Within the zoo precinct, the prestigious Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI; hmidarjeeling.com) was founded in 1954 and has provided training for some of India’s leading mountaineers. Its fascinating Mountaineering Museum exhibits evocative memorabilia from the 1922 and 1924 Everest expeditions, which set off from Darjeeling, as well as more-recent summit attempts – including the successful 1953 climb.
Within the museum, there’s an excellent model of the entire Himalayan range. Upstairs is the Everest Hall of Fame, listing the 13 routes used to scale the mountain successfully, with a portrait of TenzingNorgay (the Nepalese sherpa who became the first man, along with Sir Edmund Hilary, to summit Mt Everest in 1953), plus a selection of his climbing gear used in the May 1953 expedition.
Just outside the museum are Tenzing Norgay's samadhi (cremation spot) and a Tenzing statue. The intrepid Everest summiteer was a director and adviser at the institute for many years.
An odd curiosity of the museum is the Carl Zeiss telescope presented by Adolf Hitler to the head of the Nepali Army.
To visit the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, you must first buy tickets for Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (darjeelingzoo.in; ₹180). Walk up through the zoo in order to access the HMI and other museums at the site.
The HMI also runs 28-day basic and advanced mountaineering courses from March to May and September to December.
Also within these grounds, the Bengal Natural History Museum (darjeelingzoo.in) explores Himalayan flora and fauna.
