Darjeeling

Darjeeling Trips

Spread over a steep mountain ridge, surrounded by tea plantations, and with a backdrop of jagged white Himalayan peaks, Darjeeling is the archetypical hill station. Originally the site of a small monastery called Dorje-ling, it was discovered by the British and established as a sanatorium for the troops in the mid 1800s. The British soon recognised the potential of the place and built their colonial bungalows and planted tea. These days, people come here to escape the heat of India's northern plains.

Darjeeling trips reveal a charming town that's enriched by the mountain people who come from all over the eastern Himalaya to work and trade in its bustling bazaars. On a clear day there are beautiful views of sunrise on Kanchenjunga, the third-highest mountain in the world, standing at 8586m. Many of the famous Sherpa climbers trained in mountaineering skills at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, which is based here.