Kalimpong
This offbeat collection of Lepcha treasures could be likened to rummaging through the attic of your grandfather’s house (if he were a Lepcha elder). A guide explains Lepcha creation myths, while pointing out religious texts, sacred porcupine quill hats and old pangolin skins. It’s a 10-minute walk downhill below the Sports Ground. Times vary so call ahead.
The Lepcha gompa in the grounds is worth a look but is normally closed.
19.15 MILES
If you like tea, you should visit this celebrated organic and biodynamic Darjeeling tea estate. Walk-in visits to the processing factory, with huge…
13.02 MILES
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, known affectionately as the toy train, made its first journey along its precipice-topping, 2ft-wide tracks in 1881 and…
29.1 MILES
Singalila National Park covers the Indian side of the scenic Singalila Ridge, the Darjeeling region's finest trekking area, along the India–Nepal border…
18.56 MILES
With a breathtaking backdrop of Himalayan peaks, the gigantic, 41m-tall Buddha statue is one of Sikkim's most iconic sights. Finished in 2013, it's…
16.85 MILES
This wobbly old temple is a peaceful, half-forgotten delight with appealingly naive paintings and an incredible 360-degree mountain panorama. There's no…
26.35 MILES
All aflutter with prayer flags, the Norbugang 'coronation park' is a historic woodland garden containing a small temple, a huge prayer wheel, a chorten…
9.83 MILES
Visible for miles, this 45m-high statue of Padmasambhava (Guru Rimpoche) is painted in shimmering copper and gilt and sits on a lotus plinth high above…
Namgyal Institute of Tibetology
19.22 MILES
The NIT's 1958 core building feels like a Tibetan fantasy palace, with corner towers, colourful mural frontage and a forest-glade setting. The main hall…
0.54 MILES
This handsome 1891 church was severely damaged by a 2011 earthquake, when pinnacles from its tower came crashing to the ground. After renovations, the…
0.54 MILES
Nurseryman’s stocks over 200 orchid species from the Kalimpong–Darjeeling region and is worth a visit to view its blooms that are exported worldwide (best…
0.68 MILES
Walk down to Shanti Kunj to view its greenhouses full of interesting plants from begonias and cacti to anthuriums and araucaria-tree seedlings. Bulbs of…
4. Himalayan Handmade Paper Industry
0.89 MILES
Visitors are welcome to drop into this small workshop to see traditional paper-making processes, from boiling and pulping of the local argayli (daphne)…
0.91 MILES
A short distance below the junction of RC Mintri and Rishi Rds is this charming Nyingmapa-school monastery, also known as the Bhutanese Monastery. The…
0.99 MILES
Horticulture fans will want to visit Pine View to gaze at its extremely photogenic collection of 1500 cactus species.
1.08 MILES
A fascinating missionary church built in 1929 by Swiss Jesuits, St Teresa's was constructed to incorporate designs from a Bhutanese gompa. The 12 wooden…
1.25 MILES
Built from 1912 to 1922, the main temple of this Gelugpa-school Tibetan monastery of 50 monks contains statues of past, present and future Buddhas. Don't…