Top 10 Tourist Places in Darjeeling
Here are the top places to see in Darjeeling. If you are visiting
Darjeeling for a short vacation, then you should target to visit some of these
places listed in this section.
(1) Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI) and the amazing Darjeeling Zoo
HMI is a destination by itself and a said to be a pilgrimage for
all climbing enthusiasts of the world. It was established in honor of Tenzing
Norgay after he and Sir Edmund Hillary climbed the Everest in 1953. It has a
well stocked museum with mountaineering displays and many expedition artifacts,
a boarding school for mountaineering students, houses for the trainers, a
restaurant, a souvenir shop and more. HMI is located on Jawahar Road or the
Birch Hill that can be accessed from the Mall Road and Lebong Cart Road. One
can actually walk down Mall road & then Jawahar road to reach
HMI.
The main entrance to Zoo and HMI are the same and both should be
covered at the same time. The unique feature of this zoo is, it houses animals
of high altitude and mostly from upper Himalayas. You can see some rare animals
here like Red Pandas, Snow Leopards, Tibetan Wolf and lot more.
(2) Tiger Hill
Located at the highest point in Darjeeling area, Tiger Hill is
best known for the dazzling sunrise view of the Kanchenjunga and the snow
covered peaks of the entire eastern Himalayan range. On a clear day you can
even see the mount Everest from here. Tiger Hill is located 11km from the
Darjeeling Town and takes about 40 minutes to reach by car.
(3) Batasia Loop
Located 5km from Darjeeling Town and just below Ghoom, Batasia
Loop as the name suggests, is a loop or a spiral of a narrow gauge railway
track where the Toy Train negotiates a sudden sharp descent from Ghoom. It's a
wonderful viewing place with manicured gardens, streams and falls, from where
you can get a wide range view of the Darjeeling's landscape, Kanchenjunga and
the other Eastern Himalayan peaks.
(4) Darjeeling Ropeway
This is one way you can be part of special diverse offerings from
the nature and all in one place. From the ropeway of Darjeeling which is also
known as the Rangeet Valley Passenger Cable Car, you can have mind blowing view
of the valley below, see the spread of lush tea gardens, dense forests,
mountain streams in their full flow, waterfalls, and the awesome snow peaks at
the background. Get off at a lower station and enjoy the tea estates, walk
through the tea gardens, or just relax and enjoy the view around. It's hard to
find all these together in one place.
(5) Darjeeling Mall (Chowrasta)
The Chowrasta or the Mall is the town center in Darjeeling. This
is a lovely little flat area, a public square where four roads meet. This
public place is where you would like to lounge & bake in the sun, sit
and watch the wonderful views of the mountain range and see many locals and
tourists hanging around. One side of the mall is lined with pine trees through
which you get wonderful mountain vistas, the other side is lined with lovely
boutique shops of different kinds. And all around the mall, you have benches to
sit and relax.
(6) Rock Garden & Ganga Maya Park
These two are scenic parks in wonderful settings located a few
miles away from the Darjeeling town. Rock garden is about 10km and Ganga Maya
is another 3km from there. Rock Garden is all about terraced gardens at
different levels that have been cut through the rocks having a waterfalls with
nice seating arrangements. Ganga Maya is more spread out and has a beautiful
stream flowing through it on a valley, has flower gardens, fountains and
more.
(7) Japanese Temple & Peace Pagoda
About 10 minutes by car, you will reach a wonderful area that is
symbolic of peace and tranquility. Located in the Jalapahar hill, the Japanese
Temple is built in traditional Japanese style where you can join the prayers
and feel the spiritual peace amongst humming and chants. Close to it is the
Peace Pagoda where there are four large avatars of Lord Buddha. The view from
the top is magnificent. You can see the snow peak range from here including the
Kanchenjunga.
(8) Bengal Natural History Museum
What started as a modest effort in 1903 to display butterflies and
birds of the Darjeeling district, has grown to house a large collections of
mammals, birds & nests with eggs, reptiles & fishes and even
insects of wide varieties. The displays are actually specimens of real
creatures that had been captured, stuffed and preserved. The Bengal Natural
History Museum can be reached by few minutes walk from the Chowrasta
Mall.
(9) Observatory Hill and Mahakal Temple
Rising from behind the Mall, Observatory Hill is an ideal place to
get a 360 degree view of Darjeeling and the peaks surrounding it. The Mahakal
Temple, the central temple of Darjeeling of all faiths is located on top of the
hill where the original Dorjeling Buddhist Monastery once stood.
(10) Tibetan Refugee Self Help Center
This center was established on October 2nd, 1959 for
rehabilitation of Tibetans who followed Dalai Lama and escaped their homeland
during the period of mayhem. In order to sustain living, they adopted the
principle of self help. The center is located on a hill top that can be
approached from the Lebong Cart Road. You can see Tibetan men and women making
exquisite hand crafted items like woolen carpets, shawls, carved wooden crafts,
leather items and more. There is an outlet at the center from where you can buy
these items.
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