How to manage your darjeeling & gangtok trip.

Darjeeling and Gangtok both are very beautiful and clean cities. Once you travel in Darjeeling, you will understand why it is called the queen of the mountains. The majical and fresh air of darjeeling  definitely steals your heart. For exploring darjeeling and gangtok , you need minimal 5-6 days. I find darjeeling different from other hill station in India, especially in north India like uttrakhand and himachal in many ways, like people of darjeeling and gangtok are very helpful. They play an important role to keep their cities neat and clean because they know this is beneficial for them in many ways. So, without wasting your time, let's talk about how you can manage your darjeeling and gangtok tour.

I make 6 days trip, in which you cover nearly all the best tourist places in darjeeling and gangtok.

DAY 1- From newjalpaiguri to darjeeling. There are two option to reach darjeeling from newjalpaiguri.

1- By taxi or mini bus

2- By toy train, it is 8hr long journey but if you love nature, forest and beautiful scenery then you should choose this option. I bet you, you will remember this toy train journey for a lifetime. 

After reaching darjeeling you can rest in your hotel a while and after that you can roam around the local market. The toy train run through the market, jungle, bridges, beautiful landscapes and tea plantations. If you not wanted to spend 8hr on toy train then there is an alternative- the short joyrides between darjeeling and ghoom and most of them are oulled by steam engines.

Tips- If you come bagdogra by flight then choose early morning flight because toy train leave from newjalpaiguri station at sharp 10 am.

2- Book toy train seats before 2 monts of date from your schedule trip because it is very difficult task to book seats in peak season.

Costs of toy train :- 

1. New jalpaiguri to darjeeling passenger

     A.C chair car - 1,700 indian rupee

     First class    -   1,400 indian rupee

2. Joy rides :-

      First class with steam engine - 1,500 -1,600 

      First class with diesel engine - 1,000

Important Tips :- 

Reservation for travel on toy train (both daily service & joy rides) can be made at indian railways computerized reservation counters or on indian railways website (IRCTC) 

If you want to see beautiful sunrise scene at tigerhill next day, sleep early as possible because you need to wakeup at 4'o clock & reach tigerhill by 5'o clock.

Wakeup early and get ready to go tigerhill along with you can check out the ghoom monestry and Batasia loop. The sunrise at the tigerhill is very astronising as the sun's rays falls on the kanchanjunga mountains a d the reddish colour covers all the peaks which look very beautiful. I missed that scene as i was fail to wakeup early in the morning that day. 

After watching the sunrise, reach the ghoom modesty. One of the key attractions inside the monastery is the biggest & the oldest statue of buddha in darjeeling area.So what else you see in ghoom monastery permises? Isaid views!! Magnificent views!! Of the snow capped peaks including the kanchanjunga.

Batasia loop- it is only a 360° toy train pathway and not so interesting from my point of views.

After returning from early morning tour, you can take a short rest and breakfast. 

After this, you can go to peace pagoda & Japanese temple both are at same place. Morning view of Japanese temple is very charming with glittering of fog on long long trees. The prayer and different sounds of instruments inside the temple, really relaxing to your mind and you feel energetic there. There you can spend your 1-2hr or depending on your interest.

After this you ahead head towards the rock garden , which has its own natural beauty and small water fall , where you can click beautiful photos for your social media posts. This place can consume your 2-2.5hr. At this time you will feel thunk , so you will take your lunch. After taking lunch you can head towards happy valley tea estate. You should reach there before 5'o clock because tea factory closed after 5 pm. There you can watch how different kind tea is really produced and you can taste different tea there and can buy one which will you like. After this you can go to your hotel and take rest because next morning you have to go Gangtok.

 Tips :- Himalayan mountaineering institute & darjeeling zoo are also nice place to travel if you have time , then these places are must try one.

At this day you have to travel more because you will reach gangtok in 4-5hr from darjeeling. If you will reach gangtok early and have enough energy to roam in gangtok , then you can checkout local market of gangtok. Which is very clean and crowded. You can go some local touristic point in gangtok on day 3.

In day 4 you can hire a taxi form some 7 or 10 tourist points in gangtok. Both has different prices. My suggestion is choose 7 touristic point because in 7 points you will explore areas in relaxing manner.

●Ranka Monastery 

●Banjhakri Waterfall 

●Rumtek Monastery 

●Saramsa Garden

 ●Institute of Tibetology & Museum

● chorten stupa

 In day 5 hire a taxi for Nathula pass《indo - china border 》, baba harbhajan sing temple and tsomgo lake and Asia's highest ropeway.

Ropway is one of the must try one because views!! From the trolley  are very charming 

And beautiful. Tsomgo lake has its own beauty. The lake is really clean and water looks blue and this will enhance the lake's beauty.
Tips :- you need permission to visit nathula pass 《indo - china border 》, this can be arrange by your taxi driver or by hotel manager. You needs your 2 passport size photograph. 

Return to newjalpaiguri to catch your return flight or train.