Hill Stations of the Himalayas

Described as ‘The Flame of the East’, Calcutta was the centre of British India for 100 years until the capital moved to Delhi. Now Calcutta is undergoing a renaissance. The grand buildings that bear testament to its colonial heritage are being restored to their former glory and sit in a fascinating juxtaposition with Indian culture at its most intoxicating.
The Victoria Memorial has been described as the British Taj, Eden Gardens as the Lords of Asia, but to witness the bathing ceremonies on the ghats below the Howrah Bridge is a uniquely Indian experience.

When the heat becomes unsupportable then as now, the inhabitants of this metropolis cross the Bengali plains to Hill Cart Road which shares it winding route with the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. A 2-metre gauge allows this world heritage train to pass through busy hamlets and mountainous terrain of great beauty before reaching Darjeeling, perched on a 2100-metre ridge in the foothills of the Himalaya. Here is a taste of Victorian England with the famous Windamere Hotel, the Mall, the church spires of St Johns and St Andrews and the Planters club, one time social centre for those who assisted in the production of Darjeeling, the Champagne of the Teas.

Mallory stayed here before his fateful ascent of Everest in 1924, leaving in tweeds, home knits and carrying little else but the spirit of the empire. Though Everest is visible on a fine day, the skyline is dominated by the spellbinding Kanchenjunga, marginally smaller than Everest but the highest mountain in India. This is the land of the yak, the red panda, and the mythical snow leopard, revered by the Tibetan Buddhists who inhabit Sikkim and the monasteries of the Red and Black hat sect.Bordering Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan the Himalayan Kingdom has pristine lakes, luxuriant forests, thunderous rivers, gentle streams and a vast array or orchids all set against the spectacular snow capped peaks of the world’s highest mountains.