My First Impression of Darjeeling

I often hear about Darjeeling from fellow travellers that I met. It seems to be a popular place to chill and just hang out and escape the Indian heat. I also heard mix feelings about the place and have decided to go to see it for myself.

Darjeeling is a Himalayan city in the north of West Bengal, India and on a clear day, a good place to see the Kangchenjunga mountain, the world’s 3rd highest mountain. It’s also a great place to sample Darjeeling tea which is said to be famous around the world.

We stayed for a total of six days in Darjeeling and enjoyed it a lot. We also did not book any tour packages and instead just went to the places of interest ourselves to save some money and to avoid being rushed.

Even though there were only a handful of foreign tourists, Darjeeling was packed with so many local tourists. Economically I think that it’s good that local visitors drive the economy of this town thus supplementing the income generated by the influx of foreign visitors.

At first I thought that Darjeeling would be an expensive place to visit because it’s the peak season when we were there (May) and it’s a popular summer destination for locals. But I was surprised that it was very affordable!

I suggest that you check it out for yourself too.

Here are some of the places that we visited in Darjeeling:

Happy Valley Tea Garden

Entrance Fee: Free

Himalayan Mountaineering Institute

Entrance Fee: Free

Dhirdham Temple

Entrance Fee: Free

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Darjeeling Zoo

Entrance Fee: 100 Rupees (Addtl Fee for Camera)

Lloyd Botanical Garden

Entrance Fee: Free

Here are some additional interesting things in Darjeeling:

Places of Worship: There are different places of worship here in Darjeeling such as Mosques, Buddhist Temples, Hindu Temples and Catholic Churches.

Street Dogs: There are lots of street dogs in Darjeeling. The good thing is that they’re not aggressive and often times can be found sleeping, maybe because of the nice cool weather that this town has. They’re also very friendly!

Colonial Buildings and Landmarks: Darjeeling has a handful of colonial buildings that are still in good condition and some recognizable landmarks.

Food: Food is very affordable in Darjeeling. These are my favorite snacks and each of them cost less than 50 Rupees each. Masala Dosa (Top Left) cost 40 Rupees, Chapati (Top Right) cost around 5-7 Rupees each, Chocolate Cake (Bottom Left) cost 25 Rupees and Chowmein (Bottom Right) cost 30 – 40 Rupees.

Shopping: Shopping in Darjeeling is centered at Chowk Bazaar where Darjeeling Tea and shawls seem to be the best sellers. Alternatively, you can also check Rink Mall and Old Market for the same items. Prices seem to be cheaper in Old Market. There are also a variety of shops selling Buddhists and Tibetan Artifacts.

How to Get Here

When we went there, the train from New Jaipalguri to Darjeeling known as the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway or “Toy Train” is not operational from NJP. The next best option would be to take the shared jeep in Siliguri Junction straight to Darjeeling for 120 Rupees or get off at Kurseong or Ghum and take the Toy Train from there.