Darjeeling - the 'land of the 'dorje' or thunderbolt' lies at a 686-kilometer drive from the Kolkata city.

Enjoy marvelous views of the world's third highest mountains, the 8586 m Kanchenjunga, as you sit sipping tea on a hotel balcony. Market means sifting through mounds of woollens, thangkas (beautiful cloth paintings), bronze statues and jewellery in little shops on the Mall. It also means a holiday where you set the pace, enjoying leisure or seeking new mountains to climb.

Hike up the mountains, steal a sunrise, take back picturesque views in your camera, go trekking... it's like digging into a bottomless box of goodies.

Darjeeling has known many masters: Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal, and the British east India Company. Its longest links have been with Sikkim who ruled the area between the present borders of Sikkim and the plains of Bengal, including Darjeeling and Kalimpong till the beginning of the 18th century.

In 1906 the Rajas of Sikkim lost Kalimpong to Bhutan, the rest of the region was captured by the Gurkhas of Nepal.

By the time the British took over Darjeeling, roads were laid, the first hotel was built in Kurseong, the second in Darjeeling; bazaars, a hospital and the jail followed. Cultivation of tea and coffee was introduced in Darjeeling.

Explore Ghoom monastery, the Senchal Lake, Tiger Hill, Lebanon Race Course, Lloyd's Botanical Gardens, Happy Valley and the Darjeeling Ranjeet Valley on a Darjeeling tour with Top Tourist Places.com