What to expect So how do you define the place Darjeeling?

What to expect So how do you define the place Darjeeling? In short, Darjeeling is one of the prettiest hill stations in India located in northern part of West Bengal. It's all about magnificent views of snowcapped Kanchenjunga, torrents flowing down the mountain slopes, lovely tea gardens, landscapes with firs, pines & ferns, and all that combined with friendly people and modern yet colonial charm. You can find about 4,000 different types of flowering plants in Darjeeling district including rhododendrons, orchids, magnolia etc, there are some 300 types of ferns including the rare fern trees. And if you care to go around the forested land, you can see some amazing animal life like red pandas, pangolins, yellow throated martens, barking deer as well as leopards and even elephants in their natural habitats. And of course if your vacation plan is to relax, enjoy food, do shopping and sightseeing, the friendly natives like the Nepalis, Tibetans and Lepchas will make you feel perfectly at home as you enjoy the fabulous weather and charm of the place. Darjeeling at night Darjeeling at night Photo by: Emmanuel Vishal Rozario for Darjeeling-Tourism.com Photo Description: The above photograph was clicked at around 10:00 pm. Quite intriguingly, the photograph seems to be clicked during late dusk. The beautiful peach coloured haze of the night sky gives a divine aura. The bright shimmering lights, which are actually the houses, in the distance look like stars shinning in a clear night sky. The gradual downward slope gives a beautiful transitive feel as the lights slowly disappear... by Arkopal Sen Why the name Darjeeling? Did it ever strike you in the first place how the name Darjeeling was coined? Well there are several stories behind the name. The most popular is the one that says that Observatory Hill top (located just behind the Mall) which is the highest point in Darjeeling town, attracted lots of lightning and thunders, particularly during the monsoon season. The word 'Dorji' in Tibetan means 'Thunderbolt' and 'Ling' means 'Place'. Therefore Darjeeling was so named to mean 'The place of thunderbolt'.