Page 300 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - India

298  EASTERN INDIA

Tea plantations lining the road between Bagdogra and Siliguri
q Siliguri and cane furniture, a speciality w Jaldapara Wildlife
of the area, is widely available. Sanctuary
Darjeeling district. 79 km (49 miles)
SE of Darjeeling. * 470,300. In the winter, Siliguri hosts Jalpaiguri district. 200 km (124miles)
~ Bagdogra, 12 km (7 miles) W of international Buddhist SE of Siliguri. £ Madarihat, the entry
Siliguri, then taxi or bus. £ New conferences and also serves as point, then taxi. @ Madarihat. n For
Jalpaiguri, 60 km (37 miles) SE of the transit point for travellers to general enquiries and bookings for
Siliguri, then taxi or bus. @ n Tourist the Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary. the Hollong Forest Lodge, contact
Office, Siliguri, (0353) 251 1974. Tourist Office, Siliguri, (0353) 251 1974.
Environs Open mid-Sep–mid-Jun. & Extra
Siliguri, in the foothills of the Clustered close to Siliguri are charges for photography.  Hollong.
Eastern Himalayas, was once New Jalpaiguri, the railhead
a calm provincial town, with for the area, and Bagdogra, The region around the Jaldapara
quiet streets and well-equipped which has the airport. Along Wildlife Sanctuary, in the richly
shops, where tea planters would with Siliguri, these towns act forested Dooars Valley, was
come to stock up on provisions. as gateways to the hill stations once the hunting ground of
Today, much of the town is a of Darjeeling, Kurseong and the kings of Bhutan. Today, it
vast trucking depot, though it Kalimpong, as well as to is one of the biggest reserve
has some lively bazaars, such Bhutan and Sikkim. The drive forests in West Bengal, covering
as the one on Tenzing Norgay between these towns goes an area of 216 sq km (83 sq
Road. The Tibetan woollens past beautiful green expanses miles). Established in 1941,
on sale here are good bargains, of tea plantations. the reserve sprawls over lush,

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR)
The most attractive way to travel to Darjeeling from Siliguri is by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
(DHR), also known as the “toy train”. The narrow gauge train gasps its way up from New Jalpaiguri (NJP)
to Darjeeling, 2,128 m (6,982 ft) above sea level. The journey takes nine hours, and the track rises a
total of 2,088 m (6,850 ft) over its length of 80 km (50 miles). Built between 1879 and 1881, the train
line is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The line makes wide loops as it zigzags up the
hill, requiring the train to backtrack for certain
stretches. Each of the steam engines, one of
which dates to 1892, hauls up three carriages.
If nine hours sounds daunting, try journeying to
Kurseong by train and taking a bus to Darjeeling,
or travelling only the last stretch (from Ghoom
to Darjeeling) by train. Tickets are available at
NJP and Darjeeling stations. The NJP–Darjeeling
train leaves at 9am; the Darjeeling–NJP train
departs at 9:15am. In peak season, there is an
8:30am NJP–Kurseong train and a Kurseong–NJP
The “toy train” pulled by steam engines train at 2:30pm. For more details, see p753.

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp697–8 and p711

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Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.6)
Date 12th July 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm