About half way along the road between Darjeeling and Ghum is the huge Druk Sangak Choeling Gompa, inaugurated by the Dalai Lama in 1993. Known for its vibrant frescoes, it is home to 300 Himalayan monks who study philosophy, literature, astronomy, meditation, dance and music. Come for prayers between 5pm and 6.30pm.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
11.31 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…
1.12 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…
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16.58 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…
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21.11 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…
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14.16 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…
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23.96 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…
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13.23 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…
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Namgyal Institute of Tibetology
29.5 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…
Nearby Darjeeling attractions
0.39 MILES
Perched on a hillside 2km south of the town centre, the gleaming white, 28m-high Peace Pagoda is one of more than 70 pagodas built around the world by the…
0.52 MILES
This century-old Nyingma-school monastery is run by people from Yolmo in Langtang, Nepal, who emigrated here 150 years ago. The atmospheric upper-floor…
0.66 MILES
If you’re travelling on the toy train, look out for this famous railway loop that goes around an open-air war memorial, erected in honour of the brave…
0.86 MILES
The active Tibetan-style Samten Choeling Gompa has the largest Buddha statue in West Bengal, a chorten containing the ashes of the German Buddhist mystic…
1.04 MILES
This fortress-style Sakya-school monastery, established in 1909 and with a big new temple consecrated in 2015, conducts prayer sessions between 5.30am and…
1.05 MILES
This museum inside Ghum station has a collection of memorabilia and photos from the bygone days of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. In an outer courtyard…
1.07 MILES
Darjeeling's most conspicuous Hindu temple is a replica of the famous Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu. It’s easy to find – just below Darjeeling train…
8. Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
1.12 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…