Exotic East India Tours

Exotic East India ToursPlaces: Kolkata - Bagdogra - Darjeeling - Kalimpong - Gangtok - Kolkata.Day 01 - Arrive CalcuttaMeet on arrival by our company representative and transfer to hotel. Kolkata - Considered the intellectual capital of India; Calcutta is the city where Mother Teresa worked tirelessly for the poor and homeless and the city where Rabindra Nath Tagore wrote his famous books.Overnight in Calcutta. Day 02 - Fly Kolkata to Bagdogra - - Darjeeling (90 kms/ 03 hrs) Breakfast at hotel followed by transfer to airport in time to board flight to Bagdogra. Meet on arrival and transfer to  the Darjeeling. Upon arrival check in at hotel.Day 03 - In Darjeeling Early in the morning you will be picked up for an excursion to Tiger Hill and Ghoom Monasty :  to view the sunrise over the world's third highest peak - Kanchenjunga (28156 ft) then on to Ghoom Monastery to see one of the largest statues of the Maitreya Buddha.Later, after breakfast, sightseeing tour of Darjeeling.  Tour includes visits to the following places of interestHimalayan Zoological Park - home to India's only Siberian tigers, some rare species such as the red panda and world renowned for success in breeding snow leopards. Also visit the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Gumbu Rock site and Tibetan Refugee self-help centre as well as nearby tea gardens.Overnight in Darjeeling.Day 05: In DarjeelingBreakfast at hotel. Rest of the day leisure to explore the city by your own. Overnight at hotel.Day 06 - Drive Darjeeling to Gangtok  (90 kms/03 hrs) Breakfast at hotel. Morning proceed to Gangtok. Upon arrival check in at hotel.Gangtok-The Gateway to Sikkim, the last Shangri-La, this state of India occupies a rising ridge and the Himalayas serve as a backdrop to the town.  With a backdrop of the Himalayas, Sikkim offers breathtaking vistas, colourful lifestyles, Buddhist shrines, adventure, watersport, exquisite flora and fauna, including hundreds of varieties of butterflies, all close to the capital, Gangtok. Efforts are on to expand quality tourism to other areas. There has been a rapid increase in the availability of accommodation. Apart government accommodation at various places, Gangtok is teeming with lodges and hotels. Sikkim is ideal for a visit by itself, or combined with visits to Darjeeling and/or Kalimpong. Surrounded by Tibet, Bhutan, West Bengal and Nepal, Sikkim was a monarchy and emerged as the 22nd Indian state in the 1970s. The capital is expanding, to the status of a city. The hustle and bustle of the market places contrasts with the serene areas, all within minutes of each other.Day 07- In GangtokAfter breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel and taken for a guided sightseeing tour of Gangtok.  Tour includes visits to the following places of interestTsuk la Khang or the royal Chapel, the place where the former Chogyal or ruler of Sikkim would pray, the Institute of Tibetology which promotes research into Tibetology, the memorial chorten whose gold apex is visible from all parts of Gangtok, the Orchid sanctuary where one can see many of the 454 species of Orchids found in Sikkim. Proceed on to the Institute of cottage industries where one can buy traditional sikkimese crafts. The last stop on your tour is the 200 year old Enchey monastery.Rest of the day at leisure exploring the surroundings.Overnight in Gangtok.  Day 08: Gangtok - Kalimpong (90 kms/ 03 hrs)After leisurely breakfast, check out from the hotel and then start your drive to Kalimpong.Kalimpong - a remote hill station set in the rolling foothills and deep valleys of the stunning Himalayas. Kalimpong is perhaps the best destination to tour in West Bengal. Kalimpong is not only famous of its handicrafts and monasteries but it is also well known for orchids and other flowers that grow in abundance here.  Kalimpong is situated at an altitude of about 1250 meters and has a mild climate that range from 16 to 27 Degrees Celsius in summer and 5 to 15 Degrees Celsius in winter. The best season to tour Kalimpong is from March-June and September-November. Before coming under the control of Bhutan in 1706, Kalimpong was part of Sikkim. Later it came under the British rule. On arrival in Kalimpong, check in at the hotel Silver Oaks.Day 09: In KalimpongAfter breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel and taken for a guided sightseeing tour of Kalimpong.  The tour starts with a visit to the Zong Do Palri Fo Brang Monastery, consecrated by the Dalai Lama, the Thongsa Gompa, the oldest monastery in Kalimpong, the Sericulture Institute where one can actually see the weaving of silk and also the flower nurseries where cut flowers are exported through out the world.Rest of the day at leisure. Overnight in Kalimpong.Day 10: Kalimpong - Bagdogra (80 kms/ 03 hrs) & Fly to KolkataAfter leisurely breakfast, check out from the hotel and then drive to Bagdogra airport to board flight for Kolkata. You will be met at the Kolkata airport by our representative and transferred to the hotel. Overnight in Kolkata.Day 11 - Depart KolkataAfter leisurely breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel and taken for a guided sightseeing tour of Kolkata.  Tour includes visits to the following places of interest:Victoria Memorial - An splendid example of British architecture, this building was built in memory of Queen Victoria and was inaugurated by Prince of Wales in 1921.Birla Planetarium - One of the earliest planetariums in India. With its neoclassical design, it looks like the type of planetarium the Romans would have made if they ever got it into their primitive little heads to make a planetarium.St Paul's Cathedral - It is one of the most striking western style buildings in Kolkatta. Its construction took eight years to complete. It opened its doors to the British public in Calcutta 1847. The tower of the cathedral was modeled after the Canterbury Cathedral's bell tower. It and the rest of the building was designed mainly by a military engineer by the name of Major William Nairn Forbes. The building could best be described as neogothic, though many of the details of the building depart from that architectural style.Indian Museum - This museum in Kolkata was established in 1878. The museum is built in Italian architectural style and is considered as the largest museum in the country and one of the best in Asia.Later in the afternoon, you are met by our representative at your hotel and assisted with checkout formalities, followed by transfer to airport in time for your flight home.