Tiger Hill
Before dawnThe classic Darjeeling dawn: a pre-dawn drive up to watch first light strike Kanchenjunga and, on the clearest mornings, a glimpse of Everest far to the west.
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Around Darjeeling
Tea gardens, heritage railways and monasteries wrapped in prayer flags. Darjeeling is best explored slowly.
Scroll to wander
- 09Places we
send guests - 1881The year the
Toy Train opened
01Explore
Our team is happy to help with cars, timings and the best order to see them in.
Darjeeling rewards an early alarm and an unhurried afternoon. Here are the places we send our guests.
Places to visit
The Toy Train
Since 1881The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway has climbed these hills for well over a century and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ride the joy-ride loop to Ghum and back.
Batasia Loop
The spiralA spiral of track where the railway turns back on itself, ringed by gardens and the Gorkha War Memorial, with the range opening up beyond.
Ghum Monastery
Founded 1850Yiga Choeling keeps a great seated Maitreya Buddha, flickering butter lamps and a deep, unhurried quiet.
Happy Valley Tea Estate
Tea countryOne of Darjeeling's oldest gardens. Walk the terraced slopes and see how the region's famous leaf is withered, rolled and dried.
Peace Pagoda
Among the pinesA white stupa built by the Japanese Nipponzan Myohoji order, set on a quiet hillside with wide views over the hills.
HMI & Himalayan Zoo
Everest storiesThe mountaineering institute founded after the first ascent of Everest, beside a high-altitude zoo known for red pandas and snow leopards.
Chowrasta & the Mall
Golden hourThe heart of town: an open square for an evening stroll, old bookshops, pony rides and one more cup of tea.
Rock Garden
CascadesA terraced garden of waterfalls and stone paths, reached by a winding drive down through the tea slopes.
First light
Worth every minute of the early alarm
02Itinerary
A day in Darjeeling
One way to spend a clear day, from a pre-dawn sunrise to supper under the lanterns.
04:00
Tiger Hill at first light
Warm layers, a flask of tea and the drive up through the dark for sunrise on Kanchenjunga.
07:30
Ghum & Batasia Loop
On the way down: butter lamps at Yiga Choeling, then the railway spiral as the town wakes up.
09:30
Breakfast at The Keya
Back up the hill for a long breakfast in the Dining Room while the valley clears below.
12:00
Tea country
An afternoon among the terraces at Happy Valley, learning how first flush becomes the cup in your hand.
16:30
Chowrasta & the Mall
A slow walk through town as the light turns gold and the shops put their lamps on.
19:30
Supper under glass
Dinner at the Sky Café, lanterns lit, the hills dark and quiet beyond the balustrade.
Let us plan it
Your days, gently arranged
Share your dates and interests and we'll suggest a plan, timings and transport, all on WhatsApp.