Darjeeling, centre of India's most celebrated tea growing district, has possibly the most picturesque views among all Indian hill resorts. Outside the monsoon season (June to September), the views across the snowy peak of Kanchenjunga and other mountains down to the swollen rivers in the valley are, simply magnificent. Darjeeling is a fascinating place, where the tourist can see Buddhist monasteries, visit a tea plantation, see how the tea is processed, go for a ride on the chairlift, go shopping in the colourful markets or go trekking to high altitude spots, near the border with Sikkim. Darjeeling has the unique feature of a toy train, which takes you from Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling through the steep mountainsides.

What to See

Tiger Hill is the highest spot in the area at a height of 2590 metres, about 11 km from Darjeeling. The hill is famous for its magnificent dawn view over the Kanchenjunga peak. On a clear day, Mount Everest is also visible. Close to Tiger Hill is Senchal Lake, a popular picnic spot. Ghoom Buddhist Monastery is the most famous monastery in Darjeeling and is about eight km from town. It enshrines an image of Maitreya Buddha (the coming Buddha). A half an hour drive leads to Sonada, where a large and interesting monastery of the Kagyupa sect is situated. Observatory Hill located nearby, houses a Kali shrine and is sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists. Not far from Chowrasta, the centre of the city, is the Bhutia Busty Monastery. Dhirdham Temple, Natural History Museum, Ropeway, Botanical gardens and The Zoological Park are some other attractions.

When to Visit

For mountain views the best time to visit is from mid September to mid, and then from mid March to mid June, when it starts becoming hazy, because of cloud cover. The average temperature ranges from 8.5 - 15 degrees Celsius in summers and 1.5-6 degrees Celsius in winters.

How to Get There

Air: The nearest airport is at Bagdogra, 90 km away from Darjeeling. Bagdogra is connected to important cities of the country by domestic airlines.

Bus: There are bus connections to Darjeeling from Siliguri, Bagdogra, Gangtok, Kurseong and Kathmandu.

Train: New Jalpaiguri /Siliguri is the rail head for all trains, except the toy train running to Darjeeling. Siliguri is connected to Calcutta and other parts of the country by train.

Where to Stay

There are a number of places to stay in Darjeeling. Prices vary widely depending on the season. Windamere Hotel (Tel: +91-354-54041/42, Fax: 54043) on the slopes of the Observatory Hill is a good place to stay. It is one of the oldest hotels and has beautifully maintained gardens and a main building with detached cottages. Other good hotels include New Elgin Hotel (Tel: 54114/54082, Fax: 54267), Sinclairs (Tel: 54355, Fax: 54355), Chancellor (Tel: 2956, Fax: 54330), Allice villa (Tel: 54181)and Bellevue Hotel (Tel: 54130).