The Tipong-Darjeeling Express

This is an exceptional opportunity to discover, on this English-speaking escorted tour, the amazing landscapes, lifestyle and railways of India. Well-known to the British, we are pleased to be able to offer this opportunity to discover India to other nationalities - you'll have ample time to see Calcutta, travel by "ordinary" Indian trains and delight in the workings of the Darjeeling Himalya Railway, a must-see destination for all lovers of steam and diesel traction. The programme is of course designed to give time to discover more general aspects of India and is therefore suitable for spouses too..

Thursday, 23 February

Individual departures from Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam...

Friday, 24 February

Individual arrivals in Calcutta. In the early afternoon we have a short Tour Briefing followed by a coach tour of the city to see the main sights. Calcutta was for many years the capital of the British administration in India and we can see that legacy all around us with buildings such as the Victoria Memorial and St John’s church. In the evening we take a short stroll to a local restaurant serving excellent Chinese and Indian food (optional).

Saturday, 25 February

If you want to see Calcutta at its best, why not venture out onto the Maidan in the early morning. You might catch the police and military exercising their horses. After breakfast we take a specially chartered Calcutta Tram through the streets of the city – this is an excellent way to see how Calcutta really works - with its teeming streets and colourful bazaars - from the relative calm of the tram.  We then have a visit to Howrah station, one of India’s oldest and busiest railway termini, and the railway museum adjacent, before heading to the jetty for an evening dining cruise on the River Hooghly (one of the mouths of the Ganges) to see temples and much of the old British riverfront.

Sunday, 26 February

This morning we head back to the airport to catch our Indigo flight to Dibrugarh in NE Assam, arriving at 14.10. We are met with a coach which takes us on the three hour journey to Digboi.  We stop at Tinsukia to visit the museum which includes a plinthed metre-gauge YP Pacific and the spare B from Tipong with two DHR coaches. Then at Digboi we visit the Indian Oil Company’s Museum – we found this on our last visit, and it was absolutely fascinating!  We expect to stay at their Guest House. Please note that the Guest House has only basic facilities, and the food, whilst freshly prepared and hygienic, will not have the variety one would expect in a larger hotel.

Monday, 27 February

After breakfast, we drive the 1½ hour journey to Tipong, pausing at Margherita to see the plinthed steam engine at the Coal India offices.  Tipong is a tiny colliery in a beautiful setting close to the Burmese border. Coal is brought out on a 2ft gauge railway which is largely steam operated, although for how much longer is uncertain. We expect to have at least one of the ‘B’ class or the Bagnall ‘David’ in steam for us. Overnight is again at the Indian Oil Company’s Guest House.

Tuesday, 28 February

We start the day as yesterday with a second visit to Tipong Colliery.  The bus will leave Tipong at about 15.00 to take us back to Dibrugarh to catch the 20.15 overnight Rajdhani Express to…
Overnight will be in 2-tier air-conditioned berths on the train.  Please ask if you’d like more information on this style of accommodation.

Wednesday, 29 February

…Guwahati, where we arrive at 06.00, and we have breakfast served to us on the platform.  The train leaves again at 07.00, and takes us on to New Jalpaiguri, where arrival is due at 13.00. We’re met and taken by coach to the Cindrella Hotel. After freshening up, we go down to Siliguri Junction shed to meet the ‘B’ class (and NDM6) which runs on the Darjeeling line.  At 17.00, we have one of our exclusive dining trains, with a ‘B’ class blasting up through the forests to Rangtong at dusk whilst we enjoy an excellent three course dinner on the train.

Thursday, 1 March

Our first day at the Cindrella and the chance to get a feel for the area. If you’ve had enough of railways for a while there’s the vibrant bazaar and colourful Hindu temple and Buddhist monastery. Alternatively our bus can chase the diesel-hauled service train up as far as Tindharia and visit the DHR’s locomotive shed at Siliguri.  We can also take a look at Siliguri Town station, the oldest building in Siliguri which is currently being prepared as the site for a new railway museum.

