Weather information
Cool summers from April to mid-June, wet monsoons from June to September, cold winters from December to March – the weather of Darjeeling has often been compared with those of European countries. Not surprising, considering that summers don’t test the mercury beyond 15 C, with the minimum hovering around the 8 C mark. However, winters can go all the way to subzero temperatures, and a maximum of around 6 C is considered normal.

Now you have an idea of what to pack for both kinds of weather conditions – light woolens for summers and heavy ones for winter! To avoid extreme cold during winters, you would be best advised to visit Darjeeling between September and November. And to get away from the heat of your city or town, enjoy the May-June weather of this hill station. But stay warned that this is the time when everyone else to makes plans to be Darjeeling-bound!

The rains are something you might have to watch out for if you visit Darjeeling during the monsoons – the place gets around 3000 mm of rains each year. Add to this, strong monsoon winds typical of mountains and you may think twice about getting wet atop a mountain. However, winter brings with it the magic of pure, white snow – something that you may never have your fill of. So when to visit could turn out to be quite a decision! 

Getting to Darjeeling
How do you wish to get to Darjeeling? By train, by air or by road? Take your pick.
 

By Train
Traveling by train can be a lot of fun, specially if you are taking the toy train from Siliguri. It’s a nine hour journey that takes you through the wonders of nature all the way to your destination. You will also have done something historical – like been one of those lucky few to have taken a ride in the world’s highest track railway. The mind’s agog with excitement, the heart races, the eyes look unbelievably at a vertical track that lies ahead - and as if to calm you down, the little train winds and unwinds along the curves and the loops as it has been used to, for decades.

Although one can reach Darjeeling after-hour drive up a steep and winding road from Siliguri, the most exciting and nostalgic form of transportation is the Toy Train. This ' marvel of engineering' was inaugurated in 1881 and is the world's highest track railway. The miniature steam train huffs, puffs and toots as it wrestles its way up a vertical track of blind curves and loops in nine hours.

However, Darjeeling is well-connected to most cities and towns across the country, be it Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Kolkata, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram Varanasi, through New Jalpaiguri Station (NJP), roughly 88 Kms from the hill station.
From NJP, you can take a cab or an auto rickshaw to Siliguri, from where you can take a cab to Darjeeling. Siliguri is the other station that is roughly 77 Kms from Darjeeling. Buses are also available from Siliguri.

 

By Air
Bagdogra is the nearest airport to Darjeeling and is located approximately 100 Kms from the hill station. Bagdogra is connected through direct flights to Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati. Once you alight at the airport, you have the options of taking a cab to Darjeeling or traveling to Siliguri and reaching Darjeeling from there.

 

By Road
Buses are available in plenty from Siliguri (the closest main bus station) to Darjeeling – there’s a bus every half hour that plies between the two places. Darjeeling is well-connected by road with Siliguri, Bagdogra, Gangtok and Katmandu – reach the Bazaar bus stand on Hill Cart Road to take a bus from here to the places mentioned above.

You can also avail of local transport like jeeps, tourist cars and buses, mini coaches and taxis that can take you to Darjeeling – amongst these, jeeps are considered the most efficient and comfortable way to travel. Private Taxis are also available for local sightseeing purposes in and around Darjeeling.

Distance to Darjeeling (by road)

City/Town	Distance in Kms
DELHI	1389 Kms
GANGTOK	115 Kms
GUWAHATI	590 Kms
KALIMPONG	51 Kms
KATHMANDU	677 Kms
KOLKATA	728 Kms
MIRIK	45 Kms
SILIGURI	90 Kms

Places to see
The plethora of choices in Darjeeling is likely to leave you very confused about two things – what to see and what to do. Find out more about the various tourist spots and landmarks of Darjeeling here that could help you make your mind up as to your itinerary for your trip. Of course, nature’s brilliance is likely to leave you dazzled, but you can’t resist other attractions like the toy train, the tea gardens, the Mall, the monasteries and other places of historic interest!

