A Darjeeling half-day — the zoo, the mountaineering institute and the botanical garden
A half-day that keeps to the town. It begins at the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, passes the mountaineering institute beside it, and ends in Lloyd's Botanical Garden. For the sunrise and the ridge, see the one-day plan; for the toy train, the two-day plan.
Photos: Slyronit (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Bernard Gagnon (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Who this is for
Families with children, and anyone who wants a gentler day than the sunrise trip; spring and autumn are best.
Day by day
Day 1Animals, the mountaineers and the garden
3 stops · 8 min on the road
Animals, the mountaineers and the garden
A short, level-headed day for families, close to the centre.
- 09:30Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological ParkIndia's largest high-altitude zoo, with breeding programmes for the red panda and snow leopard.
- ↓ 2 min by road · 1 km12:00Himalayan Mountaineering InstituteThe institute founded on 4 November 1954, next to the zoo, with Tenzing Norgay as its first director of field training.
- ↓ 6 min by road · 3 km14:00Lloyd's Botanical GardenNative Himalayan plants and a cactus conservatory.
Getting there
Bagdogra airport is about 70 km away; see how to reach Darjeeling.
Where to stay
Stay in Darjeeling. We have no verified lodging or prices.
Know before you go
- We have no verified opening hours or entry fees for the zoo, the institute or the garden; ask locally.
- The zoo's paths climb; wear good shoes, and go early when the animals are active.
- The garden's gates are steep; Wikipedia lists four, and only some are reachable by vehicle.
Places on this route
Going together
No one has started a group going on this plan yet. Start one and other travellers can ask to come along.
Other ways to do it
All Darjeeling itineraries →
More places nearby
All of Darjeeling →
Nearby destinations
All destinations →
Questions people ask
What can you see in a half-day in Darjeeling?
The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute beside it and Lloyd's Botanical Garden. They lie 4 to 8 minutes from the centre on our routing, so the day needs little driving. The zoo is the main stop, so allow about two hours for it and an easy hour or two for the rest.
Which animals are in the Darjeeling zoo?
Wikipedia lists snow leopards, red pandas, gorals, Siberian tigers and endangered birds, with breeding programmes for the snow leopard and the red panda. It calls the zoo the largest high-altitude zoo in India. The paths climb the hillside. We have no verified feeding or show times, so ask when you arrive.
Is this plan good in the rain?
Less so. The zoo's paths and the botanical garden's steps become slippery, and the monsoon, June to September, brings most of the year's rain. The conservatory in the garden gives some cover. Spring and autumn are the better choices, and you can swap the order if a shower is passing.