Friday, 2 March

Today we have our first steam charter, starting from New Jalpaiguri and travelling as far as Sukna. Steam is very rarely seen on the section south of Siliguri Junction so we’ll make sure to have plenty of opportunities for photography. We hope to be able to use loco 1001, recently overhauled under the guidance of engineering staff from the DHR Society. We also expect a visit to the broad-gauge and metre gauge loco depots.  As a non-rail alternative for a small extra cost (depending on numbers) we can arrange a day trip to  Gorumara National Park where we spend some time at Dhupjhora elephant camp. We feed and bathe the elephants which are used by the park to control and corral the rhinocerous population for which the park is famous. The park is also a haven for birdwatchers - bring your binoculars and camera! A packed lunch will be provided.

Saturday, 3 March

Now we start to get serious! We travel behind steam from Siliguri and up through the forest into the foothills as far as Tindharia where we visit the DHR’s workshops – this is where the B class steam locomotives (and all the rest of the DHR’s stock) are maintained - before returning to Siliguri and our hotel for dinner.  There will be ample opportunity for photography – we have a bus available on the parallel road for the photographers, and it’s possible to change between bus and train frequently. We return to the Cindrella in the evening. We are attempting to arrange two or three run-bys: a new concept for the DHR.
Sunday, 4 March
We’ve requested a different loco for today’s charter, which will run from Tindharia to and fro across the face of the mountain via Mahanadi before we arrive at Kurseong around lunchtime. We’ve requested that one of the DHR freight wagons, recently overhauled at Tindharia, be included in the train. We’ll have a break at Kurseong while the loco is watered, before we reverse out of the station and continue up through the hills to Ghum, down via Batasia, to Darjeeling.  We have requested more run-bys and, of course, the accompanying bus is available for the photographers.  We transfer to our hotel, the lovely Raj-era Windamere, where afternoon tea is served.

Monday, 5 March

Our first day in Darjeeling. We start the visit with an orientation walk around the town. There is so much to see - the bazaar, the Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre, the shops (don’t miss Das Studios’ historic photos and the Oxford Bookshop), the Mountaineering Institute and of course the views!  There’s usually plenty of steam activity in the station area, particularly as the stock for the day’s trains is shunted and prepared. In the evening we assemble for our second dining train of the trip, which takes us from Darjeeling, up to the summit at Ghum, and then on to Sonada. Our buses will return us to the Elgin.

Tuesday, 6 March
Today is a completely free day to enjoy the hills. If you can stand the early start and the weather is clear, why not watch sunrise over the Himalayas from Tiger Hill.  If you’re really keen, you can take a ride on the daily tourist Joy Train, steam-hauled back up to Ghum (with a break to photograph the train on Batasia Loop with Mount Kanchenjunga in the background).  The DHR museum at Ghum is well worth visiting.  

Wednesday, 7 March

After breakfast our bus takes us on a journey with breathtaking views down through the forests from Ghum into the Teesta Valley to view construction of the new dam over the river Riyeng and the Coronation Bridge over the Teesta. If there’s time we take a detour to Kalimpong, an interesting hill town like a small version of Darjeeling. We arrive back at the Cindrella Hotel for the night. As an alternative, and for a small extra cost, you can take the daily diesel-hauled service train all the way back to Siliguri Junction.

Thursday, 8 March

No visit to this area would be complete without a visit to a tea estate, so today we do just that. Our guided tour will take in the processing plant and the gardens themselves, and you’ll have the chance to taste the varieties of tea that make the Darjeeling area famous. It may also be possible to take a trip on the metre-gauge railcar that is running between Siliguri Junction and Bagdogra.

Friday, 9 March

We have a relaxed morning at the hotel before heading to Bagdogra airport to check in for our afternoon flight to Calcutta. We transfer to the International terminal to check in to our return flights to European destinations.

Saturday, 10 March

… Arrivals at home airports.
Those doing the add-on to Ooty will be spending the Saturday night in Bombay.

Tariff Calcutta-Calcutta :
Two persons sharing a double room : 2755 €  
Single supplement : 815 €

Quotes on airline travel to Calcutta on request (Amsterdam, Brussels, Nice, Paris)

Please note: The activities and attractions identified in this tour are, with the information to hand at the time this was written (August 2011), expected to be available when the tour runs. Should any material changes become apparent prior to the tour departure date we will advise you as soon as reasonably possible.