As much a haven from the heat of the plains as Shimla provided for the British in Delhi, so the residents of Calcutta would retreat to Darjeeling as their favoured hill station – complete with toy railway, golf club, race course, botanical garden and mock Tudor houses. Unlike Shimla, however, there is a genuine Buddhist atmosphere here. It is the gateway to the Buddhist kingdoms of Sikkim and Bhutan. One of the greatexperiences of Darjeeling is to watch the sun rise over Kanchenjunga, the world’s third highest mountain, from Tiger Hill.
DARJEELING TOY TRAIN
Trains came to India in the early part of the last century – among the very first and most novel is the famous Toy Train of Darjeeling. It is 125 years old, having made its maiden trip in 1881.
In 1870, an agent working for the Eastern Bengal Railway came up with a brilliant idea to reduce the costs of transport. His name was Franklyn Prestage, and his idea was the Toy Train. It took eight long years for Prestage to submit his scheme to Governor Sir Ashey Eden, who gave it immediate sanction. Named the Darjeeling Steam Tramway Company, it was changed to the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Company on 15 September 1881. It remained as such until it was taken over by the Indian government on 20 October 1948. The construction had begun in 1879, the first 20-mile section, from Siliguri to Tindharia station, was opened in March 1880 for the Viceroy’s special train only, and finally, on 4 July 1881, the baby locomotive and three coaches puffed right through to Darjeeling – a total of 50.75 miles.
SIKKIM
The Buddhist kingdom of Sikkim is a remote mountainous region bordering Tibet to the north and wedged between the Himalayan kingdoms of Nepal and Bhutan. It is a beautiful, lush country containing a fascinating capital city, Gangtok, and the world’s third highest mountain, Kangchenjunga (8,586m), which straddles the border with Nepal.
Tour itinerary
- Day 1: Departure
- Day 2: Arrive Calcutta. At leisure
- Day 3: Overnight sleeper train to Jaipaiguri
- Day 4: Arrive Jaipaiguri. Transfer to Darjeeling
- Day 5/6/7: Sightseeing in Darjeeling to include a half day’s toy train ride to Ghoom and back
- Day 8: Transfer to Pelling in West Sikkim
- Day 9: Transfer to Gangtok
- Day 10: Sightseeing in Gangtok
- Day 11: Transfer to Kalimpong
- Day 12/13: Sightseeing in Kalimpong
- Day 14: Transfer to Bagdogra domestic airport. Fly to Calcutta.
- Day 15: Day at leisure. Evening transfer to the airport to board your return flight
- Day 16: Return flight home
0