The blue water of Mirik's Sumendu Lake with the town's houses and a monastery on the green ridge beyond under white clouds

Day planCouplesleisurerelaxed

A day trip from Darjeeling to Mirik — the lake town in the tea country

A day trip from Darjeeling to Mirik: 94 minutes to Sumendu Lake, its 3.5 km lake road, footbridge and boats, and lunch in the town among tea gardens.

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A slow day away from the ridge. Mirik Lake, properly Sumendu Lake, lies about 94 minutes from Darjeeling on our routing, at about 1,494 m among tea gardens, with a lakeside road of about 3.5 km and a footbridge across the water. It was a marsh until the 1970s and opened as a lake in April 1979. For a fuller Darjeeling stay, see the three-day plan.

Photos: Shubh.ch1994 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Sujay25 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Vikramdeep Sidhu from Jhajjar, India (CC BY 2.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.

Who this is for

Couples and families with a free day in Darjeeling, and anyone who wants a gentle walk by water and through the tea country.

Day by day

Day 1

Down through the tea gardens to the lake

2 stops · 2 min on the road

Out after breakfast, the lake at midday, back by evening.

10:30
Mirik Lake
lake · 1 h 34 min from Darjeeling · about 1 h there
About 94 minutes from Darjeeling on our routing. Walk the 3.5 km road round Sumendu Lake, cross the arched Indreni footbridge between the garden and the pines, and take a boat if you like; Wikipedia says boating and pony rides are on offer. We have no verified prices.
↓ a short walk
13:30
Mirik
town · 1 h 36 min from Darjeeling · about 1 h 30 min there
Lunch in the small town, whose name comes from Lepcha words meaning place burnt by fire, then the drive back up through the tea gardens.

Getting there

By car or taxi from Darjeeling, about 94 minutes each way on our routing. See how to reach Darjeeling.

Where to stay

Darjeeling; this is a day out. We have no verified lodging in Mirik.

Know before you go

Wikipedia gives Mirik as 49 km from Darjeeling and 52 km from Bagdogra airport, so it can also be a stop on the way down to the plains.
Walk the lake road in the morning, before the day's visitors.
On a clear day the lake road looks out to Kangchenjunga.

Places on this route

Mirik Lake (Sumendu Lake) — the lake town among the tea gardens below Darjeeling

lake · 1 h 34 min from Darjeeling

Going together

No one has started a group going on this plan yet. Start one and other travellers can ask to come along.

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Other ways to do it

All Darjeeling itineraries →

Darjeeling in three days — Tiger Hill and Senchal, the zoo and the tea, and the old town

2 nights · 3 days · Family · Classic

A three-day Darjeeling plan: Tiger Hill sunrise, Batasia Loop and Senchal Lake, the zoo and HMI, Happy Valley Tea Estate and the old town on foot. Copy it.

Best Mar–May · Oct–Nov

See the plan →

A day to Kurseong and Makaibari — the orchid town and one of Darjeeling's oldest tea gardens

Day plan · culture · Temples & heritage

A day from Darjeeling to Kurseong, the orchid town on the toy-train line, and the Makaibari Tea Estate of 1852, whose 1859 factory was the district's first.

Best Mar–May · Oct–Nov

See the plan →

More places nearby

All of Darjeeling →

Yiga Choeling Monastery, Ghum — the Old Ghoom Monastery and its Maitreya statue

temple · 15 km away

Tiger Hill, Darjeeling — the sunrise viewpoint for Kangchenjunga and Everest

viewpoint · 15 km away

Batasia Loop, Darjeeling — the spiral of the toy train and the Gorkha memorial

monument · 15 km away

Peace Pagoda, Darjeeling — the white Japanese stupa on Jalapahar

temple · 17 km away

Happy Valley Tea Estate, Darjeeling — the town's second oldest tea garden

park · 19 km away

Lloyd's Botanical Garden, Darjeeling — the Himalayan plants below the town

monument · 19 km away

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway — the toy train and its loops

monument · 19 km away

Chowrasta, Darjeeling — the town square on the Mall

area · 19 km away

Nearby destinations

All destinations →

The huge copper-coloured seated statue of Guru Padmasambhava on its painted base on Samdruptse hill under a grey sky

Namchi

18 km away · 2 itineraries · 3 places

A long snow-covered Kanchenjunga ridge in blue morning light above dark forested hills with a few wisps of cloud

Pelling

29 km away · 3 itineraries · 8 places

The seated golden and dark-blue Buddha statue on a stepped, richly painted base against a forested hillside and a cloudy sky

Ravangla

32 km away · 1 itineraries · 3 places

Gangtok

48 km away · 5 itineraries · 11 places

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Questions people ask

Is Mirik worth a day trip from Darjeeling?

Yes, if you want a quiet day by water. Mirik Lake is about 94 minutes away on our routing, with a 3.5 km road round it, an arched footbridge, pines on one side and a garden on the other, and boats. It is lower than Darjeeling, at about 1,494 m, so it is milder.

How far is Mirik from Darjeeling?

About 42 km and 94 minutes by road on our routing; Wikipedia gives 49 km. The road runs through tea gardens. Mirik is also 52 km from Siliguri and from Bagdogra airport by Wikipedia's figures, so it can be visited on the way up to Darjeeling or on the way down.

Can you go boating at Mirik Lake?

Wikipedia says boating and pony rides are available at Sumendu Lake. We have no verified prices, timings or operators, so ask at the lake before you set out on the water. The footbridge and the lakeside road are free to walk as far as we know.