place in Darjeeling surrounded by beautiful nature of mountains. It is one of the most famous tourist attraction in Darjeeling.
Location – The Pagoda is located on the slopes of the Jalapahar Hills, in the town of Darjeeling.
Entry Fee – No Entry Fee.
6. Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park
The Zoo is also called the Darjeeling Zoo. Its a 67.56-acre(27.3 ha) zoo in the town of Darjeeling. I have visited many Zoo but this one is different in all levels. This where you can actually see some of the high altitude amazing Himalayan animals and some endangered species that are rarely seen anywhere else in the world. In India, this the largest high altitude zoo.
Location – Jorethang road, near Birch Hill Resort, Jawahar Parbat, Darjeeling, West Bengal.
Entry Fee – 60/- for Indians.
7. Himalayan Mountaineering Institute
The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute was established to encourage mountaineering as an organized sport in India. Almost many tourists visits this institute to know or gain knowledge about the mountaineers. If you are any kind of trekking fascinated person you should definitely visit this place.
Location – 3753+C7Q, Jawahar Parbat, Darjeeling.
Entry Fee – 50/- for both HMI and Zoo packed together.
8. Tea Plantations Darjeeling
Darjeeling Tea estate is famous all around the world, not only the tea leaves but the whole landscape of lushly greens and the mountain ranges which makes it the most wonderful tourist attraction in Darjeeling. A walk into the cloudy mountains and tea gardens makes the heart feel light hearted. There are many tea estates in Darjeeling located in different locations. So, if you hire any guide or the cab driver, they will take you to any one tea estate and all of them are spectacular.
Located – The tea gardens are located about 30-minute drive from the lower town of Darjeeling.
Entry Fee – No Entry Fee.
9. Darjeeling Toy Train – Ghum Museum
Toy train joy rides operates from Darjeeling Railway Station. Its roughly a 2-hour round trip from Darjeeling up to Ghum and back to Batasia loop. The tickets are available in affordable ranges. Tourists always attracts the Toy Train in Darjeeling to experience the most spectacular view of Darjeeling.
Location – Ghoom Railway Station.
Entry Fee – 20/- per person.
10. Darjeeling Rangeet Valley Passenger Ropeway
Ropeway is mandatory for mountain lovers. The 5km long ropeway is a tourist destination in the town. it consist of sixteen cars and plies between the ‘North Point’ in the town of Darjeeling and Singla on the banks of the Ramman river. The journey on the ropeway offers views of the hills and the valleys around Darjeeling. The ropeway passes over dense forests, mountain ridges, water falls, flowing rivers, green valleys and tea gardens.
Location – 3763+HFW, Singamari, Darjeeling.
Entry Fee – 150/- per person.
So, these are the top 10 places to visit in Darjeeling. It was amazing to share these information through this article, hope you find it helpful too and got the idea of the places and can easily plan a trip to Darjeeling. And the best time to visit Darjeeling is from October to March.
Read More : HILL STATIONS IN INDIA
