Darjeeling ahs been a very popular hill station since the British established it as an R&R centre for their troops in the mid 1800s. These ddays people come here to escape from the heat, humidity and hassle of the north Indian plain. Raddling a ridge at 2134 metres and surrounded by tea plantations on all sides. You get an indication of how popular Darjeeling is from the 60 or so hotels recognised by the tourist office and the scores of others which don;t come up to its requirements. Here you will find yourself surrounded by mountain people from all over the eastern Himalaya who have come to work. to trade or in the case of the Tibetans as refugees.

History

Until in beginning of hte 18th century the whole of the area beteen the present borders of Sikkim and the plains of Bengal, including Darjeeling and Kalimpong, belonged to the RAjas of Sikkim. In 1706 they Kalimpong to the Bhutanese, and control of the remainder was wrested form them by the Gurkhas who invaded Sikkim in 1780, following consolidation of the latter's rule in Nepal.

Climate

For mountain views, the best time to visit Darjeeling is from mid-September ot mid December, although it gets pretty cold by December. The season resumes arround mid-March and continues to mid-June but as the haze builds up the views become less clear. During the monsoon months (June to September), clouds obscure the mountains and the rain is often so heavy that whole sections of the road from the plains are washed away., they the town is rarely cut off for more than a few days at a time.

Tiger Hill : The highest spot in the area 2500 meters, Tiger Hill is near Ghoom, about 11 Km from Darjeeling. The hill is famous for its magnificient dawn views of Kanchenjunga and other eastern Himalaya Peaks.On a clear day everest is also visible.

Places to see: Senchal Lake, Ghoom Monastery,Obsevatory Hill, Dhirdham Temple, Natural History Meseum, Zoological Park, Mountaineering Museum, Everest Museum, Botanical Gardens, Tibetan Refugge Self Help centre, Tea Plantations, Gymkhana Club.

Getting There: You can reach by Train to New Jalpaiguri/Siliguri is the railhead for all the trains other than the narrow-guage toy train.Toy train journey to Darjeeling is real fun. The train runs daily.

Trekking: The best month for trek is April may.October and November. There may be occasional showers during April and May be occasional showers during April and May .November is generally dry, but visibility in December is quit clear.

Trek Details: day1: Darjeeling to Jaubari, Day 2, Jaubari to Sandakpu, Day3, Sandakpu to Molley,Day 4, Molley to Gorkhey, Day5 Gorkhey to Rimbik, Day6  Rimbik to Darjeeling.

Places to Stay:  Deki Lodge, Maya Lyang Lodge, Gompu's Hotel & Lodge, Janakee & Cozy  Nook Lodge,Crown Lodge, Shepa Lodge, Tripti Hotel, Hotel Silver Oaks,Himalaya Hotel.