Founded by the British Raj as a hill
retreat and sanatorium, Darjeeling is known as the "Queen Of Hill”, the finest hill resort of
the raj. Famous for its delicate tea, the hills all
around the town are draped in lush green tea gardens
which give the impression of a huge carpet.
 Its
location on a 7000ft ridge with clear views of the Kanchenzongha range makes it a perfect place to escape
the pre-monsoon heat of the plains. The earliest British
settlers here revealed in its cool temperatures, fresh
breezes and crisp mornings.
Wandering around the promenades of Chowrasta and the
mall today, you are surrounded by the echoes of
Darjeeling’s past. The British-style solid stone houses
are complimented by more fanciful wooden fronted
buildings, that are more like idealized Swiss chalets
with their steep roofs. Hotels old and new crowd the
centre of the town but can still hardly accommodated the
rush of visitors in real seasons.
The remarkable "Joy Train" or Darjeeling Himalayan
Railway chugs up from the plains of Siliguri in an
exciting eight hour journey through picturesque
landscape which involves more than 7000ft, of ascent.
The faster but less unusual transport around the hill is
provided by jeeps which can take you on breath taking
beautiful trips along the torturous narrow roads of the
district.
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