The North East Delight
Duration : 8 Nights / 9 Days
Places Covered : Delhi-Bagdogra-Darjeeling-Pemayangtse-Gangtok-Kalimpong-Bagdogra-Delhi.
Day 01 Abroad - Delhi : Arrive early morning at New Delhi International airport. On arrival the guest will be met by our representative and transferred to hotel.
At the hotel the guests will be provided with the traditional Indian welcome consisting of aarti-tikka and garlands with non-alcoholic welcome drink.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 02 Delhi : Morning sightseeing tour of Old Delhi.
This morning you will be taken to visit Old Delhi - Former centre of Moghul Power, Old Delhi offers ancient monuments, narrow streets and bustling bazaars. Visit the vast Red Fort, built in 1648, the Jama Masjid, the greatest mosque in India and completed in 1658 by Shah Jahan who also built the Taj Mahal, and the Raj Ghat, the simple memorial to Mahatma Gandhi.
New Delhi - drive past the stately government buildings of the British Era designed by Lutyens, including the India Gate & the Presidential Palace. Continue onto the beautiful Humayuns tomb of the Mughal era & predecessor of the world famous Taj Mahal. End the tour at the towering minaret of Qutab Minar.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 03 Delhi - Bagdogra - Darjeeling : Morning transfer to the airport for flight Delhi/Bagdogra (1010/1205 hrs).
Upon arrival at Bagdogra, the guests will be transferred directly to Darjeeling (90 kms/3 hrs)
On arrival at Darjeeling - check into hotel. Darjeeling at an altitude of 2134m facing the Himalayas dominated by Mt. Kanchenjunga, was the summer resort of the British after they acquired it in 1835. Manor houses, bungalows & cottages sprung up and English-style gardens flowered everywhere. The first tea plantations appeared in 1840 & they thrived in the perfect climate. By 1881, when a narrow - gauge "Toy Train" was commissioned, the hill station of Darjeeling was completely anglicized. The population comprise Nepalese, Leach, Tibetan and Bhutia.
Rest of the day at leisure for own activities
Dinner and overnight at hotel.
Day 04 Darjeeling - Pemayangtse : Excursion to Tiger Hill (10 kms south of Darjeeling) for a sunrise view of Mt. Kanchenjunga. On a clear day the entire chain is visible, with the 'Kanchenjunga' in the center and the 'Kabru' and the 'Pandim' peaks on either side.
To the right are the "3 sisters" - Everest, Makalu and Lhotse. To the east, in the distance are the Tibetan peaks.
Return to Darjeeling via Ghoom - visiting the Yiga-Choling Buddhist Monastery which is oldest gompa in the area established by a Tibetan astrologer in 1850m, and belongs to the Yellow Hat Sect.
Afternoon drive to Pemayangtse (75 kms/4 hrs)
Upon arrival - check into hotel
Dinner and overnight at hotel
Day 05 Pemayangtse - Gangtok : Drive to Gangtok (110 kms) (with packed lunch) capital of Sikkim. The route passes through beautiful hills covered with tea plantations around Darjeeling, before plunging towards the Tista river and then up along the river to Gangtok. Spread over one side of a hill, Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, directly faces the Kanchenjunga mountain range. Upon arrival - check into hotel
Dinner and overnight at hotel
Day 06 Gangtok : Drive out to Rumtek Monastery the seat of the gyalway Karmapa, head of the Kagyapa seat of Buddhism and built by him when he took refuge in Sikkim. It houses some of the world's most unique artefacts, ancient manuscripts and icons.
Visit the Institute of Tibetology with its superb "Thanakas" and also the "Orchid sanctuary" which is a botanical garden offering 500 varieties of Orchids.
Dinner and overnight at hotel
Day 07 Gangtok - Kalimpong : Morning drive to Kalimpong (86 kms / 3½ hrs ) - is a tiny hill station. Walks offer views of the Deola Hills to the north; the Durbindara Hills to the south; and, on a clear day, the plains of Nepal's terai and the lofty summits of Kanchenjunga Upon arrival - check into hotel .
Visit the two Buddhist Monasteries - Tirpai Choling at Tirpai belonging to the Yellow (Gelug) Hat Sect and the Zang dog Palrifo Brang on Dubindera Hill at the other end of Kalimpong which is a replica of a celestial borten that was destroyed by the chinese in Lhasa and took the Lamas two years to construct. Dinner and overnight at hotel
Day 08 Kalimpong - Bagdogra - Delhi : Drive to Bagdogra airport (79 kms/3 hrs) to connect flight to Bagdogra/Delhi (1415/1635 hrs)
Upon arrival transfer to the hotel where rooms will be available for wash & change Dinner at the hotel.
Later transfer to the international airport for onward flight
Day 09 Delhi - Abroad : Leave Delhi
