Darjeeling - A Complete Hideout In The Hills!
In this article you will get to know about Darjeeling a beautiful hill station and center of a major tea growing area in West Bengal.It is located at a height of 6814 ft in the Eastern Himalayas in North West Bengal.Modern Darjeeling began with the british East India Company's takeover of this hill side teritory in 1835.
Introduction Of Darjeeling
Darjeeling is also called 'Queen of the hills'. It is named after Lama Dorje-rinzing, who was founder of Darjeeling's first monastry.This famous hill station in the state of West Bengal in India is one of the highlights of Indian tourism and West Bengal tourism benefits significantly from the vast number of Indian and international tourists that visits Darjeeling every year. 
The town is also the capital of the Darjeeling district which is the northernmost district of West Bengal bordering Nepal.It is a perfect holiday destination in summer as well as winter.
the Darjeeling railway,also known as the toy train, has become the symbol of Darjeeling. For foreign tourists, the main attractions are the cultural diversity,the beautiful views,(especially of Kanchenjunga) variety of trekking options, and the opportunity to cool down after a stint in the plains. The town is also a jumping off point for travelers heading to Sikkim. Things to See In Darjeeling
Tiger Hill:
It is situated at an altitude of about 2590 m and gives a magnificent view of the sunrise over the Kanchanjunga hills. One can also have a clear view of the World's highest peak from the Tiger Hill.Ideal time to visit tiger hills is early morning when the first rays of the sun kisses the Mt Kanchenjunga and give it a glamourous golden tinge.To view the sunrise one has to reach their by 4AM.Shared taxis are available to reach the place. Each morning muffler wrapped tourists make up towards Tiger Hill to see what used to be the highest peak in the world, at least from 1838 to 1849 - Kanchenjunga.
Toy Train:
When the train was built in the late 19th century, the world Heritage Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was something worth seeing.The track was built at an altitude of 7546 ft above sea level in about 70 kms. The engineers devised many zigzags reverses and loops. The most famous one is the Batasia Loop,where the train does a complete figure of eight along the track. One should go very early or late in the day to avoid the waves of tourist.
The Tea Estates Of Darjeeling:
Darjeeling tea, which is one of the most exported items from the city, occupies a place of pride in the entire world for its fresh aroma and taste. Dr Campbell the first superintendent of Darjeeling appointed by the East India Company, planted the first tea seeds in his lodge.Peraphs the regions rich soil coupled with the moisture laden mountain air, that imbued Darjeeling Tea with its exquisite quality.
Today there are some 87 tea estates in and around Darjeeling employing over 50000 people. So for every tourist its very essential to visit the tea gardens.
Himalayan Mountaineering Institute:
It is the oldest Mountaineering Institute in the country and was set up following the successful ascent of the Mt. Everest by Tenzing Norgay Sherpa in 1953. The museum at this institute is a must visit for the tourist as it is the home to all the equipments used in that climb.The scene beauty of our training areas, famous tea gardens and enchating view of Kanchanjunga makes your trip to Himalayan Mountaineering Institute a memorable experience.
Bhutia Basti monastery:
It is the oldest monastery in Darjeeling. It was orginally built on Observatory hill in the year 1765.Its the most famous monastery of the region.
It is the most famous Monastery of the area. It was built by Lama Dorjee-Rinzing. It is open on all days.Photography is only allowed outside the monastry.It is an unusual blend of Tibeto-Nepalese archiecture.Its astore house of rare artefacts, including ancient Budhist Texts. Transportaion to Darjeeling
Darjeeling covers a total area of about 3149 square km at an altitude of about 6710 feet. The city is well connected by roads, railways and air. Siliguri, which is the gateway to Darjeeling, is only 80 km from the city.
Air: Bagdogra Airport is the nearest airport which is situated about 88 km from Darjeeling. This airport is connected from all major metropolitan cities in India. The nearest metropolitan city is Kolkata.
Railways: New Jalpaiguri is the nearest railhead and is about 90 km from Darjeeling. This railway station is connected with major cities in India by regular trains. Most trains heading towards the North Eastern States of India makes a stop at the New Jaipaiguri Junction.
Roads: Bus services to Darjeeling can be availed from Siliguri. Tenzing Norgay Bus Terminus is the main bus terminus in Siliguri from where regular luxury bus is available to reach the Darjeeling. Besides, the city has a well developed road network with National Highway No. 55, also known as the Tenzing Norgay Road passing through the city.
Distances of nearby cities from Darjeeling which will give you and idea about transportation and access are:
Distance from Kolkata: 759 km
Distance from Gangtok: 119 km
Distance from Nepal: 677 km
Distance from Sikkim: 120 km
Distance from Guwahati: 590 kmBest accomodation In Darjeeling
There are a large number of hotels ranging from Star and Heritage category Hotels to Budget hotels in the city from which one can choose depending upon his taste and preference. These Darjeeling Hotels provides one of the finest accommodation in the city with finely decorated and contemporarily furnished interiors with in-room facilities like cable television, air conditioning attached bath with modern sanitary wares, telephones, mini bars, and round the clock room service.
Four Star Hotel in Darjeeling
Hotel Mayfair Hill Resort
Three Star Hotel in Darjeeling
Hotel Sinclairs
Heritage Hotel in Darjeeling
Fortune Resort Central
Hello di,
This is a great resource. All the information about Darjeeling are available here. I hope this resource will help people who are going to visit this beautiful place.
Keep posting,
Regards,
Ankit Patwari.