Himalaya only · Saver trips from ₹7,500
Try "Spiti", "snow leopard", "Char Dham", "homestay", "Tiger's Nest"
Signature Darjeeling & Kalimpong · Unhurried
The three finest stays in the Darjeeling hills in one six-night journey. Two nights at Taj Chia Kutir inside the Makaibari estate, two at Windamere on Observatory Hill with fireplaces and afternoon tea, and two all-inclusive nights in Glenburn's planter's bungalows above the Rangeet. Private car, private guide and plenty of tea.
Photo: Mayukh Ghose · CC BY-SA 4.0 · CommonsWe built this journey around tea and three very different hotels. Taj Chia Kutir is the modern one, a resort set within the Makaibari tea estate near Kurseong, with a spa, an indoor heated pool and tea trails from the door. Windamere is the old one, in an 1841 house on Observatory Hill above Chowrasta, still serving afternoon tea and lighting fires in the rooms.
Glenburn is the one people remember. Two planter's bungalows inside a working estate founded in 1859, on slopes above the Rangeet, with all meals, estate walks and a river picnic included. Between them, your private guide takes you to Tiger Hill, the steam toy train, Ghum and the Darjeeling bazaars, and the car does the driving.
Sleeping altitude, night by night
Red points are nights above 3,000 m. We pace those climbs by the usual advice of no more than 300–500 m of sleeping height a day. This is not medical advice: talk to your doctor before a high trip. Try the altitude planner.
Day by day
Your driver meets you at Bagdogra and drives up to Kurseong, about 1.5–2 hours. Check in to Taj Chia Kutir within the Makaibari estate. Spend the afternoon at the spa or pool, or walk the tea trails around the resort, then watch the lights of the plains come on from the terrace.
About KurseongMorning tea walk through the Makaibari gardens and, in plucking season, a visit to see how leaf becomes tea, followed by a tasting. In the afternoon your guide takes you to the Netaji museum at Giddapahar and the old Kurseong station on the toy train line, or simply back to the spa.
About KurseongDrive up through Tung, Sonada and Ghum beside the railway. Visit Ghum Monastery and the Batasia Loop with your guide, then check in to Windamere on Observatory Hill. Afternoon tea in the hotel, then a walk with your guide along the Mall, Chowrasta and the Mahakal temple on Observatory Hill.
About DarjeelingPre-dawn drive to Tiger Hill for sunrise on Kangchenjunga, booked in the best available viewing area. After breakfast, the steam toy train joy ride to Ghum and back. Afternoon at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and zoo, or the Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre for carpets and crafts. Dinner by the fire.
About DarjeelingLeave Darjeeling for Glenburn, about 1.5 hours down towards the Rangeet. Check in to one of the two planter's bungalows and settle into the estate's rhythm: lunch on the verandah, a walk through the gardens with an estate guide, and tea from Glenburn's own leaf at sunset with Kangchenjunga to the north on clear days.
About DarjeelingA full day on the estate. Walk down through the gardens and forest towards the river for a picnic lunch, or spend the morning learning about plucking and processing in season. Afternoon free on the lawns or in the library. Glenburn includes all meals and most estate activities.
About DarjeelingA last walk in the gardens and breakfast on the verandah, then the drive back to Bagdogra, about 3.5–4 hours. We time departure with a buffer for traffic and the airport.
About DarjeelingWhere you sleep
Photo: Mayukh Ghose · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Luxury
A Taj resort set within the Makaibari tea estate near Kurseong, with rooms and suites facing the tea slopes, a Jiv…
Photo: Arne Hückelheim 2010-09-21 12:41:53 This is a … · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Luxury
A colonial hotel on Observatory Hill above Chowrasta, built in 1841 as Ada Villa, later a boarding house for tea p…
Photo: A. J. T. Johnsingh, WWF-India and NCF · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Luxury
Planter's bungalows inside a working tea estate founded in 1859, on slopes above the Rangeet river about 1.5 hours…
Questions
This six-night journey starts at about ₹1,20,000 per person, twin sharing, with Taj Chia Kutir, Windamere and two all-inclusive nights at Glenburn, a private SUV, private guide and the steam train. Flights are extra. Prices are indicative 2026 and rise in October and spring.
It is a working estate founded in 1859 with two planter's bungalows, Burra Bungalow and Water Lily Bungalow, on slopes above the Rangeet river about 1.5 hours from Darjeeling. Stays are all-inclusive, with meals, estate walks and a river picnic. Rooms are few, so it is quiet and private.
They are different. Taj Chia Kutir is a modern resort with a spa and heated pool inside the Makaibari estate near Kurseong. Windamere is a colonial hotel in the centre of Darjeeling with fireplaces and afternoon tea. This journey uses both, so you get the countryside and the town.
October and November for clear views and autumn tea, and March to May for first flush and spring flowers. December to February is cold and clear, with fires in the rooms. July and August are very wet; we do not recommend them.
Yes, it is one of our favourite honeymoon routes in the Himalaya. Short drives, private bungalows at Glenburn, the spa at Taj Chia Kutir and the fireplaces at Windamere give couples time alone, with the guide available only when you want one.
No. Kurseong is about 1,482 m and Darjeeling about 2,045 m, both below the height where altitude sickness is common. Darjeeling's streets are steep, so take it easy on the first walk.
Yes. Add two nights at Sandakphu by Land Rover for Everest views, keeping a night in Darjeeling before you go up, or two nights in Kalimpong for its monasteries and nurseries. We adjust the private car and guide.
Yes, the two-hour steam joy ride from Darjeeling to Ghum and back via the Batasia Loop. We book it when you confirm. Steam services sometimes switch to diesel at short notice; check current status before you travel.
Fly to Bagdogra, which has direct flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and other cities. The private car meets you at arrivals for the 1.5–2 hour drive to Taj Chia Kutir.
More from Darjeeling & Kalimpong
Photo: Auli Raha (অলি রাহা) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Comfort
Private car with driver
Photo: Mayukh Ghose · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Comfort
Private car with driver
Photo: Arne Hückelheim 2010-09-21 12:41:53 This is a … · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Signature
Private SUV with driver; reserved Land Rover on the Singalila Ridge
Plan with a local planner
We reply within one working day with a route, a sleeping-altitude profile and an itemised price in your tier. Change anything. Pay nothing until you are sure.