Description
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to the resort
On arrival, get your car for check-in to the resort in Dhupjhora/Murti. After lunch visit Suntalekhola, Samsing & Rocky Island
Day 2: In Gorumara
In the morning take a safari inside the Gorumara national park. As you pass through the dense forests you may come across the herd of elephants/Bisons crossing your way. Most common animals in the area are one horned Indian rhino, Elephant, Indian Bison (commonly known as Gaur), Leopards (locally known as Chitabagh), Rock Python, Malayan Giant Squirrel and deer as they regularly come to the salt reservoir just below the tower. You may take a safari to Chapramari wildlife sanctuary (30kms) via Murti. Inside the Chapramari forests there is a small pond, where mostly the elephants and the Indian Bisons come to drink water. The forest rest house inside gives a magnificent view of the pond surrounded by forests. Return to your resort.
After breakfast visit Jhalong, Bindu and Paren
Overnight at the resort.
Day 3: Dhupjhora/Murti to Kalimpong
After breakfast, drive to Kalimpong via Lava town (130km). The drive goes through a series of tea gardens, river valleys and many small picturesque hillside villages. Stop at Lava to enjoy the breathtaking landscape that surrounds you. Lava is one of the most picturesque rural towns in the Kalimpong District, situated at an altitude of 6890ft. Visit Lava Monastery and continue your drive to Kalimpong through the pine forests. This evening, stroll through the township of Kalimpong, once an important trading center between Bhutan, Sikkim & Tibet.
Overnight in Kalimpong.
Day 4: Around Kalimpong
After breakfast, visit Durpin Dara for amazing views of the plains, and nearby you can visit ZangDog Palri Fo-Brang Gompa temple. Drive up to Deolo hill for a bird’s eye view of Kalimpong town. On a clear day, you can also see a magnificent view of Mt. Kanchendzonga from these viewpoints. Later visit the flower nurseries, Dr.Graham’s Homes, a well respected boarding school built in the 1900s. Visit Trongsa Gompa or Bhutanese monastery and more time for a stroll in the bazaar.
Overnight in Kalimpong.
Day 5: Kalimpong to Darjeeling
After breakfast, drive to Darjeeling through a picturesque tea garden, especially the one at Peshok. Along the way, among other stops, we can stop at Triveni viewpoint, to see the view of the confluence of Teesta and Rangeet rivers at a point that is known as Lover’s Meet.
Upon arrival in Darjeeling, check into your hotel. After high tea in the evening, stroll around Chowrasta Mall.
Overnight in Darjeeling.
Day 6: Sightseeing in Darjeeling
Early this morning (before dawn), drive to Tiger Hill (14 km) to get a magnificent view of sunrise over the mt. Kanchenjunga and other peaks of eastern Himalayas (weather permitting). On your way back to the hotel visit Yiga choeling monastery at Ghoom built in the year 1850 – oldest in the town. After breakfast, take a toy train up to Ghoom. Later visit Padmaja Naidu zoological park, known for its successful breeding of snow leopards and some other Himalayan species. Nearby visit the Everest museum at Himalayan mountaineering institute, followed by visit to Tibetan refugee self help center. In the evening, explore the local markets at Darjeeling and visit tea shops.
Overnight in Darjeeling.
Day 7: Departure for Bagdogra airport/NJP Rail station.
Darjeeling is a town and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located in the Lesser Himalayas at an elevation of 6,700 ft (2,042.2 m). It is noted for its tea industry, its views of Kanchenjunga, the world’s third-highest mountain, and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Darjeeling is the headquarters of the Darjeeling District which has a partially autonomous status within the state of West Bengal. It is also a popular tourist destination in India. Nepali is the native language of Darjeeling.
The recorded history of the town starts from the early 19th century when the colonial administration under the British Raj set up a sanatorium and a military depot in the region. Subsequently, extensive tea plantations were established in the region and tea growers developed hybrids of black tea and created new fermentation techniques. The resultant distinctive Darjeeling tea is internationally recognized and ranks among the most popular black teas in the world. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway connects the town with the plains and has some of the few steam locomotives still in service in India.
Darjeeling district has three wildlife sanctuaries: Jorepokhri, Mahananda, and Senchal. The varied culture of the town reflects its diverse demographic milieu comprising indigenous Bengali, Nepali, Lepcha, Bhutia, Tibetan, and other mainland Indian ethnolinguistic groups.
Update February 2017: Kalimpong which was earlier a subdivision of Darjeeling district has become a separate district of West Bengal effective 14th Feb 2017 with an area of 1,056 square kilometers of its own. It is no longer a subdivision of the Darjeeling district. But that makes no difference to the tourists. In fact, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong, and various parts of Sikkim including Gangtok have been loved tourist destinations for ages and several of them can be combined on a single trip.
