Darjeeling and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
AI-drafted · awaiting admin review
A hill town of tea gardens and views of Kanchenjunga, reached by the narrow-gauge ‘toy train’, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Mountain Railways of India.
Hill stationDarjeeling districtBest time to visit: March to May and October to NovemberUNESCO heritage 1999
Highlights
- Toy train rides through Ghum, one of the highest railway stations in India, and around the Batasia Loop
- Sunrise over Kanchenjunga from Tiger Hill
- Tea garden walks and tasting
- Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park
Significance
The railway, opened in 1881, was the first hill passenger railway in India. It was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1999, later extended to include other mountain railways.