Did you know Darjeeling means “A place of Thunderbolt” in Tibetan? The name Darjeeling were originated from two Tibetan words – “Dorje” and “ling”.

Also termed as “Queen of the Hills”, Darjeeling has some other significant spots as well than mentioned in my previous post.

Other Notable places in Darjeeling

Japanese temple and Peace Pagoda

In around 15 minutes drive from Darjeeling town the place of peace is situated. Firstly go inside the Japanese temple to offer your prayers. It’s open from 4:30 A.M to 7:00 P.M daily, prayer timings between 4:30 to 6:00 in both morning and evening. In the two-storied temple, the ground floor you would find the pictures of Gurujis including Fujii Guruji. You need to walk up to the first floor to find the large prayer room. A good place for meditation.

Darjeeling Peace Pagoda

Darjeeling Peace Pagoda is situated at a close distance from the Japanese temple. Walk up the stairs, you would see the great artwork done as two lions and the great Buddha. Stroll around the pagoda to experience the life of Buddha and his relics made with sandstones. On a clear day, you could easily see the snow peaks of the Himalayas. The combination of peace, architecture, and scenery makes this is a must visit place for all peace lovers.

Ropeway Ride

Darjeeling Ropeway is the first of its kind in India. A glimpse of the entire valley including the rivers, waterfalls, mountains makes the ropeway ride as a heavenly experience. Top view tea gardens is another attraction of this ropeway trip. On peak season, it is really difficult to get tickets unless you have reached the counter in the early morning.

Himalayan Zoological Park

Established on 1958, Darjeeling zoological park is home to snow leopards, Himalayan wolf, red panda and many other species. Red panda being central to the interest, this zoo attracts around 300000 visitors a year. You would also expect to see black bears, Yak, Sambar Deer, Himalayan Tahr, Barking and Musk deer etc. Weekly closed on Thursday, Darjeeling zoo is open from 8:30 A.M to 4:P.M daily. Entrance fee is combined for both zoo and the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute.

Himalayan Mountaineering Institute

It is must go for all who are enthusiastic about mountaineering, established on 1954 and the first director was Tenzing Norgay himself. In the museum, you would find several mountaineering exhibits like ice axe, hammer, boots, night apparels etc. Another side of the wall you would see the collection of badges of several mountaineering clubs including Swiss Alpine Club, Austria Alpine Club, German mountaineering club etc. There is also a section which displays various mountaineering gadgets like pit furnace, snow shovels, gas lamps, head lamps, Oxygen cylinders, compass etc. In another section you see models of some common animals found in the Himalayan region like Red-legged Partridge, snow fox, flying squirrel etc. Upstairs there are several pictures and models related to Mt. Everest expeditions.

The daily open timing of the museum is between 9 am to 1 pm, and 2 pm to 5 pm during the tourist season.

Shopping Destinations

There are many renowned streets and flee mTenzing Norgayarkets for shoppers. Other than tea and Tibetan curios, one also should look for locally made artifacts like home-decor items, organic honey, bags, leather goods.  Darjeeling Mall road is known to be a good place to buy exotic varieties of Darjeeling tea. If you are opting for Tibetan curios with a reasonable price, you should visit Ghoom Monastery market.  Flea market @ Batasia loop is also known for a pleasant shopping experience.