Darjeeling - Queen of Hills

From Bagdogra airport, it takes about 3-4 hours to reach Darjeeling. We had booked a heritage hotel near the town center with a beautiful view of Kanchanjunga mountain. The Mall Road, as the center is called, is full of shopping, cafes, and restaurants. Glenary's and Keventers are famous eateries serving mouth-watering dishes and cakes. A small British era Pub called Joey's is good to catch some quick drinks.

On the second day we booked a cab for local sightseeing covering the Japanese Pagoda, Darjeeling Zoo, ropeway (which we ditched after seeing the long queues), small Tea Garden and the famous Darjeeling train station. The early morning sunrise view is much-hyped and with a small kid, we decided against it. Next day we ventured for a day trip to the lake town of Mirik. The road takes you through beautiful tea gardens, tall pine trees, local villages. Mirik itself has a beautiful lake and some nice trekking pathways. On our way back, we went for a quick shopping stop in Nepal! Yes, without passport, just a quick border check and we were in Pashupatinagar.

A must do visit to Glenary's

After spending some memorable 3 Nights / 4 Days in Darjeeling, next morning we were en route to Bhutan.