There are many reputed Darjeeling & Gangtok tour operators at Sikkim offering tour packages for the hilly terrain. Tour operators at Gangtok also provide variety of packages for these destinations. There are many North East tour operators offering tours of the most fascinating Indian destinations in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura. Travel agents in Darjeeling, gangtok mostly being locals, they have advantage of better understanding of local routes, hotel locations and provide better itineraries
It offers splendid views of the snow-clad Himalayas, beautiful natural wonders and
some of the world's best tea. Along with old cottages, a huge oak and pine tree,
Darjeeling also offers great trekking options. In fact, one of the most frequented
routes is the Darjeeling Sandakphu / Phalut trek, which is visited especially in
April and May. The name Darjeeling is a composition of 'dorje' meaning 'thunderbolt'
and 'ling' meaning 'place' ... meaning 'the Land of Thunderbolt'. The Nepalese had
marched till the east of Sikkim in 1780 as far as Tista river. Due to a disagreement
with Nepal, the British declared war against Nepal at the end of 1813. After settling
the internal factions between Nepal and Sikkim, found their way to a place called
Chungtong to the west of Darjeeling and were very impressed with what they saw and
thought of making this place a sanatorium. Other British officers also reported
favourably on the situation of the hill of Darjeeling. The East India Company then
directed its officers to start a negotiation with the Rajah of Sikkim for the handing
over of the hill either for an equivalent in money or land. This transfer was successfully
done in 1835. Then due to some problems the British stopped paying the annual allowance
and annexed this territory. By 1860s peace was restored in the
borders and the march of progress began. Roads and important construction were done,
Tea plantations started developing all around Darjeeling. During this time immigrants
flooded in to work in construction sites, the tea gardens and other agricultural
works. After India gained independence in 1947, the district of Darjeeling remained
in the partitioned section of Bengal (West Bengal) and therefore in the Indian union.
With the district's sub-Himalayan and geographical condition, it occupied a unique
status in the state. The only remaining industry, that is the tea industry, continued
to play a major role in the economy of the area and the country as well. The other
natural wealth is forests. In the years since independence, much has been done for
the area's education, communication, attention to cash crops like orange, potato,
cardamom, ginger, etc. On 29th May 1953 two men set foot on Mount Everest for the
first time in history and one of them was Tensing Norgay, from Darjeeling. This
historical event led to the formation of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute
in Darjeeling. Old heritage the Toy Train of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is now
listed under UNESCO's world heritage.
Darjeeling houses several interesting sightseeing options. Among these, the most
popular is Tiger Hill, which provides great views of the sunrise over the Kanchenjunga
Mountains. The Bhutia Basti Gompa is located one km from Darjeeling and houses several
ancient texts and manuscripts. You can visit Ghoom Monastery, which is one of the
most famous monasteries in Darjeeling. The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, which
contains records of all expeditions on the Himalayan Range, is also located in Darjeeling.
Darjeeling is extremely popular for the scenic and snow-clad range of Himalayas
and widespread tea gardens. For trekkers, Darjeeling can be compared with heaven.
The Darjeeling hotels are located at convenient locations from where the major attractions
of the city can be reached with ease. There is no dearth of sightseeing options
in the city of Darjeeling. The hotels of Darjeeling give a tough competition to
the five star hotels of international destinations. Beholding the first ray of sunrise
at Tiger Hill is the real pleasure of life.