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You must make a trip here
to come across with experiences that excite, romanticize and chill
at the same time.
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Darjeeling Gangtok Cultural Tour
Duration -04 Nights / 05 Days
Destination - Bagdogra - Darjeeling - Gangtok -
Bagdogra or New Jalpaigudi
Day 01 : Arrive Bagdogra & Drive to Darjeeling
You will be met on arrival at Bagdogra airport or New Jalpai gudi railway
station and transfer to Darjeeling. Chek in at the hotel and evening at
leisure.
Day 02 : In Darjeeling
Full
day city tour of town Darjeeling, situated at an altitude of 2,134 m, was
developed by the British as a hill resort to escape the heat and rains of
the plains. In the 1840s, tea plantation was introduced in the area. At
the centre of the town is the Mall, Darjeeling's commercial street, lined
with souvenir shops which leads to Chaurastha, a square with a bandstand
and several antique shops. The Observatory Hill is perhaps the oldest
built-up site in Darjeeling. A Red Hat Buddhist monastery, Dorjeling once
stood here but was destroyed by the Nepalis in the 19th century. On Birch
Hill to the north stands the Shrubbery, the residence of the Governor of
West Bengal and further down along the Birch Hill Road is the Himalayan
Mountaineering Institute previously headed by the late Tenzing Norgay. A
museum displays the equipment used on the first successful expedition to
Mount Everest.
The nearby Zoological Park specializes in high-altitude wildlife - yaks,
Himalayan black bears, pandas, but is also has four Siberian tigers.
Below, the tea estate of Happy Valley is one of the best in Darjeeling and
can be visited every day except Sundays and Mondays. Dominating the Mall
is the Planter's Club, where planters from all over the area meet,
particularly on Sundays. The Lloyd Botanical Gardens were laid out in 1878
on land donated by the owners of Lloyd's Bank. They present a collection
of Himalayan and alpine flora. Nearby is the Tibetan Refugee Self- Help
Centre with its temple, school, hospital and a shop selling carpets,
textiles and jewelery.
Day 03 : Drive Darjeeling to Gangtok
Mount Kanchenjunga can be seen from Observatory Hill but a much better
view of the peak is from Tiger Hill, 10 km south of Darjeeling. On winter
days, the range can be clearly seen with Kanchenjunga (8,598 m.) in the
middle, flanked by Kabru (7,338 m.) and Pandim (6,691 m.). To the right
are the Three Sisters, the Everest (8,842 m.), the Makalu (8,482 m.) and
the Lhotse (8,500 m.) and to the east, the Tibetan peaks. On the way back,
you can stop at Ghoom, a small Tibetan monastery by the roadside, built in
1875 and housing a 5-meter statue of Lord Buddha. Check out and a drive of
approx 4 hours will lead to Gangtok. Upon arrival check in at your hotel.
Rest of the day at leisure or visit the main market area for your shopping
and other.
Day 04 : In Gangtok
Gangtok
the capital of Sikkim lies at an altitude of 5,400 feet (1,640 m), facing
Kanchenjunga. The most important building in the southern part of the city
is the Choegyal's Palace, usually closed to visitors except for the
Tsuklakhang Royal Chapel, where festivals and ceremonies are held. The
palace itself opens once a year, during the last week of December, for the
Pong Labsal festival during which masked lamas perform a dance to
Kanchenjunga around a banner pole. The Government Handicraft Centre (open
10 am to 4 pm) was instituted with the aim of promoting and keeping alive
the state's traditional art and crafts. The Cottage Industries is a
storehouse of hand-woven woolen carpets with traditional motifs, blankets,
shawls in Lepcha weaves and exquisitely carved choktse tables. The
Research Institute of Tibetology the most prestigious one of its kind
built in 1958 by the last Chogyal to preserve Tibetan culture, houses a
library of more than 30,000 books on Buddhism, astrology, medicine and
philosophy as well as a collection of thangkhas (Tibetan religious
paintings on cloth).Today it is a renowned worldwide centre for the study
of Buddhist philosophy and religion.
Day 05 : Drive to Bagdogra or New Jalpaigudi
Drive back to Bagdogra airport to connect your train / flight
The Himalayas are not mere rocks and snows
but an ubfailing storehouse of adventure and beauty.
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You may not be a pilgrim at first hand but
you'll soon become one as you arrive here!
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Accommodations that come coupled with
galvanising environs for a stay of its kind...
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