Hervo Holidays

Arrive into Kolkata, stay at the Fairlawn Hotel (or The Grand); visit the sights including Daniels’ collection of Indian paintings at the Victoria Memorial, Kumartully or the Potter’s Lane where durga idols are made, enjoy a coffee at the Coffee House on College Street; visit Tagore’s home at Jorasanko; enjoy traditional food in a thali at Aaheli, take a boat on the Hooghly from Belur Math to Dakhineshwar, join a local family for a cooking session, visit Trincas for some golden oldies….

A short flight to Bagdogra, drive to Kalimpong; stay at the Silveroaks Hotel. Visit the orchid nurseries, Tharpa Choling Monastery, the Arts and Crafts Centre.

Drive to Gangtok; stay at Denzong Regency or Norkhill; visit the Enchey Monastery, the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology and Lal Bazaar; option to visit the beautiful Chomgo Lake, at 12000 ft, an hour’s drive away.

Visit the Rumtek Monastery and drive on to Yuksum, stay at Tashi Gang Hotel; at leisure.

Visit the Dubdi Monastery early in the morning, perched on a hill. Later visit Tashiding, where the first Chogyal of Sikkim was crowned; also visit the Khechupelri Lake and the famous Pemayangtse Monastery; there is the option of walking another hour to the Rabdentse Palace ruins; stay the night at Mt Pandim (or Chumbi Mountain Retreat) in Pelling. There is a fair amount of walking involved today; you have the option of skipping some sights and walking less.

Drive to Darjeeling for three nights at the colonial Windamere Hotel. Witness the spectacular sunrise from Tiger Hill, visit Ghoom Monastery and the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute; take the toy train to Ghoom or Kurseong; sip your Darjeeling tea at Glenary’s, a short walk from your hotel. There is the option to visit a tea factory and learn the difference between first and second flusDarjeeling and Kolkata evoke fond memories of the Raj, while Sikkim’s unique topography, which includes the world’s third highest mountain peak, cradles a Tibetan-Buddhist culture.
The hotels are comfortable but simple, with a well-known period hotel in Darjeeling and another in Kolkata. A ride on the World Heritage railway in Darjeeling, seeing arguably the most spectacular sunrise in the world from the Tiger Hill, savouring an authentic