Prologue

Brought up in West Bengal and never going to Darjeeling brings shame to any Bengali. Well, not really though. Since my first visit was apparently at the ripe age of two. Not having any memory of the same, the choice was to go Darjeeling in early April of 2022, as it offered an unusually long weekend with Ambedkar Jayant Thursday and Good Friday holiday.

Travel

Our train Kanchenjunga Express left Sealdah sharp at 6.35 AM. The 3AC experience was quite smooth overall, except for occasional begging and dirty toilets frequent in Indian Railways. However the situation with food was deplorable. We had pre-booked the breakfast and lunch online, and they bailed on us with no-show. We managed to get 1 delivery out of 4 attempts which was absolute disaster of a service, with fellow passengers having no better experience as well. The train managed to reach NJP well on time though, at 6.10 PM.

Our return steed Teesta Torsa Express was 45 minutes fashionably late, with no signage of where the coaches will be positioned, as we rushed to enter in a frantic frenzy. The train left NJP at 4 PM. Here our 2AC coaches were far superior, proper linens and pillows being provided (with that occasional tea stain). There were train employees at the gates, deterring anyone coming up without a valid ticket and ensured the toilets were mostly clean. Despite being late, we were in Sealdah station by 5.30 AM.

Day Zero

We reached NJP Railway station at 7 P.M. We were immediately greeted by the designated driver assigned by our stay for the night. It took us around 20 minutes to drive through the traffic to reach VIP Hotel Olive Siliguri. The pure vegetarian hotel charged 500 INR for the pickup service.

We were charged 3200 INR for two rooms. We opted for the no-breakfast option. However the same could be added on the spot for 150 INR per person. The hotel did allow external orders from various food delivery apps, despite the warnings on the walls that state otherwise. Rooms were quite clean, the kitchen made tasty food and the hotel enjoyed influx of boarders due to the prime location in the heart of Siliguri.

The only complaint we had about the rooms was the extremely slippery bathroom floor, which clearly did not use anti skid tiles. Checkout time of hotel was 11 AM.

Day One

Our driver and guide for the tour was Edward Chetri who has previously guided my cousin on a tour. We had struck a deal of 3500 INR per day, which includes daily sightseeing and transport. He promptly arrived at 10.30 AM for pickup and we reached our destination by 2 PM. We took one stop for Darjeeling tea, flying high on NH 110.

Before check-in, we took a quick stop at Ghum monastery. To enter, one has to hop over the railway track and climb down to the premises. Apart from the monastery, it has small gift shop and cafe. It started to drizzle without warning, as it often happens on the hills, and we moved onwards from here.

We crossed Mall Road and as we reached Bhanu Bhawan, we took the sharp motor-able road down to reach Hotel Himalayan Retreat. The checkin process was extremely smooth and the welcome was hospitable.

We were assigned rooms on second floor, that were extremely spacious and had all the expected amenities. Apart from the cloudy weather, the hotel’s positioning and angle gave no view of mountains. They had room service which can be tad slow. However one could walk down to the restaurant area in the basement, where the cook made excellent delicacies for us.

After a filling lunch and well deserved nap, we walked up to the mall complex at 7 PM. The path is short, around 10 min away but the crowd thickened as we approached Glenearys. Looking at the massive crowd ahead, we had tea on the shop bang opposite. We proceeded to do some thrift shopping of first copy garments, inside the Mahakali market, on the left side of Mall Road.

We chose to go for dinner at the hotel where the standout dish was the home made curd. Retiring for that day, we slept early for a 3 AM wakeup call, for an exciting day ahead.

Day Two

We left by 3.45 AM, just to be greeted by a sea of hundred cars ahead. As we got down inside the Senchal Forest Reserve, a bone chilling gust hit our face. This place is crowded with local women with flashlight who are selling hot coffee for 25 INR. We reached the summit by 4.30 AM to get a perfect viewpoint, overlooking all directions.

We could see the North Star and the gibbous moon shining brightly. As the blue hour set in, sun rays kept creeping up the east front.

As the sky changed to golden hour on the east, the sun suddenly popped up in all it’s red ball of glory.

On the north face, the light reflected on Kanchenjunga peak. The locals informed us that this was the best visibility we had in a long time, so lady luck was on our side.

The viewpoint had an arena situation built as well which allowed people to sit and enjoy the view. The locals had telescope installed on the premises as well, which one can pay to see the peak magnified.

We left the point to drive down and had a small tea break by 8 AM before retiring to the hotel. Freshening up, we packed our bags to checkout by 11 AM. All our luggage were dumped at the back of the car.

Our next stop was the popular Darjeeling zoo which charges a nominal entry fee of 50 INR. One needs to go through the zoo to access the mountaineering institute that followed.

The path inside was steep, especially being difficult to people of old age. The zoo houses quite a few of mountain goat subfamilies, snow leopard, black leopard, pheasants, macaws, bengal tiger and black bear. The elusive red panda continues to be the highlight of this zoo.

