Darjeeling, the “Queen Of Himalayas” is one of the best hill stations in the world. Darjeeling is the best pace for honeymooners and it is just 700 kilometers away from Kolkata. It is one of the well know tourist attraction in North East India.
The view of women’s plucking the tea leaves on the lushly green slopes is just amazing. Its tea is famous as “Darjeeling Tea” worldwide & there are around 86 tea estates in this city. You can also make your own cup of tea by plucking fresh tea leaves from the tea plantation or you can get it from the tea estate.
The toy train is one of the UNESCO World Heritage site which was established in the year 1881. The view of Kanchenjunga peak is very much clear and visible from this hill station.
Places to visit in North East
Major Attractions in Gangtok
1.Tsomgo Lake
This lake is also called as Tsongmo Lake or Changu Lake.It is a very peaceful place located at an altitude of 12300 ft. You can take one of the famous Yak ride which starts from the lake. Also you can do ropeway which is at a height of 13K feet from which you can see the beautiful view of the lake & mountains covered in snow.
2. Banjhakri Falls
Banjhakri means “Jungle Priest”. This falls are the most beautiful natural waterfalls. It is near about 7 kms away from Gangtok. This is one of the most visited and best tourism spot. Sikkimese have made an artificial lake with a Dragon at the centre. You can do boating at this lake.
3. Tashi Viewpoint
This viewpoint is about 8 Kms away from Gangtok town & is situated in Tashi. If you reach this point before 5 am then you can see the unforgettable view of sunrise from here. You are not charged anything to be here but if you want to get a closer view of the peaks with binoculars & telescope you will have to pay Rs. 10 /-.
4. Teesta River
This river is 315km long & it rises in the eastern Himalayas. It flows through the Indian states and enters into Bay of Bengal. As this river flows in 3 streams Karatoya in the east, punarbhabha in the west & the Atrai in the centre in is named as teesta which is cut short from the name Trisrota.
Major Attractions in Darjeeling
1. Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
It is also known as DHR or Toy Train which transports passengers to lushly green Tea plantation and to the hills. Tourist never fail to take a ride on this train as it is one of the popular thing to do when visiting to Darjeeling.
It goes through number of reverses & loops while climbing up steeply. While on the ride the train crosses 5 major bridges & approximately 450 minor bridges.
2. Tiger Hill
Its view is beautiful not only during the sunrise but its view is just mesmerizing anytime during the day. You will get lost in the beauty of this Himalayan Beauty any said timing. Visiting this this hills in the right season is must otherwise it will be covered in mist or fog and all peaks will not be visible. If you want to see the sunrise it is compulsory to start at 3.30 AM. The fog & mist over here are quite unpredictable. Out of nowhere they can come & put a white shield all over.
3. Batasia Loop
You can take a cab or a taxi from Darjeeling city for Batasia Loop which takes 20 mins approx. Batasia Loop is a better place to get a 360 degree view of the landscapes & the hills covered in snow. Due to the rays of the sun falling on this beautiful snow covered Hills they look multicolored.
The area is around 50,000 square feet along with the gardens & seating areas to enjoy the beauty of the nature. This area are covered with flowers & shrubs.
4. Darjeeling Ropeway
It is one of the tourist destination in the city. It has around sixteen cable cars. You can view the entire Darjeeling from the ropeway. Darjeeling Ropeway is one of the key attraction of Darjeeling giving its passengers a great view of the wonderful valley.
The timings are from 10.00 a.m to 4.00 p.m during the off season i.e winter season & 10.00 a.m to 2.00 p.m during high season i.e summer season & autumn. You need to reach here early if you want to avoid long queues & also to avoid long queues ticket counters are closed early. Also while planning make a note that on 19th of every month the ropeway is closed down for maintenance.
5. Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI)
It was founded by our first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on 4th November 1954. This institute not only trains young men to climb the Himalayan Peaks but also to create an urge in them to climb peaks of Human Endeavour.
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru along with Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy the then Chief Minister of West Bengal planned to open this institute as he wanted all the youths of nation to utilize their energy in the field of mountaineering. It is one of the center of excellence in mountaineering. The certificate from HMI is recognized by UIAA & also it is a hallmark in the field of mountaineering.
6. Nightingale Park
This park was formerly known as “The Shrubbery”. During the British reign it was the private courtyard of Sir Thomas Tartan’s Bungalow. The park is oval shaped with a pebbles walkway at the entrance. You need to climb a few steps to reach the entry of this Green Gold. Along with scenery there is a big statue of Lord Shiva and a musical fountain.
7. Peace Pagoda , Darjeeling
Peace Pagoda helps people of all creeds & races to unite who are in search of world peace. This Pagoda shows the four avatars of the Lord Buddha, large statues which are carved in the walls & are golden in color. It is the tallest with a height of 28.5 meters & diameter of 23 meters. It was built by Dr. M Okha of Japan.
It took 3 years to construct it with concrete models of lions on two sides at the lower level. While taking a walk around the pagoda you will see the artwork carved on sand stone which depicts the life of Buddha’s. While taking the Parikrama you will see the four avatars of Buddha in different postures like sleeping, standing, sitting & meditating.
8. Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park
This Internationally recognized zoo is specialized in the country and it is also known for its conservation breeding of Red Panda, Snow Leopards, Tibetan Wolf and other such animals of eastern Himalaya.Also known as Himalayan Zoological Park it ws established on 14th August 1958 in joint venture of Govt of India and Govt of West bengal. Under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act 1961 it was converted into a registered society in January 1972.
Best North East Holiday Packages List
Best time to visit North East
One can visit this place any said timing but September to October is the ideal time to visit. You can also visit it from March to June.
Ways to Reach Gangtok
Gangtok By Air :
Pankyong airport is the nearest like almost 30 kilometers away from Gangtok. This airport was started in June 2018 and it was inaugurated by civil aviation minister Mr. Suresh Prabhu.
Gangtok By Train :
You can board trains from cities of country such as New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Trivandrum, Ahmedabad, Jammu, Secunderabad, Ranchi, Kanyakumari, Jodhpur, Puri, Bhubaneswar, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Pune etc. to New Jalpaiguri which is located in Siliguri.
Gangtok By Road :
You can also plan a road trip to Gangtok by connecting roads to Siliguri, Kalimpong & Darjeeling.
