Toy Train Ride

Many of the small hill trains in India have a huge heritage legacy; some have even made it to the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites. This is a fun experience. One can sit for a short distance and see how this train chugs onto the sinuous tracks along the hills. In Darjeeling, the experience is something like this – the toy train wends its way to Ghoom Monastery which is 11 km away from Darjeeling, The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, nicknamed the “Toy Train”, is a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railway from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling. Since 1999 the train has been a World Heritage Site as listed by UNESCO. On the way the train passes through Batasia Loop with its memorial to the Gorkha soldiers. From here you can get a spectacular view of Darjeeling town with the Kanchenjunga and other mountains. A similar experience awaits in Shimla and Ooty.