Dream-land of the East
Darjeeling , the queen of all hill stations, famous for its natural beauty, clean fresh air, year round pleasant weather and above all, tea estates and the famous Darjeeling Tea. Darjeeling gets its name from Dorje (Thunderbolt) and Ling (Place).
The name Darjeeling is a composition of 'dorje' meaning 'thunderbolt' and 'ling' meaning 'place' . 'the Land of Thunderbolt'. The Nepalese had marched till the east of Sikkim in 1780 as far as Tista river. Due to a disagreement with Nepal, the British declared war against Nepal at the end of 1813. In 1816 by a treaty signed at Seagoulie, Nepal ceded 4000 sq. miles of territory and by the treaty of Titalya in 1817 the Rajah (king) of Sikkim was reinstated.
In 1828 two British officers, Capt. C. A. Lloyd and Mr. J. W. Grant, after settling the internal factions between Nepal and Sikkim, found their way to a place called Chungtong to the west of Darjeeling and were very impressed with what they saw and thought of making this place a sanitarium. Other British officers also reported favourably on the situation of the hill of Darjeeling.
VIA AIR : Fly down to the nearest airport Bagdogra which is 94 kms from Darjeeling town and take a private taxi. Shared taxis and buses are not available here. It takes little over 3 hours to reach Darjeeling from Bagdogra airport.
VIA TRAIN : Take a train up to NJP (New Jalpaiguri). Darjeeling is only 88 kms from here. You will get ample taxis and shared jeeps from NJP to reach Darjeeling in about 3 hours. Few long distance trains pass through Siliguri as well. You will also get plenty of shared jeeps, taxis and buses at Siliguri (takes about 2.5 hours to Darjeeling). You can even take a toy train ride from either NJP or Siliguri through scenic mountain route that takes about 7 hours to reach Darjeeling. The toy train track runs parallel and next to the Hill Cart Road for most part. Check Toy Train Service for schedule and running status.
VIA ROAD : There are regular buses including Rocket and Volvo services between Kolkata (Calcutta) and Siliguri Main Bus Terminal (known as Tenzing Norgay Bus Terminus located on Hill Cart Road). From Siliguri main bus terminal area, you will get buses, shared Jeeps and private taxis for Darjeeling. Distance between Siliguri and Darjeeling is 80kms.
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.
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.
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
