Ride the toy train from Darjeeling to Ghoom

The 'toy train' of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), given heritage status by UNESCO, covers the distance of 88 km between New Jalpaiguri station and Darjeeling. This fascinating narrow gauge steam engine train still operates with the original steam engine and the loops and the zig-zags along the route are remarkable feats of engineering. The full run from New Jalpaiguri takes around 7 hours, so we usually recommend stepping on at Darjeeling for the final and most alluring section up to Ghoom. The round trip between Darjeeling and Ghoom takes two hours, but you could choose instead to disembark at Ghoom where there is an interesting local monastery to visit, and then return by road.