Different Plans Of Darjeeling Half Dy Sightseeing
Option 1
Arrive in Darjeeling. If you reach Darjeeling in the afternoon, then after checking in to your hotel and freshening up, come up to Chowrasta Mall, sit on a peripheral bench for a while, relax & enjoy the ambience and watch the activities. Then take a stroll along the scenic Mall Road (Bhanu Sarani) and complete a circle. If you reach in the morning half or early afternoon, you will have time to walk up the Observatory Hill behind the Mall and go to the famous Mahakal Temple on top and enjoy the views & sunset.
Later visit old heritage shops like Habib Mullick (on the mall), Jolly Arts (on the Mall) and few others and buy some curios or souvenirs. In the evening, stroll along Nehru road that leads down from the Mall and is lined by all kinds of shops on both sides. Have your dinner in one of the restaurants here (like Glenary's or Shangri-La).
Option 2
Go for the early morning 3-point tour which covers famous sunrise from Tiger Hill, Old Ghoom Monastery and Batasia Loop where the toy train takes a dramatic loop and negotiates an altitude of 140ft. You will be back to your hotel by 7:30am.
Relax for a while and later take the 7-point local tour which includes Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Zoological Park, Ropeway, Tibetan Self Help Refugee Center, Lebong Race Course, Happy Valley Tea Estate etc. This tour will take about 4 hours.
Take the 2-hour Toy Train Joyride from Darjeeling station in the morning. There is usually high demand for this. So book the tickets well in advance. You will enjoy the scenic vistas from the heritage train (which is now part of Unesco World Heritage sites) as you ride the steam engine driven mini train with only two coaches. In the second half, visit the Rock Garden and Ganga Maya Park.
