Arrive by International flight, after traditional 'Swagat' (Welcome) our representative would assist you at airport & transfer to hotel for check in. Calcutta-Kolkata is a city that means many things to many people. For some, Calcutta - Kolkata is the city of joy, while for others it is dirty, crowded, and noisy.
Once the greatest colonial city in the Orient, Calcutta- Kolkata was later reviled as a cauldron of poverty, dirt, and disease. Today, it ranks among the four major metropolis of India along with Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai. A mere village in the 17th century, Calcutta- Kolkata is not an ancient city like Delhi. Like Mumbai and Chennai, it originated largely due to the expansionist ambitions of the European powers, especially the British Raj. Little wonder, Calcutta- Kolkata has some of the finest Raj edifices built in a variety of styles.
Overnight Hotel - Kolkata (B)
Today morning we will take half-day City tours visit. Birla Mandir Lakshmi Narayan Temple Botanical garden, Eden Garden, Fort William etc. & walk through Howrah Bridges. Howrah Bridge is a spectacular construction, the third largest cantilever bridge in the world and was opened in 1943. The 71 ft wide bridge can accommodate eight lanes of traffic and is flanked by two wide footpaths.
Overnight Hotel - Kolkata (B)
Today transfer to airport to board the flight to Bagdogra .Arrive Bagdogra and drive to Darjeeling, Queen of India's hill stations. Its setting is one of incomparable beauty. A Victorian town of old world charm 'discovered' by the British. It is surrounded by fragrant tea gardens which seem to flow over the layered slopes like emerald swells on a rough sea.
Overnight Hotel - Darjeeling (B)
Today morning we visit Tiger Hill, famous for its magnificent view of Kanchenjunga, Mt. Everest & other eastern Himalayan peaks especially at the time of sunrise. On our way back we first visit Ghoom, as the name suggests it is gloomy & clammy with perpetual fog. A Tibetan village, one can hear the foghorn-like sounds of Buddhist monks blowing their giant Gyeling pipes from the rooftops of the nearby Yiga-Choling ' Yellow Hat' Buddhist Temple. Later we visit the two Buddhist monasteries Chholing & Darli.
After some rest we take a ride of toy train of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Also visit the Mountaineering Institute, created by the late Tenzing Norgay, the Sherpa who conquered Mt Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary. A display of equipment used on the climb is one of the highlights.. Next we visit the Tibet Handicraft Centre & the beautiful Tea gardens. In the evening visit the Observatory Hill known locally as Makal-Babu-Ko-Thaan. According to legend, a Red Hat Buddhist Monastery called Dorje Ling, or 'place of the Thunderbolt', stood at this very spot. The Nepalese destroyed it in the 19th century, now the Shivas & Buddhists share the temple that stands there today.
Overnight Hotel - Darjeeling (B, D)
Today we drive to Gangtok, a fairytale capital in the clouds, balances precariously on Steep Mountain slopes, Surrounded by lush rice terraces, swifts flowing rivers & distant snow views. It is situated in the lower Himalayas & was a small hamlet until the construction of the Enchey Monastery in 1840 made it a pilgrimage center. It became a major stopover between Tibet & British India at the end of the 19th century. It is also a centre of Tibetan Buddhist culture & learning with numerous monasteries & religious educational.
Half Day Tour
Later we take a tour of Gangtok, visiting Research Institute of Tibetology, organization dedicated to furthering Tibetan studies, Buddhist philosophy & region. It attracts scholars from all over the world. It houses a rare collection of 30,000 books, Tantric documents, rare manuscripts written in gold on the bark of a poisonous tree, antique thanks & 200 icons, all prized objects of art for the Buddhism.
Overnight Hotel - Gangtok(B, D)
Today we take an excursion tour to Tsongo Lake, considered extremely sacred by the local people. The place is a paradise for bird lovers with large number of Blue Whistling Thrush, Redstarts & Fork tails around. It hosts a number of migratory birds prominent among which is the Brahminy ducks. The word Tsongo in Bhutia language means source of the lake. Next we visitDo Drul Chorten, are two exquisite Stupas, the Dul-dul-Chorten, was built to commemorate the victory of good over evil. The Jhang Club Chorten wasbuilt to perpetuate the memory of a great spiritualist of today. Thrul-Shik Rinpoche an ardent devotee of Buddha & one of his best interpreters died in 1962, the stupa immortalizes Rinpoche in the land of his birth. Next we visit Rumtek Monastery, meandering roads through emerald green rice terraces, lays Rumtek, the main monastery of Kagyud or 'Black Hat' sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Built in 1959 by His Holiness the 16th Reincarnated Gyalwa Karmapa, it is a replica of Tsurphu Monastery from the Kham region of Tibet.
Later we visit Himalayan Zoological Park also known as Bulbuley. It has paved cement path that passes by fenced open air enclosure housing the Red Pandas, barking deer & bears in a semi natural habitat. Next Government Institute of Cottage Industries (GICI), which produces crafts in authentic Sikkimese designs. Hand woven Tibetan carpets sprout dragons in natural dyes, Sikkimese-style tables called Choktse are expertly carved & colored in red & gold. Also explore Lal bazaar, melody of colour. Various ethnic groups from different villages gather to haggle, bargain, gossip their wares.
Overnight Hotel - Gangtok (B, D)
Today transfer to Bagdogra airport to board the flight for Kolkata, on arrival take the connecting flight for onward destination.
Our tour concludes: We thank you for your patronage & look forward to serve you again in near future.
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