Travelling to Darjeeling
There are several ways of getting to Darjeeling:
by Air, by Road, by Train; or a combination of these
modes of transport. The "gateways" to Darjeeling are:
- Bagdogra Airport.
- NJP Railway Station
(New Jalpaiguri Railway Station).
Both these terminus points are in close
proximity, at the foothills of Darjeeling, and almost equidistant
from Darjeeling.
Most foreign travellers fly into Bagdogra Airport from either Delhi or Kolkata (Calcutta),
on their way to Darjeeling. They hire taxis at the
airport to take them to Darjeeling. The road journey to Darjeeling
usually takes about 2.5 hours.
Some visitors arriving at Bagdogra by Air prefer to travel by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) to Darjeeling.
This requires that they go by taxi from Bagdogra
Airport to NJP Railway Station, a 45 minute road trip,
from where they may take the train to Darjeeling
early the next day. An overnight stay at a local hotel is necessitated
because the flight arrival times at Bagdogra are not
compatible with the DHR travel schedule.
There are other travellers with leisure time at their disposal or
with a special interest in railways, who choose to take the overnight
train of the North-East Frontier Railway, from Kolkata to
NJP Railway Station. From there, the next morning,
they take the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (the "Toy
Train") from NJP Railway Station to Darjeeling. Still
others, who have travelled from Kolkata to NJP Railway
Station by train, hire a taxi to take them to Darjeeling.
The train journey from NJP Railway Station to Darjeeling takes
approximately 7.5 hours; the taxi trip approximately 3
hours. Taxis are readily available at the railway
station.
To sum up: You can get to Darjeeling by Air, by Road, or by Train.
By Air: Bagdogra Airport is 93 Km. (58 miles),
and 2.5 hours by road from Darjeeling. Bagdogra is 2 hours
by air from Delhi, and 50 minutes by air from Kolkata.
By Road: Darjeeling is 2.5 hours by
car from Bagdogra Airport, and is 3 hours from NJP
Railway Station. The road to Darjeeling offers breathtaking views
of earth, water and sky, as the car ascends from near
sea-level to an altitude of about 7,500 feet (2,286
Metres) at The Windamere in Darjeeling, within sight
of the rooftop of the world.
By Train:
The most comprehensive, and best guide to travel on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) is provided on the website of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society www.dhrs.org. For
a news update from the DHRS,
please see……click here
Visitors may also travel to Darjeeling from the NJP
Railway Station near Bagdogra, by the Darjeeling Himalayan
Railway (the "Toy Train"). This famous scenic journey
takes around 7.5 hours. The Indian Railways
offer comprehensive reservation information,
and an online booking facility, on their
website:www.indianrail.gov.in |
Happy Landings!
and Welcome to The Windamere |
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