The tea town the British built to escape the plains, still arranged around a ridge, a clock tower and a railway that refuses to be hurried.
Altitude
2,042 m
Getting there
Bagdogra (IXB) 70 km / NJP 65 km, about 3 hours by road
Best time
October to December for views, March to May for flowers
How long it needs
2 to 3 nights
About Darjeeling
Darjeeling earns its reputation in the first twenty minutes after sunrise. On a clear morning the Kanchenjunga massif stands across the whole northern sky, close enough that the light moves down it visibly, and the town below is still under cloud.
The rest of the day is gentler: a toy train that has been running the same gradient since 1881, tea gardens you can walk into, a Tibetan refugee centre still weaving carpets by hand, and a mall road where the entire town goes for a walk at five in the evening.
Two nights is the honest minimum. Three lets you add a tea estate morning without waking at four twice.
What people come for
Sunrise over Kanchenjunga from Tiger Hill
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway joyride to Ghum
Batasia Loop and the Gorkha war memorial
Happy Valley Tea Estate, working since 1854
Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park and the Mountaineering Institute
Peace Pagoda, Observatory Hill and the Mall
Know before you go
Tiger Hill sunrise means a 3:45 am start and a queue of vehicles. It is worth it perhaps three mornings in five between October and December; less often in summer.
The toy train joyride is a separate ticket with limited seats and it sells out in season. Tell us early if you want it and we book ahead.
The zoo and the Mountaineering Institute share one ticket and are closed on Thursdays.
Packages
5 trips that include Darjeeling
Each of these can be lengthened, shortened or recombined. If you want Darjeeling on its own, or bolted onto something else entirely, just ask.
Tell us roughly what you want. We will send back a real itinerary.
Dates, how many of you, and anywhere you have your heart set on — that is enough for us to start. You will get a day-by-day plan with named hotels and one all-in price, in writing, before you pay anything.