We chose to give mountaineering institute a miss and exited down the slope, where our car came to pick us up for the next stop. We passed the popular ropeway and rock climbing stoppages and moved to Happy Valley Tea Estate. Unfortunately there was a labour strike going on demanding minimum wage hike, but one could still walk amongst the tea plantation.

Our driver took us to Tibetan refugee camp and museum next. The place had numerous photos depicting their turbulent history. Carpets were being sewn on spot in the camp which were being sold by the locals.

The final destinations for the day were the combined arena of Japanese Monastery and Peace Pagoda.

Our next stay in the Hermitage Resort had an entry time at 2 PM. We checked in through an elaborate verification process.

Day Three

All rooms have mountain view as the construction follows floors, down a slope instead of building up like a traditional hotel. We had opted for the cheapest Daisy room, which is at the very bottom, three floors down. The room pricing are given below.

We had booked tickets for the ever popular Toy Train Diesel joyride (1000 INR each for roundtrip) departing Darjeeling station at 9.45 AM through IRCTC system. Most of the seats were available, even a day before. However all seats were booked by the time we boarded.

The other option available is the Steam Ride which runs on coal, how the toy train was originally built with no regards to the environment (1500 INR for each roundtrip)

From the Darjeeling station, one can see the Hindu Dhirdham Temple easily, accessible through a small winding path going downwards.

The Toy Train travels through city and stops after 35 minutes to Batsia Loop Centre where many choose to board down. The train halts for 10 minutes there before restarting.

The trail ends at Ghum Station after an overall runtime of 25 minutes.

One can choose to explore the Ghum Train Museum here, go onwards or take the ride back. Needless to say we chose the third option.

Post return, Edward picked us up for heading to rock garden. The path to the garden is ill maintained, with signs of caved in roads strewn across which has not been fixed for months. The rock garden is pretty much a pile of rocks that flank a small waterfall, with stairways built in to climb through.

We chose to go further down to Gangamaya park (920 INR entry fee) that is a large flat area of multiple flowering trees, cherry blossom blooms and a lake to boat on.

Post return, we had lunch at the ever famous Glenarys. An average per head cost rounded up to 400 INR (without alcohol). There is bakery downstairs, a pub in the basement and the dinner area on top floor. The dining area also has an open air seating arrangement that allows smoking.

A bit of local shopping is always welcome. Hence getting high quality Darjeeling tea from the OG Nathmull’s Tea room was an undeniable activity, located right at the entrance of Mahakali market in Mall Road.

Day Four

This time we attempted accessing a different path towards Mall, walking through New Mahakali market which is on right side. This path is longer but much less steep. We tried having breakfast at Keventers by 8.15 AM (it opens at 8 AM) and was greeted with a queue of fifty foodies. Ditching the place, we got our breakfast packed from a different place instead and left by 9 AM.

Our drive towards Takdah had a quick stop at Rangli Rangot, a view point where wild strawberries grow aplenty.

Takdah Orchid centre (20 INR entry fee) has a basic washroom, as it is maintained by the forest division. One can purchase low maintenance plants like cacti and succulents at the gate, for as low as 50 INR.

We drove onwards to the tea garden at Tinchuley, which provides a panoramic view of Teesta and Kalimpong simulatenously. Unfortunately, rain clouds were closing in, leading to an overcast fog by mid day with tons of haze.

Our next pit stop was at Lamahatta eco park (20 INR entry fee per person), a garden enclosed by massive pine forest. There is a wooden elevation built here as well for a birds eye view of entire locale.

For the adventurous ones, there is a choice to walk through the dark forest. The path is a 750 meter uphill towards the sacred lake. A map for the same is available on the flip-side of the entry ticket.

We finished our day by gorging at Glenearies again. We also picked up cakes and more from the bakery, for the train journey back home.

Tip Offs

• Call the hotels up before booking online. They often offer a better deal if you do not go through an aggregator. We lucked out in this respect, the hotel at Siliguri communicated to us promptly on whatsapp about the same, allowing us to lock a better deal by paying a nominal advance.

• Toy Trains are usually available to book till one day prior, if your journey date is on a weekday. On a weekend or a national holiday, it is advisable to book well in advance.

• Darjeeling Mail, arguably the best train available, gets sold out months in advance. So opt early if you are travelling on a holiday period.

• It is advisable to look at weather prediction reports before booking since visibility in hills can be challenging as mountain climate can work against your favour. It is important to note that there is snow in winter as well.

• Darjeeling Tea and any food at Glenary’s deserve the hype. Do not miss either.

• Try the horse ride on Mall Road morning, especially if you are travelling with kids.

• There is a limit to cars that are allowed on Tiger hill everyday and the path is one way. Leave as early as possible, both from the hotel and down the view point, to get unblocked from the traffic and for the most optimum view. The ones who come late are usually not taken till the very top and are offered a much inferior view instead.

Recommendations

Peaking at Kanchenjunga sunrise on a clear sky reflecting the transition of colour spectrum. It is truly magical and worth the effort.

Queening out

Sayantan