Darjeeling - Day 1

On our first full day in Darjeeling, Joel went trekking and Matt and I did some sightseeing. We started out at the local zoo, which is supposed to be one of the best in India. It has a snow leopard breeding program and focuses on exhibiting Himalayan animals.

Zoo entrance

Darjeeling is very hilly, so the zoo itself is very steep.

One of the zoo paths

The zoo has several red pandas

Orchids grow on many of the trees

Inside the zoo is the Mountaineering Institute where people train. It also has a museum that covers some of the Everest expeditions that left from Darjeeling.

The Mountaineering Institute

After the zoo, we toured the Happy Valley Tea Estate which produces green, black, and white organic teas.

Happy Valley

This is where they dry the tea

Fans apply cool and hot air on the leaves

After the tea estate, we had momos and took a gondola ride down one of the valleys.

Momos in a leaf bowl

Women picking tea leaves

Bamboo holding up new construction

Baby goats at the bottom of the gondola ride

After the gondola ride, we headed to the Tibetan refugee center to look around.

Prayer wheel

Tibetan prayer flags above the buildings