Duration :- 04 Nights / 05 Days
Destination :- Bagdogra – Darjeeling – Gangtok – Bagdogra or New Jalpaigudi
Day 01 : Arrive Bagdogra & Drive to Darjeeling
You will be met on arrival at Bagdogra airport or New Jalpai gudi railway station and transfer to Darjeeling. Chek in at the hotel and evening at leisure.
Day 02 : In Darjeeling
Full day city tour of town Darjeeling, situated at an altitude of 2,134 m, was developed by the British as a hill resort to escape the heat and rains of the plains. In the 1840s, tea plantation was introduced in the area. At the centre of the town is the Mall, Darjeeling’s commercial street, lined with souvenir shops which leads to Chaurastha, a square with a bandstand and several antique shops. The Observatory Hill is perhaps the oldest built-up site in Darjeeling. A Red Hat Buddhist monastery, Dorjeling once stood here but was destroyed by the Nepalis in the 19th century. On Birch Hill to the north stands the Shrubbery, the residence of the Governor of West Bengal and further down along the Birch Hill Road is the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute previously headed by the late Tenzing Norgay. A museum displays the equipment used on the first successful expedition to Mount Everest.
The nearby Zoological Park specializes in high-altitude wildlife – yaks, Himalayan black bears, pandas, but is also has four Siberian tigers. Below, the tea estate of Happy Valley is one of the best in Darjeeling and can be visited every day except Sundays and Mondays. Dominating the Mall is the Planter’s Club, where planters from all over the area meet, particularly on Sundays. The Lloyd Botanical Gardens were laid out in 1878 on land donated by the owners of Lloyd’s Bank. They present a collection of Himalayan and alpine flora. Nearby is the Tibetan Refugee Self- Help Centre with its temple, school, hospital and a shop selling carpets, textiles and jewelery.
Day 03 : Drive Darjeeling to Gangtok
Mount Kanchenjunga can be seen from Observatory Hill but a much better view of the peak is from Tiger Hill, 10 km south of Darjeeling. On winter days, the range can be clearly seen with Kanchenjunga (8,598 m.) in the middle, flanked by Kabru (7,338 m.) and Pandim (6,691 m.). To the right are the Three Sisters, the Everest (8,842 m.), the Makalu (8,482 m.) and the Lhotse (8,500 m.) and to the east, the Tibetan peaks. On the way back, you can stop at Ghoom, a small Tibetan monastery by the roadside, built in 1875 and housing a 5-meter statue of Lord Buddha. Check out and a drive of approx 4 hours will lead to Gangtok. Upon arrival check in at your hotel. Rest of the day at leisure or visit the main market area for your shopping and other.
Day 04 : In Gangtok
Gangtok the capital of Sikkim lies at an altitude of 5,400 feet (1,640 m), facing Kanchenjunga. The most important building in the southern part of the city is the Choegyal’s Palace, usually closed to visitors except for the Tsuklakhang Royal Chapel, where festivals and ceremonies are held. The palace itself opens once a year, during the last week of December, for the Pong Labsal festival during which masked lamas perform a dance to Kanchenjunga around a banner pole. The Government Handicraft Centre (open 10 am to 4 pm) was instituted with the aim of promoting and keeping alive the state’s traditional art and crafts. The Cottage Industries is a storehouse of hand-woven woolen carpets with traditional motifs, blankets, shawls in Lepcha weaves and exquisitely carved choktse tables. The Research Institute of Tibetology the most prestigious one of its kind built in 1958 by the last Chogyal to preserve Tibetan culture, houses a library of more than 30,000 books on Buddhism, astrology, medicine and philosophy as well as a collection of thangkhas (Tibetan religious paintings on cloth).Today it is a renowned worldwide centre for the study of Buddhist philosophy and religion.
Day 05 : Drive to Bagdogra or New Jalpaigudi
Drive back to Bagdogra airport to connect your train / flight