| Museum of Natural History | Lloyd Botanical Garden |
| Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park | Himalayan Mountaineering Institute |

| Tiger Hill | Monastery | Tea Gardens | The Mall | Chowrasta | Observatory Hill |

| Senchal Lake | Passenger Ropeway | Rock Garden | Batasia Loop |

 

Museum of Natural History
Why would anyone want to visit a museum when there are so many things to see in Darjeeling? Well, if it has an unbelievable collection of Himalayan reptiles, animals, birds and insects – some of which you may never otherwise see – how can you think of missing out on it? The museum is reported to have over 4300 specimens of various forms of life.

Lloyd Botanical Garden The freshness of the orchids. The resplendent colours of a variety of Flora. The magnificent horses at the races in Lebong – the smallest and highest race course in the world. In short, this is one garden with more interests than one thought possible.

 

Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park A zoo, high up over sea level has got to be exotic. And this zoo doesn’t disappoint on bit. Established in 1958, it is the only center in India for the breeding of the snow leopard. The park has also taken a special interest in preserving life forms that are fast becoming extinct and
works at creating an awareness about these animals amongst the public. Other attractions include the Ussurian tigers, Tibetan wolf, red panda and the Himalayan black bear.

Himalayan Mountaineering Institute
Located in close proximity to the zoo, the institute was begun in 1954 and had a celebrity as the first director – none other than Tenzing Norgay. The institute displays one of the most hallowed pieces of mountaineering equipment – the one used by Tenzing and Hillary during their historic climb atop Mount Everest. For those who seek a slight shift from history, zoology awaits you in the form of a garden in the vicinity that has varied forms of wildlife - yaks, Siberian tigers and red pandas. It doesn’t get more exotic than this!
 

	Tiger Hill Located roughly 10 kms from Darjeeling, Tiger Hill stands tall at an altitude of almost 2600 m above sea level. If you wish to witness a spectacular sunrise – the kind you will never forget in a long, long time – just climb Tiger Hill and watch the sun come up from
beyond the Himalayan peaks. You can also spot Mount Everest from atop the peak.

Monastery
A strong Buddhist influence has resulted in Darjeeling being home to many famous monasteries like the Bhutia Bustee Monastery and Aloobaari Monastery.
 

Ghoom monastery Located approximately 8 kms from Darjeeling, this monastery is designed in typical Tibetan style and has the 15 feet statue of Maitreya Buddha. It is also known as Yiga Choling Gompa and is located below Hill Cart Road. The monastery contains images of Buddha’s disciples, Chenrezi and Tsongkapa.

Bhutia Busty Gompa
As you wander around the Chowrasta, you can’t help but notice a monastery roughly 1.5 kms away, that’s vibrant with bright shades and is framed by the mighty Kanchenjunga in the background. You know that you are at the Bhutia Busty Gompa. The monastery is also known for its library that contains a treasure - the original copy of the Tibetan Book of the Dead.
 

	Tea gardens From afar, they are green blankets that cover the lower slopes of the hills. But to the tea connoisseur, they are home to the finest tea grown in this part of the world. Before you pickup a prized cup of tea, feast your eyes on huge stretches of tea gardens across Darjeeling – all
84 of them. They say tea keeps you awake. But a sight of these tea gardens and you would even forget to blink!

The Mall
Okay, every hill station has a mall, but The Mall at Darjeeling is more alive and buzzing than most malls you’d ever see. From hand-knitted sweaters to souvenirs, from Himalayan artifacts to antiques, you will find everything there. Now the question is – do you have enough space to take back everything you want to buy?!!

Chowrasta
This is one time in life when you would love to be at crossroads. That’s right – that’s what Chowrasta means - crossroads. Hotels and restaurants to satiate the taste buds, shops and souvenir stalls to take back mementoes, garments, ornaments, statuettes - in sale, on demand and fast moving off the shelves!
 

