‘True Essence of Leisure with Darjeeling Tea Tour Program’

 Post arrival at Darjeeling  Airport by 3 PM, you will be escorted and transferred to Darjeeling, also known as the erstwhile summer retreat of English men in Himalayas. The first Everest Summiteers Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary immortalized Darjeeling as it was the base for all earlier Everest expeditions. Lying under shadow of mighty Mount Kanchenjunga and the rugged Himalayas and surrounded by lush tea plantations, Darjeeling is incredibly scenic and steeped in history and culture. Overnight stay will be at Darjeeling.

Enjoy an excursion to Ghoom Monastery and then take a scenic joyride on famous Toy Train that takes you on a ride from Ghoom to Darjeeling. Hill station is renowned all over the world for its tea and today, we will take a guided tour of Happy Valley Tea Estate. It is one of the oldest Orthodox tea plantations in the hills of Darjeeling.

Happy Valley Tea Estate was officially established in the year 1854 by David Wilson, an Englishman who named it as Wilson Tea Estate. It was in the year, 1903, it was taken over by an Indian aristocrat Tarapada Bannerjee who merged his estate with this one in 1929 and named it as Happy Valley. It is the closest tea garden to Darjeeling and set in picturesque hillside and starts at an altitude of 6,300 feet.

After visiting tea gardens, we will visit tea factory and understand mechanism of tea production. Overnight stay will be at Darjeeling.

Today, we will explore Tukvar Tea Estate and learn more about tea production. Tukwar Tea Estate is one of the major tea suppliers and employers in the world and almost 3,000 people live and work here. All employees are provided with housing, schooling, medical and dental facilities. For the past many years, the estate has also taken an ecological and environmental stance. They even produce their own liquid fertilizers from local herbs that are environment- friendly.

Post lunch, we will visit Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and Everest Museum which has some really interesting exhibits. It was set up by Tenzing Norway. After that, we will visit the zoo. Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park is known all over the world for its successful conservation of Snow Leopard, Red Pandas and other endangered Himalayan mammals. Spend overnight at Darjeeling.

It’s again tea time today. We will head to Tumsong Tea Estate or Singtam or Selimbong Tea Estate in case any is closed. Tumsong Estate was established in 1867 and was planted for indigenous people. Since it is planted around a Hindu Temple dedicated to Goddess Tamsa Devi, hence the name. It is located on a steep slope rising from 2,700 feet to 5,500 feet and has Kanchenjunga peak at the backdrop. As it offers a serene and comfortable place to offer prayers to local people, this estate is also known as Garden of Happy Hearts. It is a source of some of the world’s best teas as it is 100% organic.

Post lunch, we will proceed to attend a talk and presentation by a tea expert. After that, there is a tea tasting session at Golden Tips tea shop or Nathmulls Sunset Lounge. Spend overnight at Darjeeling.

Darjeeling-Chalsa We will leave early in the morning as we have to take an excursion to summit of Tiger Hill. The sublime sunrise over the peaks of Kanchenjunga, the world’s third highest snow covered peak will leave you completely mesmerized. Coming back to hotel, we will have breakfast. We will now check-out and transfer to Makaibari Tea Estate. Here, you will be taken for a guided tour which will be followed by a sumptuous lunch at Cochrane Place Tea Retreat.

Post lunch, we will drive to Chalsa, a small village near Gorumara National Park. Spend overnight at Chalsa. Post lunch, we will proceed to attend a talk and presentation by a tea expert. After that, there is a tea tasting session at Golden Tips tea shop or Nathmulls Sunset Lounge. Spend overnight at Darjeeling.

Explore Dam Dim Tea Estate after that have a Planter style lunch at the same. Here, you can enjoy recipes that have been carefully preserved through generations.  The Dim Dam Tea Estate is located in Duars region in North Western part of West Bengal. Name of the region has been derived from word ‘dwar’ meaning ‘gateway’ as it allows 18 different entry points to neighboring country, Bhutan. It is situated in remarkable surroundings as southern boundary of estate is separated by Chel River from Baikanthapur Forest. Neora Valley National Park is located towards North and Gorumara National Park towards East and Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary in East.

A game drive in Gorumara National Park will be taken in afternoon which is home to a wide variety of wildlife species including elephants, Indian rhinos, gaurs and many species of reptiles and birds. Post lunch we will return to Chalsa and retire here. Overnight stay will be at Chalsa.

You will be escorted to Bagdogra Airport after breakfast for your connecting flight. Note that you will be travelling towards West direction.

A game drive in Gorumara National Park will be taken in afternoon which is home to a wide variety of wildlife species including elephants, Indian rhinos, gaurs and many species of reptiles and birds. Post lunch we will return to Chalsa and retire here. Overnight stay will be at Chalsa.