Friday, April 6, 2012

Darjeeling Truly A Home in the Mountains

Darjeeling is a place of wonderland. On the way to Darjeeling you get the glimpse of the tea garden and tea estates of lure beauty. Darjeeling is synonyms with tea and no doubt the world best tea is blended in one of the tea estates of Darjeeling.

Darjeeling is a small hill station nestled on the lap of the mighty Himalayas. The cool blowing breeze, the lush rolling hills, the snow capped mountains and the remains of the East India Company makes Darjeeling a sought after destination in the world.

Reaching Darjeeling is easy as it is well connected with roads. Once you get down on Jalpaiguri Railway Station or the Bagdogra Airport you can take a taxi and climb up hill from Siliguri to Kurseong and then Darjeeling the “Queen of the Hills”. Darjeeling is a place of wonderland. On the way to Darjeeling you get the glimpse of the tea garden and tea estates of lure beauty. Darjeeling is synonyms with tea and no doubt the world best tea is blended in one of the tea estates of Darjeeling. The tea gardens and tea estates were introduced by the British a long time back and it still remains as an attractive tourist spot till date.

Darjeeling tour packages are offered by many tour companies as it is a splendid holiday destination. Take a joy ride on the toy train which is a World Heritage Property declared by the UNESCO. The train journey starts from the station in the main town and travel all the way to Ghoom the second highest railways station in the world. On the mystical journey of the toy train you can get the panoramic view of the Kanchenjunga, Ghoom Monastery, Dali Monastery, Batasia Loop and the amphitheatre of hills and mountains.

Darjeeling tours include a visit to the Padmaja Naidu Zoological Park which is a home of wild and endangered species. The Royal Bengal Tigers, Barking deer, Tibetan Wolves, Himalayan Black Bears and Red Pandas are some of the animals in captivity. The Darjeeling Zoo has a unique feature of snow leopard breeding in captivity. Nest to the Zoological Park is the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute which offers courses on mountaineering. The Institute has a museum, indoors and outdoors artificial climbing rocks. Other places of tourist interests are Japanese Peace Pagoda, the Observatory Hills and the Mahakal Temple, Chowrasta a sitting room for all.

If you are an adventure enthusiast then you must trek the Shangri-La Park. The starting point of the trek is Manay- Bhanjang from where you trek uphill to Sandakphu and Phalut. If you are lucky then you can catch a glance of red panda or a bear in the wild. From Sandakphu you get the panoramic view of the Mount Everest the highest summit of the world and the Kanchenjunga. The view of the two mountains side by side is breath taking. In the month of April the valley is covered by the blooming of Rhododendrons and Magnolias. The trek is tiring but there is “no sweet without the sweat”. Take candid photos and “take back nothing but memories” to reflect back upon lifetime.

From Darjeeling you can opt for a Sikkim tour packages as well. The state of Sikkim is the second smallest of India blessed with abundance bounties of nature. Some of the places to visit in Sikkim are Ganesha Tok, Hanuman Tok, White Hall, Ridge Garden, Tashi View Point, M.G Marg, Rumtek Monastery, Tsomgo Lake and Char Dham. You can also take a five day tour to Lachen, Gurudongmar Lake, Lachung, Yumthang and Zero Point.

Sikkim and Darjeeling are the two precious gems of the India subcontinent. We guarantee that you will have a lonely day out in the foot hills of the Himalayas. Try the mouth watering momos which has an authentic and original taste from rest of the world. Have a wonderful time and live in the moment.