Delhi to Bagdogra

If one wants to go to Darjeeling or Gangtok and, for that matter, any part of Sikkim, the closest landing strip is Bagdogra International Airport. So we fastened our seat belts at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, for a four days adventure trip in the lapse of Himalayas. Our flight took off around 2.15 p.m. with a flight time of two hours and 15 minutes; we finally landed around 4.30 p.m. Upon landing, unlike every airport’s baggage service, Bagdogra’s baggage service was better as we got our bags faster than usual. After claiming our bags, we went to the information centers of West Bengal and Sikkim Tourism to ensure that we have included all the must-visit places of Darjeeling and Gangtok to our list. Upon gaining all pre-requisite knowledge about the sites, we went to a pre-paid taxi booking center to book a cab for Darjeeling. We were charged INR 2800 for the whole trip, of which we were supposed to pay INR100 at the booking center and remaining once we reach our destination.

P.S.: We tried OLA and UBER outstation initially, but it did not work. The local fleet has a stronghold in this area. Hence, there are very slim chances that you will find OLA or UBER here.

We started around 5.15 p.m. from Bagdogra Airport; as soon as we hit the road after traveling a few miles, only we were able to see tea gardens around. Looking at our excited faces, our driver informed us that we would find more beautiful fields once we reach Darjeeling. Beautiful sunset and cool breeze with a mild fragrance of blossoming flower, I don’t think there can be anything better and soothing during a road trip. Moving towards Darjeeling, we experienced the change in the terrain and weather; we started experiencing fog at few places as we gained the altitude. But whenever the fog gets cleared, we were able to catch the glimpses of the mesmerizing view of the valley. As we gained further altitude fog got dense, being seated next to the driver, I was unable to see anything; as a matter of fact, our car’s headlamps failed to penetrate through the fog. I don’t know how our driver was able to steer; guess that’s why it is always recommended to have an experienced driver with you who is very well aware of the terrain while traveling to a hilly region. After approximately 2 hours, we were reached Darjeeling; it took us around 20 more minutes to reach our hotel. We finally checked-in our rooms around 7.45 p.m. As everyone enjoyed the whole trip, no one felt any kind of exertion. We had our dinner at the hotel and then we went out for a walk to MG road as it was quite near to our hotel. While taking a walk, we asked the driver who picked us from the airport to show us around Darjeeling then takes us to Gangtok the next day. After a little bit of negotiation on the price, we were able to reach a number where we closed the deal and laid out the complete plan for the next day’s travel. After walking around for 45 minutes, we finally bid good night to Darjeeling and gently slipped into our dreams.

Stay tuned to know about our next day’s adventure.