Darjeeling India Travel Guide and Travel Information

The highest point in Darjeeling is Tiger Hill. People flock to this attraction in the wee hours of the morning to witness a spectacular sunrise over the Himalayan range, especially, Mt. Kanchenjunga. Tiger Hill is a part of a nature reserve and is a popular picnic destination as well.

Tiger Hill is above Ghoom and can be easily reached by taxi from Darjeeling town. However, a trek from Ghoom up to Tiger Hill is recommended and can be a very enriching experience. There are no entrance fees or fees of any kind at Tiger Hill.

Map of Tiger Hill

Tiger Hill

Senchal (or Sinchal) Lake is one of the most favorite spots for picnics in Darjeeling. It is about 3 kilometers from Ghoom and can easily be reached via local taxi.

The lakes are water reservoirs that supply water to the entire town of Darjeeling.

Map of Senchal Lakes

Senchal Lakes

This monastery is about 8 kilometers from Darjeeling town just below the Ghoom railway station. Yiga Choling Monastery also known as Ghoom Monastery is the largest of Darjeeling’s three main monasteries.

This monastery was built in 1875 by Lama Sherab Gyatso and houses statues of Buddhist deities and lamas like Chenrezig (Avalokitesvara – the Buddha of Compassion), Tsongkhapa (the founder of the Tibetan Gelugpa sect) and Jampeyang (Maitreya – the Buddha of the future). This monastery also is home to a large collection of Buddhist texts including the 108-volume Kangyur, the Tibetan Buddhist canon.

Map of Yiga Choling Monastery or Ghoom Monastery

Yiga Choling Monastery or Ghoom Monastery

The Yolmowa Buddhist Monastery, lovingly known as Aloobari Monastery (named after the village Alubari where it is situated) is about 2 kilometers away from Darjeeling town on Tenzing Norgay Road.

The Yolmowa Buddhist Monastery monastery was founded in 1914 by Sangay Lama, the highly revered religious head of Yolmowas. The Yolmowas are a small ethnic Tibetan clan from northeast Nepal and some of the Yolmowas have made Darjeeling their home.

Map of Yolmowa Buddhist Monastery or Aloobari Monastery

Yolmowa Buddhist Monastery or Aloobari Monastery

Bhutia Busty Monastery is about 1.5 kilometers downhill from Chowrasta by foot. That is the only way to get to the monastery. This monastery was founded in 1879 and is related to both the Kagyu and Nyingma sects of Tibetan Buddhism.

However, the Bhutia Busty Monastery was completely demolished by an earthquake in 1934 but was rebuilt under the patronage of the King of Sikkim. This is one of the reasons why this Tibetan monastery has significant Sikkimese influence in the architecture of this monastery.

Map of Bhutia Busty Monastery

Bhutia Busty Monastery

If you want to immerse yourself in the local culture then a few hours at the Judge Bazaar or Market Square will give you a first-hand glimpse of local noise, color and busyness. This market is located just behind Darjeeling’s motor stand and is made up of many narrow lanes lined with shops selling spices, tea, vegetables, fresh butter, local cheese, garments and other mind boggling number of local products.

Within the market are restaurants, tea shops and a Hindu temple. Especially during festival times like Dashain and Tihar, the bustling bazaar is filled to its brim with villagers from many areas around Darjeeling trading their wares and buying goodies for the festivities.

Step Aside is a famous house below Chowrasta and just a few minutes walk along the C.R. Das Road on the way to Bhutia Busty. This is the house in which the renowned Indian patriot Desbandhu Chittaranjan Das passed away on June 16, 1925. This house contains a few of his personal belongings on display on the first floor while the ground floor has been turned into a maternity clinic for the poor and is named after Desbandhu Chittaranjan Das.

There are no entrance fees for Step Aside but visitors are not allowed to enter the inner sanctum of the house. A stop over at Step Aside is recommend while on the way to the Bhutia Busty Monastery.

Lord Carmichael, a botanist and entomologist was instrumental in setting up of the Natural History Museum in 1915. It has an impressive collection of fauna and insects of Darjeeling and the surrounding areas. Worth seeing are the extensive beetle and butterfly collection. Most of the exhibits in the museum are displayed in poses of everyday life like feeding, hunting and playing.

The museum is about 5 to 10 minutes walk from Chowrasta or the Mall and is located directly below the Gorkha Ranga Manch. Entrance is free for students and a nominal fee is charged for photography.

Map of Natural History Museum

Natural History Museum

The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park also known as Darjeeling Zoo was established in 1958 for research and conservation of Himalayan fauna.

Located below the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute or HMI on the slopes of Jawahar Parbhat, the Darjeeling Zoo is one of the most highly regarded in India as it is a sanctuary to rare wildlife. Expect to see the Siberian tigers (the only ones in India), red pandas, Himalayan black bears and the Tibetan wolves. This zoo also houses a Snow Leopard Breeding Centre.

Snow Leopard Trust reports that 3 snow leopard cubs were born on April 18, 2009 to Neeta (mom) and Karan (male) in Darjeeling Zoo.

Map of Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park

Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park

Himalayan Mountaineering Institute or HMI is atop Birch Hill (Jawahar Parbat) and was founded in 1954 by India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. The legendary Tenzing Norgay Sherpa (the first man to successfully climb Mt. Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary) was the first Director of Field Training at HMI. His grave is located here making the HMI a place of pilgrimage for all climbing and mountaineering enthusiasts.

HMI has a mountaineering museum with a collection of historic mountaineering equipment, Himalayan flora and fauna plus a model of the Himalayan range. The institute is also a reputed school for mountaineers and has a hostel to house its students.

The entry to HMI is via Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park and is easily accessible by foot. The opening hours are 9 am to 1 pm and 3 pm to 5 pm.

Contact For Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI)

Mailing Address
Principal
Himalayan Mountaineering Institute
Darjeeling-734101(WB), INDIA
Tel: +91 354 2254083 / 2254087 / 2270158
Fax: +91 354 53760 / 54330
Emails: hmi_slg@sancharnet.in, hmi_darj@rediffmail.com and joedhillon@rediffmail.com
Website: http://www.himalayanmountaineeringinstitute.com/