01Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (Toy Train)
The UNESCO-listed toy train has hauled passengers up this two-foot-gauge line since 1881. Ride the steam joyride from Darjeeling to Ghum and back.
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Sunrise over Kanchenjunga, steam trains, first-flush tea
Darjeeling
At 6,700 feet, Darjeeling wakes to coal smoke and the whistle of a steam train that has been climbing this ridge since 1881. Beat the dawn to Tiger Hill and watch Kanchenjunga turn molten gold, then spend the afternoon among tea bushes where the world's most prized first flush is still picked by hand.
Best timeOctober to March — crisp, cloud-free skies give the clearest Kanchenjunga views
Ideal duration4-6 days
Great forHoneymooners, families and first-time Himalaya travellers
Trip highlights
Toy train joyride to GhumTiger Hill sunrise over KanchenjungaTea estate tour and tastingRed pandas at Padmaja Naidu zooMomos and Mall Road evenings
Top places in Darjeeling
01
02Tiger Hill
Leave at 4am for the ridge above Ghum, where the first light hits Kanchenjunga — the world's third-highest peak — and turns its snow bright orange.
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03Darjeeling Tea Gardens
Terraced estates blanket the slopes below town, growing the leaf that became India's first GI-tagged product. Walk the bushes at Happy Valley, then taste a first flush.
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04Ghoom Monastery
Prayer flags fan out over this Tibetan Buddhist monastery at Ghum, beside India's highest railway station. Butter lamps, low chanting and a courtyard of mountain quiet.
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05Japanese Peace Pagoda
A white stupa on Jalapahar hill, built by Nipponzan Myohoji monks and opened in 1992. Come at prayer time for the drumming and the valley view.
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