One Week Boot Camp

Day 0:  Welcome to India

Arrive in Calcutta, India. After clearing customs you will be greeted by our Himalayan Boot Camp contact.

Depending on your arrival time in Calcutta you will either spend the night at a pre-arranged luxury hotel in Calcutta or you will catch a connecting flight the same day to Bagdogra Airport in Darjeeling.

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Day 1:   Welcome to Darjeeling

After you check out of your hotel, you will be transported to the Airport for your flight to Darjeeling.

Once you arrive in Darjeeling you will spend the day and evening in Darjeeling enjoying the timeless charm of the beautiful Mayfair hotel, once the summerhouse of the former Maharajah of Nazargunj.

 In addition to rest and relaxation, catching up on sleep from the the long journey you’ve just completed, you will have the opportunity to visit the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, local monasteries, shopping and enjoying the beautiful town of Darjeeling.

Day 2:   Tea Estate Arrival

The next morning you will be picked up in a chauffeured car and driven to the tea estates we have arranged for your stay while you are with us.This is a two hour drive from Darjeeling.

Upon arrival in at the Glenburn Tea Estate, and after you have been shown to your rooms, you can join the rest of your Himalayan Tour Mates in the verandah of your bungalow for refreshments.

Relax and enjoy the beautiful grounds of the estate with its fantastic views of the valleys and snow capped peaks.

Enjoy a massage, relax your muscles in the steam room of your bungalow, be pampered. 

Or if you wish, we can arrange for a guide to take you on a hike among the many hiking trails of the estate.

Day 3:  Badatam Forest Hike

You have several options on hiking the lush Badatam forest. This is a 4-6 hour hike . You will be driven by jeep to Darjeeling town and can either hike back all the way or you can do a partial hike and ride back, depending on how much you wish to push yourself physically.

Walking downhill out of Lebong, you cross the Ging and Bannockburn Tea Estates. Enroute you will stop at some fabulous viewpoints where you can look down at Jore Thang Town on the border of West Bengal and Sikkim as well as across the mountains to other parts of Western Sikkim.

Once you enter the Badamtam Tea Estate, your jeep will be waiting with refreshments before you begin to climb up to The Buddha of Badamtam, an impressive 14 foot high statue of Lord Buddha sitting atop the highest hill in the area against a backdrop of the snow capped Himalayan mountains.

Descend out of this area into the forest where you will enjoy more views of the Sikkim hills on the left, the entire Glenburn Estate on the right and the River Rungeet below, separating the two hills. The road forks and your route will take you down via the Manjitar Suspension Footbridge that spans about 200 feet across and 100 feet above the river as you cross into the Royal Kingdom of Sikkim where you can wander around Manjitar Village and/or stop for a cup of hot tea.

Or you can go on the Tukdah and Mineral Springs Hike...

This hike provides you with the opportunity to explore the Himalayan Foothills off the beaten track. Trek through small villages and forest paths as you walk through the Tukdah Tea Estate, and then through a few villages into the abandoned Dawai Pani (Mineral Springs) Tea Estate, one of the first tea estates in the area.

Cross the beautiful waterfall and spring from where the River Dung, which meanders through Glenburn, begins.  Descend through memorable scenery in this moderate-to-tough 6 hour hike.  Once across the river, you begin the steep climb up to Darjeeling through tiny village tracks and patches of tea estates.

Day 4:   Tea Estate Tour

This is an all day tour.  It is considered medium difficulty as there will be a lot of walking.

Walk or drive through the tea fields with the Estate Manager who will explain how the tea bush is grown and looked after, from plucking the "two leaves and a bud," to the manufacturing process, until it gets packed for shipment. You will have the opportunity to interact with the tea plantation workers as you move from one part of the estate to another.

End the day with a Tea Tasting Sensation, where you will discover the differences in aroma, flavor and appearance of tea manufactured in different ways, and during different seasons. The session also includes the tasting of teas from other parts of India and the world, and examples of flavored and blended teas.

Lunch will be provided at a certain pre-planned location in the tea fields, where you can enjoy spectacular views of your surroundings.

Day 5:   Glenburn Lodge & Campsite Excursion

This hike ranges from 1.5 hours to 4 hours ranging from moderate to difficult depending on the hike. You will enjoy spectacular views while descending from 3000 feet through forests, streams and waterfalls to the river below which lies at around 800 feet.

Refreshments will be provided along the way, and a jeep is always nearby, should you feel tired and wish to drive down the rest of the way. 

Once you arrive at the cabin & campsite area, lunch will be provided either as a sit down meal by the cabin, a barbeque, or picnic style on the river's beaches and rocks. Spend the day relaxing in the lovely countryside by the river, fish and bird watch, or explore the rock pools. Your guide will always be nearby. At the end of the afternoon, you can hitch a ride back to the bungalow or you can hike back if you prefer.  

Day 6:   Goodbye Darjeeling

After a nice hearty breakfast, you will be driven to Bagdogra Airport for your flight to Calcutta where you will spend the next two days exploring the history and surprisingly interesting attractions of this multi-faceted city. We hope you have enjoyed your experience at a tea estate.

Day 7 - 8:   The Calcutta Experience

Over the next two days you will be taken on a guided tour of Calcutta such as the early morning Heritage Walk of Dalhousie Square (a World Heritage Site) which may include the Flower Market on the River Hoogly, to the site of the terrible Black Hole of Calcutta, the Governors House and more - a fascinating look, back at the 18th and 19th century when the British ruled the entire subcontinent from Calcutta.

More sightseeing will include The Marble Palace, The Park Street Cemetery and the Victoria Memorial. You  will have the opportunity to visit a textile factory, shop for local handicrafts, jewellery, antique furniture, food, spices and books.

Day 9:   Time to go home...

Depending on when your flight leaves, you may be departing India on the evening of Day 8 evening or the morning of Day 9 for your International flight back to the United States.

We hope you had a wonderful and memorable time - have a safe trip back and be sure to join us on another one of our trips in the near future.

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Lunch or snacks and refreshments will be provided on all hikes longer than 2 hours. Water is provided no matter how long the duration of the hike.

While we encourage you to join in all the hikes we have arranged, in the event you do not wish to participate on any of the prolonged walks, most of the hike destinations can be reached via a four-wheel jeep. In most cases we can arrange for you to be chauffeured to the areas where you can meet up with the rest of the hikers in our team and still take full advantage of your surroundings. Another alternative, where available, is to participate in a partial hike and jeep the rest of the way to your destination.