Darjeeling, also fondly known as the "Queen of hill stations", is nestled in the Himalayas and famous for its tea production and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Darjeeling continues to be a popular holiday destination in India, owing to its scenic beauty and pleasant climate. Apart from tourism, Darjeeling is also popular for its many British style public schools, which attract students from across India and even neighbouring countries.
Darjeeling is a traveller's delight and is frequented by tourists year after year. Apart from the pleasant weather and scenic beauty, there is a lot to see and do in Darjeeling.
The Batasia Loop is a spiral railway created to lower the gradient of ascent of the Darjeeling Himalaya Railway in Darjeeling District of West Bengal,India.At this point,the track spiral around overself through a tunnel and over hiltop.It was commissioned in 1919.
Tiger Hill is the highest point in the Darjeeling area .An early morning trip to witness the sunrise is a must . Watching the rising sun strike the colossal Kangchenjunga range of snow-capped peaks in a blaze of rapidly changing colours is truly spectacular. Tiger Hill is now part of a nature preserve, the meadows of which are suitable for picnics.
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the "Toy Train", is a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in West Bengal. Built between 1879 and 1881, the railway is about 86 kilometres (53 mi) long. Its elevation level varies from about 100 metres (328 ft) at New Jalpaiguri to about 2,200 metres (7,218 ft) at Darjeeling. Four modern diesel locomotives handle most of the scheduled services: however the daily Kurseong-Darjeeling return service and the daily tourist trains from Darjeeling Bazar to Ghoom.
Darjeeling tea is a tea from the Darjeeling district in West Bengal India. It is available as black, white or oolong. When properly brewed, it yields a thin-bodied, light-colored infusion with a floral aroma. The flavor can include a tinge of astringent tannic characteristics, and a musky spiciness sometimes described as " (grape and wine)">muscatel Although Darjeeling teas are marketed commercially as "black teas", almost all of them have incomplete oxidation (<90%), so they are technically more oolong than black.
Zoological Parks (also called the Darjeeling Zoo) is a 67.56-acre (27.3 ha) zoo in the town of Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal. The zoo was opened in 1958, and an average elevation of 7,000 feet (2,134 m), is the largest high altitude zoo in India. It specializes in breeding animals adapted to alpine conditions, and has successful captive breeding programs for the Snow leopard, the critically endangered Himalayan wolf and the Red panda. The zoo attracts about 300,000 visitors every year.
Observatory Hill is a hill near Chowrasta square, or The Mall as it is popularly known, in Darjeeling, West Bengal, Magnificent views of snow-clad peaks, including Mount Kanchenjunga, are visible from the Observatory Hill. The Bhutia Busty monastery was originally located here. Now the hill has the temple of Mahakal. Two important arteries of the town, Nehru Road and Bhanubhakta Sarani, meet at Chowrasta.