Darjeeling Unlimited: Things to do in Darjeeling, India.

This post contains affiliate links from which I might make a commission off your purchases at no cost to you.

Darjeeling ended up being a nice little vacation from India. The town is in India, I know, but it was surprising how different it seemed from everywhere else in the country we’d been so far. Located up in the Himalayan foothills in India’s West Bengal state, it was colder. The people were friendlier. There were no cows and no rickshaws. No one stared at me. No one bothered us. It was calm, it was peaceful. It was a nice change. And there were just enough things to do in Darjeeling, India, (like Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoo, Happy Valley Tea Estate, Sunrise at Tiger Hill, and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway) that kept us entertained while allowing some breathing room.

After two nights in our first too cold room in a too cold guesthouse, Jaime and I found a new place to stay. Somewhere without holes in the wall and with a much cleaner bathroom. We were both still sick for much of our time there and spent way too much time in and out of bathrooms or laying in bed.

But we still made plenty of time to enjoy the natural beauty of the little town and do all the things to do in Darjeeling.

 

 

Things to do in Darjeeling, India:

 

Bengal Natural History Museum

One day we went to the Bengal Natural History Museum, which was a small little building filled with stuffed creatures indicative to the area. The museum contained a large collection of specimens including varieties of birds, reptiles, mammals, fish, and insects. There were a lot of taxidermy creatures and pinned up bugs on display.

Bengal Natural History Museum
Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park
Jawahar Parbat
Darjeeling, West Bengal

 

Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park

We visited Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, the Himalayan Zoo, after the museum. This is the only specialized Zoo in the country and it is recognized internationally for its breeding pgrams of Red Pandas, Tibetan Wolves, Snow Leopards, and other endangered animal species of Eastern Himalaya. We saw red pandas and other such exotic creatures as the goldfish. Honestly, though, the zoo made me a little sad as many of the cages were small and sparse. (On the way there we also ran into a box of kittens on the side of the road, which had me even sadder for the enimals that day.)

Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park
Jorethang Road
Jawahar Parbat
Darjeeling, West Bengal

 

Lloyd Botanical Gardens

We spent an afternoon walking through the Lloyd Botanical Gardens (also known as Darjeeling Botanical Garden). At first, wandering the barren landscape, we thought that maybe the gardens were just filled with old trees…but we eventually found flowers. Many beautiful flowers. It was definitely a must do in Darjeeling. The gardens are known for their selection of Himalayan plants, including orchids and rhododendrons.

Lloyd Botanical Gardens
Lochnager Road
Darjeeling, West Bengal

 

Happy Valley Tea Estate

After exploring the botanical gardens, we trekked down to Happy Valley Tea Estate, to see how tea is made. Happy Valley Tea Estate is Darjeeling’s second oldest tea estate, having been established as Wilson Tea Estate by an Englishman, David Wilson, in 1850. In 1929 the estate was passed to Indian ownership and was re-christened Happy Valley. Tours are offered daily of the 177.36 hectare property where you can learn about the company’s history along with the traditions and methods around growing and manufacturing tea in the region. Unfortunately, when we got there, everyone was on break, and much of the picking had already been done. Still, it was a fascinating tour with some beautiful views of the valley.

Happy Valley Tea Estate
Lebong Cart Rd, Chauk Bazaar
Darjeeling, West Bengal

 

Drinking Tea in Darjeeling, India

If there is one thing you have to do in Darjeeling, it’s drink tea. Any of the cafes in town offer a menu of teas to sample at varying qualities and prices.

 

Sunrise at Tiger Hill Darjeeling

One morning, despite still feeling ill, we woke up ungodly early to view the sunrise over the Himalayans= Mountains at Tiger Hill Darjeeling. Tiger Hill is located 11kms (6.8 miles) from Darjeeling town and is the highest point in Darjeeling hills, coming in at an altitude of 2,590 meters (8,482 feet). You want to reach viewing point at the top of the hill by 4am so it’s a must to wake up early and head to find transport by 3:30am. When we reached our destination, the crowds were thick with tourists waiting for the breathtaking sunrise. And it was worth the early start, though, the morning we were there, it was too foggy to see much besides a small glow over the landscape.

Tiger Hill
Senchal Rd, Senchal Forest
Darjeeling, West Bengal

 

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (Toy Train)

Taking a ride on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the Toy Train, is another thing you have to to do in Darjeeling. The small, narrow gauge railway runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling. You can take the train for actual transport or, like many tourists do, you can take a shorter joy ride on a diesel steam locomotive running round trip between Darjeeling to Ghoom, including a 10 minute stop at Batasia loop and 30 minute stop at the Ghoom Railway Museum.

We took a joyride on the DHR. Of course, our definition of a joyride and India’s are not quite the same. And the train broke down. Several times. Making the two hour ride last about five. I’m not sure why, after all the train trouble we’ve been having, we actually wanted to ride a train for fun. But there were some nice views and some fun photo ops on the UNESCO World Heritage Site so it was well worth an afternoon.

Darjeeling Railway Station
Hill Cart Rd, Limbugaon
Darjeeling, West Bengal

 

Between spending much of our time being sick in the bathroom and between so many things not working out as planned, our time in Darjeeling, India, may not have been the most pleasant of times. But it was still, by far, my favorite area of India so far. The crisp mountain air, the friendly hellos, the lack of hassle, the general sense of calm. Plus so many things to see and do and experience.

Darjeeling was the first place here in India where I felt comfortable being on the street alone. And, it was a pretty beautiful town at that.