Off the Beaten Path: Northern India

Difficult to get to, but isn’t that true for all the best places? Tucked between Nepal and Bhutan, the West Bengal Hills are home to rolling hillsides, stretching tea plantations, and the city of Darjeeling.

Take in nature’s beauty on treks through Singalilia National Park with views over Nepal and the Himalayas; ride an historic toy train through the hillsides; spend days lazing around Darjeeling and enjoying the mix of Buddhist temples and colonial buildings. This state is also home to Calcutta, where most of the tourists head, so leave the trail and head north. The unpaved path awaits.

With a country of such magnitude and marvel these six suggestions only scratch the surface. India is so vast and so nuanced that getting off the beaten path can be as subtle as taking the less-travelled Delhi street or as bold as heading into a sleepy snow-covered mountain town. Carve out the trip that you want, get out of the cities as much as possible, and look for those shimmers of the real Indian spark. The untouched is all around, so go explore it.

Darjeeling

Spread in ribbons over a steep mountain ridge, surrounded by emerald-green tea plantations and with a backdrop of jagged white Himalayan peaks floating over distant clouds, the archetypal hill station of Darjeeling is rightly West Bengal’s premier attraction. When you aren’t gazing open-mouthed at Khangchendzonga (28,207 feet), you can explore colonial-era architecture, visit Buddhist monasteries and spot snow leopards and red pandas at the nearby zoo. The steep narrow streets bustle with an array of Himalayan faces from Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet and when energies start to flag a good, steaming Darjeeling brew is never far away.

Darjeeling sprawls over a west-facing slope in a confusing web of interconnecting roads and steep flights of steps. Expect an uphill hike to your hotel if arriving at the train station or jeep stand. The two main squares are Chowrasta, near the top of town, and Clubside junction, which are linked by the pedestrian Nehru Rd (The Mall), the main shopping street. Hill Cart Rd (Tenzing Norgay Rd) runs the length of the bustling lower bazaar and is Darjeeling’s major vehicle thoroughfare.

Put your experience of getting mesmerized under challenge by discovering sheer artistry of nature spread to every corner of the horizon. The lush green gardens at your feet and snow-covered White Mountains at a distance seem like a wonderful experiment of god with colors. It is the rendezvous of earth and heaven; it is the treasure that you would keep in your heart forever. Hidden under the shadows of Eastern Himalayas, the hill stations of West Bengal are the main footprint of tourism in the state. Darjeeling, without a doubt is the most important and most visited hill station. This unique destination is famous world over for its unparallel beauty. Darjeeling and the other hill stations of West Bengal offer a magnificently rejuvenating respite from the exhausting heat that adorns the majority of the state during the summer months.

Mirik, 30 miles from Darjeeling, at an altitude of 5676 feet, has forests of japonica, orange orchards, tea gardens and cardamom plantations. Its restful ambience, dramatic views and homely accommodation make it an appealing stop for a few days of relaxation. Sumendu Lake, with its 2 mile cobbled promenade, offers boating, while Krishannagar, south of the lake, has a carpet weaving centre and the impressive Bokar Gompa, a 15-minute stroll from the main road. You can trek to Kurseong and Sandakphu, or less ambitiously, take a bus a few minutes up the Darjeeling road and walk back through rolling tea estates, flower-laden cottages and villages.

Kurseong ('Place of the White Orchid') east of Mirik, is surrounded by tea gardens and orange orchards and has some popular boarding schools. Travellers suggest stopping here overnight on the Toy Train between Siliguri and Darjeeling. You can visit the Makaibari Tea Estate and the Forest Museum on Dow Hill.

Looking for that uniquely different vacation destination. Call Rawhide Travel and Tours today 602-843-5100 or visit our website rawhidetravel.com. We can help!

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