Visit Darjeeling: Queen of Natural Beauty in India

Mankind can find beauty very easily in nature which surrounds them wherever they live or visit. However, visit Darjeeling in North East India and you’ll understand why they call her the Queen of Nature. The serenity and the peaceful environment of this hill station especially of the tea plantations will make you fall in love with this place.

This incredibly beautiful place and popular tourist destination is located in the Mahabharat Range or Lesser Himalya at an average elevation of 6,710 ft (2,050 m). It is noted for its tea industry and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was once a popular hill station during the days of the Raj, a lovely Victoria town built among the Himalayan foothills.

Foreign tourists come to see the beautiful views, visit the tea plantations and resorts, to go trekking at high altitude spots, to go shopping at colorful markets and to experience the cultural diversity. The cultural diversity includes many Tibetan refugees that moved here after Tibet was annexed by China and they co-exist with the descendants of the many Nepali and Bihari laborers brought to work in the tea plantations. The town is also a jumping off point for travelers heading to Sikkim. Obviously, you’ll see many Buddhist monasteries.

It’s a very popular place to visit for your honeymoon, or a relaxing family trip, or even a fun vacation with friends. You can choose to visit there by going on a North East India tour package.

“Flowers are everywhere. The days are cold and the sun almost seems to play hide and seek with us”. – Rabindranath Tagore.

Yes, Darjeeling is a such a place where you can feel and see the unpredictable condition of the weather where the clouds and the suns are busy playing hide and seek.

Main Attractions: Not to be Missed!

The Mall Road, Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Shingamari Ropeway, Zoological Park (Darjeeling Zoo), Mahakal Dara Temple, Tiger Hill, Batasia Loop, Gangamaiya Park, Rock Garden, Happy Valley Tea Estate, Ava Art Gallery, Japanese Temple (Japanese Peace Pagoda), Dhir Dham Temple, Mirik Lake and Darjeeling Tea Estate.

Location: Near the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, India. Darjeeling is one of the country’s most famous hill destinations.

Area: 3,149 Square Km. Location  27 Deg. 13 Min. N to 26 Deg. 27 Min. N Latitude 88 Deg. 53 Min. E to 87 Deg. 59 Min. E Longitude

Altitude: Darjeeling Town:  6710 Feet.

Nearest Railway Station: Darjeeling(Narrow Gauge), New Jalpaiguri(Broad Gauge)

Nearest Airport:  Bagdogra

Neighbouring Countries: Nepal, China, Bhutan & Bangladesh

Density: 413 Persons Per Square Km.

Literacy: 57.62%

Languages: Nepali, Hindi, Bengali and English are the prevailing languages. Bengali is the language of the plains. Tibetan is spoken by the refugees and some other tribal peoples.

Festivals:  Houses are decorated and the festivities arranged on the eve of Diwali and lasts for about two weeks. It consists of Lakshmi Puja, Bhailo, Deosi and Bhai Tika. There are robust folk dances with the males participating enthusiastically in the ‘Chabrung’ of the Libus, the Tamangs dance, ‘Damfu’, and the most popular of them all, the scintillating Maruni. Gay folk songs fill the air with ‘Jhowre’ relating to the lover, and the ‘Juhari’ which throws questions and answers between the lovesick couple. The ‘Rosia’ is sung in the fields, the ‘Baloon’ extols the deeds of the Mahabharata and ‘Malsiri’ is kept for the Durga Puja. The ‘Rateli’ are nursery rhymes set to music. It seems that the people have saved all their energy for these two weeks which are filled with great rejoicing and celebrations.

Map of Darjeeling and neighbouring cities :

How to reach Darjeeling:

You can reach Darjeeling by air, road or railway.

By Air:  The nearest airport to Darjeeling is Bagdogra which is a distance of 90 kms away. Direct flights are available to Bagdogra from New Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta) and Guwahati. From the airport, taxis can take you to Darjeeling at a charges around Rs 1,200 on average.

By Rail : It takes almost 12-13 hours to reach Jalpaiguri from Kolkata (Calcutta). New Jalpaiguri is the nearest railhead which is a distance of 88 kms from Darjeeling. Trains come from all parts of India to New Jalpaiguri en route to Darjeeling. The 8 hour journey in the famous toy train from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling is another great option worth exploring.

By Road :  Travel from Kolkata (Calcutta) to Darjeeling is about 634 km. Time to travel by road is about 8 hrs, 50 mins. There are direct bus and jeep services to Darjeeling from New Jalpaiguri. As the terrain is hilly, reaching Darjeeling normally takes more time. Regular bus services connect Darjeeling and Kolkata, while taxis can also be hired from Kolkata which costs anywhere between Rs 12,000 to Rs 17,000 for a round trip.

Darjeeling Weather:

Located in very high altitudes, Darjeeling is West Bengal’s coolest destination. Temperatures in summer remain in the range of 15-20 degrees. But winters are very cold with chances of temperature falling to 0 degrees also. Heavy rains occur during the June-September monsoon period sometimes resulting in landslides.

Temperature – Darjeeling Town:  Annual Mean Max. Temperature 14.9 Degrees Celsius.  Annual Mean Min. Temperature 8.9 Degrees Celsius. Lowest Minimum Temperature -5 D. Celsius was recorded in  s11/02/1905.

Rainfall – Darjeeling Town: Average Annual Rainfall : 3092 MM. Average Number of Rainy Days : 126 Days.

Rainfall – Siliguri Town: Average Annual Rainfall : 3620 MM. Average Number of Rainy Days : 113 Days.