Kickstart your day at 4 in the morning. Today, you will be exploring Darjeeling inside out. You’ll be living a day full of nature’s magic.
Tiger Hill
Firstly, drive to the Tiger Hill and reach before the sun is set to rise. Here, you will be viewing one of the most spectacular sunrises of your life. Your eyes will capture imagery worth cherishing for life. Tiger Hill is the summit of Ghoom, the UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can look at the Mount Everest in its eye from the viewpoint at this hill. On clear days, Kurseong along with Balason River, Mahananda River, Mechi River, and Teesta River can also be seen.
Ghoom Monastery
On your way back to the hotel, visit the Old Ghoom Monastery or the Ghum Monastery. The monastery belongs to Gelukpa and is renowned for a 15 feet tall statue of Lord Buddha. The stature means ‘the Coming Buddha or Buddha of the future.’ Also known by the name of Yiga Choeling Monastery, it is one of the oldest Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries in the city of Darjeeling.
Reach your hotel, freshen up, have your breakfast and now leave for the following places-
Himalayan Mountaineering Institute
The HMI or the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute is a premier organisation engaged in the promotion of mountaineering as a respectable and an organised sport. The institute came into being after Tenzing Norgay along with Edmund Hillary registered their names in the history of climbing the Mount Everest in 1953. So to encourage the youth for taking on mountaineering not only as an adventurous activity but a proper sport, HMI was established by the then Prime Minister Pdt.Jawaharlal Nehru on 4th November 1954. It is a leader in imparting great theoretical and practical education to the budding trekkers and mountaineers. Apart from being a temple of learning it also has a museum which has a vast collection of literary works, Hitler’s telescope, artefacts, models, etc.
Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park
The only specialised zoo in the country Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park is recognised internationally for its breeding programmes of Snow Leopards, Red Panda, Tibetan Wolf and other rarely found animal species in Eastern Himalayas. It was established on on14 August 1958 as a joint venture by the Government of India and West Bengal State Government. You can visit the Zoo on anytime during the week except for Thursday when it remains closed. Here you will find over 200 species of flora and many birds and aminals such as Ring-Necked Pheasants, Rose Ring Parakeets, Himalayan Black Bear, Yak, Sambar Deer, Goral, Clouded Leopards, Tibetan Wolves, and Siberian Tigers, etc.
Tenzing Rock
A pair of the humongous natural rock, Tenzing Rock is used for the sports people and mountaineers to practice their tricks of climbing the hill. It is named after Tenzing Norgay, the man who first climbed Mt. Everest in 1953. Professional climbers use the left face of the rock while the tourists and amateur climbers use the right front of the rock.
Chitrey Tea Garden (outer view)
A small hamlet located in the hilly terrains of Darjeeling, Chitrey has beautiful tea gardens which are a must visit. The breeze here is a whole lot different in any other part of the city. It is more refreshing and full of tea leaves’ fragrance. There are small tea shops selling tea made of leaves from the gardens over here.
Japanese Temple and Peace Pagoda
The eye-arresting Japanese temple finds itself at a 10 minutes drive from the city of Darjeeling. The locals also know it as Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Temple which was built in the year 1972. It is two-storied white building constructed in traditional Japanese style architecture. Near to it is the Peace Pagoda which represents four avatars of Gautam Buddha. From the top of this Pagoda, you can witness panoramic views of the landscapes of Darjeeling and the Mt. Kanchenjunga range.
After covering all these attractions head back to your hotel, rest, and in the evening go strolling at the Mall Road and Chowrasta.