Observatory Hill If you hear the locals in Darjeeling speaking in hushed whispers of “Makal-Babu-Ko-Thaan”, you know its reverence towards the oldest site in the neighbourhood. The hill has a Kali shrine that is of religious importance in the neighbourhood. Legend has it that a Buddhist
monastery used to stand in the spot. The name? Dorje Ling or ‘the place of the thunderbolt’. Rings a bell?

Senchal Lake
Water that comes from such a scenic spot should be sweet as it can be. Darjeeling’s fortunate that its domestic water supply is from Senchal Lake, a picnic spot that is located close to the golf links on the summit of a hill. That makes both part of the record books as the world’s highest golf course and picnic spot.
 

Passenger Ropeway Toy train, cabs, treks – and yet Darjeeling has space for more. Like a 5 kms ropeway, the first of its kind in India, that passes over the tea gardens and connects Darjeeling (from Singla bazaar) to Ranjeet river at the bottom of the valley.

Rock Garden
A steep winding road. An arduous journey. And at the end of it, a splendid natural waterfall and a garden of rocks. It goes without saying that it makes a great picnic spot, located 10 kms from the town.
 

Batasia Loop Imagine a moment when you’re in the toy train and it negotiates a circle and descends almost 1000 feet in altitude. Touted an engineering marvel, this is the Batasia loop – a railway loop that the toy train tackles - approximately 5 kms from Darjeeling. The beauty of the loop is that it looks just as spectacular to a person who is
not in the train and is viewing this spectacle from the outside. From the loop, you also get a great view of Darjeeling – its town, slopes and of course the mighty mountains in the backdrop

Things to do
Through with sight-seeing? Looking for a bit of adventure? Here it comes - hang gliding, trekking, river rafting, mountain biking, ballooning and so much more. Now you know why Darjeeling is considered an ideal holiday destination by the adventurous.

 

White Water Rafting
A relatively new adventure sport in Darjeeling that was introduced in the early 90s, white water rafting is being popularized in a big way by the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council Tourism and Action Adventure (P) Ltd. White water rafting not only provides a sense of adventure, but also opens out nature’s best scenery that is present all around.

Trekking
When there are hills and slopes and woods and trails, can trekking be far behind? The Singalila range is one of the most popular trekking route in Darjeeling. While most trekking routes offer a marvelous view only after one reaches the destination, Darjeeling offers great views all along – the craggy peaks, the dense forests, the tea gardens, the sprawling meadows, the rugged mountainsides and other scenic beauties of nature that include rhododendrons, magnolias, orchids and wild flowers.

Hang-gliding and ballooning
When you are up there in the lofty heights, there could be nothing better than taking off into higher altitudes and survey the rest of the world way below. Hang-gliding and ballooning could do that for you at Darjeeling, with all its hills, cliffs and valleys.

Water sports
River rafting, canoeing and kayaking are a few water sports you can try your hand at when you are in Darjeeling. While river rafting can be tried out at river Teesta, with its strong currents and deep gorges, you can go canoeing at Lake Mirik.

Mountain biking
This would probably win the contest for the most popular adventure sport at Darjeeling – hands down. There are several routes with gorgeous tourist spots along the way. So you can mix heady adventure with great sight-seeing as well!

Other activities
Besides the activities mentioned above, you can also go rock climbing at the Himalayan Mountaineering institute, test your archery skills at the annual Tea & Tourism Festival or enjoy elephant rides at Jaldapara.

Shopping
How can any resort activity be complete without shopping? Carpets, rugs, woodwork – you can choose from the best of Tibetan craft at the mall and the various shops and souvenir stalls in the vicinity. And all of them make great gifts – be it for yourself or for your friends and family!

Golf
Test your handicap at one of the highest golf courses in the world - Senchal Golf Course. This is a 9-hole course with a Club House attached and is located near Tiger Hill.

Racing
If the sight of steed racing through the greens is a sight that mesmerizes you, head straight to the Lebong Race Course, one of the smallest and highest race courses in the world. The course is located roughly 8 kms from the town and has fiercely competitive races held during spring & autumn.