Five Places You Should Visit While in Darjeeling

Darjeeling is a world famous hill station where tourists from across the globe visit every year. Very popular for its lush green tea gardens and the great Kanchenjunga mountain peak that stands like a crown, Darjeeling has plenty of places that interests tourists.    Darjeeling, also known as the Queen of the Hills, is surely a queen which stands out to be the best amongst all hill stations. There are numeorus beautiful places to visit in Darjeeling making Darjeeling the most favorite of tourists. Five places that all tourists visiting Darjeeling should visit and should not be missed at any cost , is mentioned in this article.

1. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railways- The century old Darjeeling Himalayan Railways was built by the British during their reign in India. This toy train runs from Darjeeling to Siliguri with numerous stations in between, is indeed a ride worth taking. It is just a three hours journey from Siliguri to Darjeeling by train but it takes eight long hours in the toy train still the journey is taken, as its breath taking and a very joyful one. Ghoom station in Darjeeling is indeed the station located in the highest altitude in Asia and ranks second in the world. The toy train is comfortable packed with tourists from all over the world who come all the way to take this enjoyable ride and should not be missed by any tourists who visit Darjeeling.

2. The Padmaja Naidu Zoological Park - The Padmaja Naidu Zoological Park is another famous tourist location that has zoological creature that is very rare and is endemic to the Himalayan region. This zoo was also rated as the best zoo in India and it is indeed worth the tag. Animals like the red panda, snow leopard, yaks, Tibetan wolves, Siberian tiger, Himalayan Salamander, and plenty other animals and birds are captivated here in the Padmaja Naidu Zoological Park where they are protected, conserved and also available for public display. The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute is also a park of this zoo which is a museum for remains and items of famous mountaineers climbing the Himalayas as well as an institute to train mountaineering. 

3. Chowrasta - Chowrasta literally means a place where four roads meet. Chowrasta is located in the hill top of Darjeeling, which is a popular place for gathering and to take walks. One can see the beautiful view of the Himalayas and Sikkim from this place. Tourists are often seen enjoying hot coffee and Darjeeling tea at coffee shops here. One can even try eating the authentic food delicacies like momo and thukpa at Chowrasta.

4. Tiger Hill - Located at a distance of few kilometres from the town of Darjeeling, Tiger Hill is indeed a paradise. Getting its name from the mythology that the hindu goddess Durga was seen sitting in a tiger, Tiger hill is the best place to watch the sun rise from the Himalayas. One can even see the world's highest mountain peak, Mount Everest from this place.

5. Rock Garden - Rock Garden is located in the foothills of Darjeeling, which is about an hour drive from the main town. It is a beautiful huge garden surrounded by rocks and streams and has huge statues and artistic decor that depict the Nepalese culture. The Gangamaya Park is also a part of this place which is a park with the Gangamaya river flowing by, where tourists are seen enjoying swimming in this fresh water river.