WEST BENGAL, INDIA: CALCUTTA + DARJEELING + GANGTOK in WEST BENGAL

Facilities available

Wheelchair access

Adapted transfer

Description

10 Nights

From £2495 per person sharing (Flights quoted separately)

This disabled holiday to India is wheelchair acessible, provided you have upper body strength & can travel in a regular car. Visit the beautiful Darjeeling, famous for its tea plantations, absorb the Buddhist culture of of Gangtok & visit bustling Calcutta (now called Kolkata) where you can visit the Mother Teresa Mission. All transfers with private driver & specified sightseeing included.

Highlights:

• Disabled holidays India
• Darjeeling
• Buddhist culture
• Wheelchair accessible
• Tea Plantations
• Namgyl institute
• Calcutta (Kolkata)
• Himalayan mountaineering institute
• Mother Teresa mission
• Gangtok

Day 1

You will be met at Kolkata Airport and transferred to your hotel in this bustling city - the third largest in India and the capital of West Bengal.

Formerly known as Calcutta, this city was originally developed by the British East India Company and became the capital of the British Empire in India until 1911, when the capital was relocated to Delhi.

Day 2

Today enjoy a full day tour of Kolkata, a city of palaces situated on the east bank of the River Hooghly and the principal commercial, cultural and educational centre in eastern India. Kolkata is also noted for its revolutionary history, ranging from the Indian struggle for independence to the leftist Naxalite and trade union movements.

There are many interesting sites in this city and you can discuss your preferences with your guide. We usually start our day with a visit to the Mother Teresa Mission, which works amongst one of the poorest communities in the world (closed on Thursdays & public holidays). We then drive past BBD Bagh Garden (formerly Dalhousie Square), named after three freedom fighters and now the office hub of the city. The impressive colonial buildings here date back to when this city was the capital of British India. You can see Raj Bhavan (Government House), St John's Church, the High Court, Post Office, Town Hall and beautiful Writers Building. You can also view the Flower Market and drive across the impressive Vidyasagar Setu Bridge.

After lunch (own account) other places of interest we can visit include St. Paul’s Cathedral, Victoria Memorial (closed Mondays), Indian Museum (closed Mondays), Marble Palace, the beautiful Dakshineswar Kali Temple, the Jain Temple and the traditional potters quarters in Kumartuli in northern Kolkata.

Note: Not all sites are accessible, but your guide will do his best to give you some access..

Day 3

At leisure to explore more of the city of Kolkata with your driver (pay any entrance fees locally).

Day 4

Transfer to Kolkata Airport for your flight to Bagdogra, where you will be met and transferred 3-hours to Darjeeling.

Situated in the lesser Himalayas at an altidude of 6,710 ft (2,050 m), this town was the summer capital of British India when it was governed from Calcutta, due to its pleasant climate. Today it is famous for its distinctive black tea and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.

Darjeeling is also well known for its cultural diversity, as it is home to many Tibetan refugees and descendants from Nepali and Bihari labourers brought to work here on the tea plantations.

Note: At some Indian airports you may be manually lifted into the plane using an aisle chair.

Day 5

Enjoy a half day guided tour of Darjeeling, including a visit to the Botanical Gardens and the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute where Tenzay Norgay, who together with Sir Edmund Hillary first ascended Mount Everest, was director of field training. We also vist the colouful local bazaars.

The balance of your day is free to relax in Darjeeling.

Note: The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute is closed on Thursdays.

Day 6

At leisure to relax at the hill station of Darjeeling, with its delightful tea gardens and wonderful mountain scenery that is ideal for relaxation and bird watching.

Your driver will provide your transfers (pay any entrance fees locally). You can also venture further afield to Mirik in the Himalayas.

Day 7

Today you will be transferred 4-hours to Gangtok in the eastern Himalayas, the capital of the state of Sikkim and a centre of Tibetan Buddhist culture and learning.

On arrival relax in this city that is wreathed in clouds.

Day 8

This morning we visit the beautiful Rumtek Monastery, with its intricately painted exterior and priceless Buddhist manuscripts.

We then explore the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, a centre for Mahayana Buddhism with rare statues and embroidered scrolls charting the intertwined Buddhist cultures and histories of Sikkim and Tibet. Here we can learn more about their religion, history, language, arts and culture (closed Sundays).

You can view the impressive Do-Drul-Chorten, an imposing stupa (shrine) ringed by prayer wheels, and visit cottage industries making traditional handcrafts. You can support the local people by buying some of their wares. We also visit Srama Gardens, a sanctuary with a collection of over 454 species of orchids.

Day 9

At leisure to explore more of Gangtok with your driver (pay any entrance fees locally).

Day 10

Transfer 5-hours to Bagdogra Airport for your flight to Delhi.

You will be met at Delhi Airport and transferred to your hotel situated near the airport.

Note: At some Indian airports you may be manually lifted into the plane using an aisle chair.

Day 11

Transfer to Delhi Airport for your flight home.

Information last updated: 04/12/2023 14:19:03