India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (394 page)

GETTING THERE
By Road
Darjeeling is 80km (50 miles) from Siliguri, which is the nearest main transit point. Buses from Darjeeling usually leave from the Bazaar bus stand on Hill Cart Road. Darjeeling is connected by road with Siliguri, Bagdogra, Gangtok, and Kathmandu across the Nepali border. Kalimpong is 21⁄2 hours from Bagdogra as well as Darjeeling.

By Air
The nearest airport is at Bagdogra (near Siliguri), 90km (56 miles) away.
Jet Airways
(
033/3989-3333;
www.jetairways.com
)
and
Spicejet
(
1
800-180-3333;
www.spicejet.com
) have flights to Bagdogra from Kolkata (1 hr.) and Delhi (2 hr.). If you decide to fly to or from Assam, there are 50-minute flights available from
Go-Air
(
1800-222-111;
www.goair.in
). A taxi ride from Bagdogra to Darjeeling should take 31⁄2 hours and cost about Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500. From Siliguri, catch the
toy train
(8 hr.; see below) or a
taxi
(2–3 hr.; Rs 1,000) to get to Darjeeling.

By Train
From Kolkata (Sealdah Station), the best option is the overnight Darjeeling Mail, which is supposed to arrive at the New Jalpaiguri railway station (scheduled arrival 8:40am) in time to connect with the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway’s famous
toy train.
The toy train departs at 9am for the scenic 8-hour journey (see “The Most Spectacular Train Journey,” below). Or you can hire a taxi or share a jeep (readily available), directly from the station, for the 3-hour, 88km (54-mile) journey to Darjeeling. Although the toy train runs daily, bad weather may disrupt services. If you intend to catch the toy train out of Darjeeling at the end of your stay, and wish to travel in first class (Rs 247), you must book your ticket in advance at the counter at New Jalpaiguri Station. You can reserve other tickets for major trains out of New Jalpaiguri at the Darjeeling railway station daily between 8am and 2pm.

GETTING AROUND
It’s best to explore Darjeeling on foot, and if you need to haul luggage, ask for a porter and pay him well. Taxis are overpriced and unnecessary (with the exception of excursions to places some distance from the town). For local sightseeing tours or even jeep trips to Gangtok and other mid-distance destinations, contact the helpful
Darjeeling Transport Corporation
(30 Laden La Rd., opposite Apsara Hotel). It’s open from 8am until 8pm and can advise you on alternatives if they’re unable to accommodate you.

TREKKING & ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES
Darjeeling is a good base for various “acclimatization treks” at lower altitudes than those you’re going to come up against if you intend to trek in Sikkim. For sightseeing as well as trekking tours around Darjeeling and western Sikkim
Gurudongma Tours and Treks
(
90-0269-2611
or 94-3406-2100;
www.gurudongma.com
) comes highly recommended. For white-water rafting, contact
D.G.H.C. Tourism
(Silver Fir Bldg., The Mall;
0354/225-5351
). A well-established tour and travel agency in Sikkim, with a branch in Darjeeling, is
Himali Travel Specialists
(30 D.B Giri Rd., Darjeeling;
0354/225-2741
or 98-3204-5091; [email protected]).

The Most Spectacular Train Journey

A polite voice at New Jalpaiguri railway station frequently announces that “the train is running 30 minutes late, the inconvenience caused is deeply regretted.” It’s a small price to pay for what must be one of the slowest, most spectacular train journeys in the world. Since July 4, 1881, Darjeeling’s aptly named
toy trains
—including the world’s oldest functioning steam locomotive—have puffed and wheezed their ways between the hill station and the plains. In December 1999, the railway became India’s 22nd World Heritage Site, only the second railway in the world to be so recognized on the list. The trip between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling covers a mere 87km (54 miles) but takes almost an entire day to transport passengers up 2,055m (6,850 ft.). En route, with rhododendron slopes, rolling hills, and Kanchenjunga in almost constant view, you pass through villages with names like Margaret’s Hope, and puff past the front doors of homes that range from shacks to quaint red-tiled cottages surrounded by potted flowers. You also traverse a total of 498 bridges and 153 unmanned level crossings. The final stop before Darjeeling is
Ghum (Ghoom),
the second-highest railway station in the world. For details, see “Getting There: By Train,” above, or
www.dhr.in
.

Darjeeling is the type of place where you might easily find yourself wanting to do very little other than drink in the restorative climate and tea. There are over 70 different tea plantations in the area, and a typical tour demonstrates everything from harvesting to how different varieties of tea are sorted and prepared for export around the globe. For the finest selection of organic and nonorganic teas—20 to 30 plantations are represented—pay a visit to
Nathmulls
(
0354/225-6437;
www.nathmulltea.com
; Mon–Sat 9am–7pm), a family business that’s been selling tea since 1931. Better still, stay at the Glenburn Tea Estate (reviewed below). For a good vantage point, climb
Observatory Hill,
held sacred by Hindus and Buddhists. A Kali shrine is guarded by foul-tempered monkeys that play on the colorful Buddhist prayer flags strung between the pine trees.