Get picked up from NJP station and drive up through the hills to Sittong, a quiet village in the Darjeeling district known for its orange orchards and unhurried village life. Check into your homestay, breathe in the mountain air, and ease into what is going to be a very different kind of trip.

Spend the day discovering Sittong at a slow pace — visit the 332-year-old monastery, walk across the Jogighat Bridge, and spend some time at the calm Namthing Pokhri Lake. Head up to the Ahaldara 360-degree viewpoint for wide valley and mountain views, then explore the orange garden and the orchid house before returning to the homestay for the evening.

Drive from Sittong to Darjeeling, the most famous hill station in the eastern Himalayas, known worldwide for its tea, its Toy Train, and its mountain views. Check in and take the evening to walk around and get a feel for the town before the early start tomorrow.

Rise at 4 AM and head to Tiger Hill for the sunrise over Kanchenjunga, one of the most memorable mornings you can have in the Indian Himalayas. Stop at the Batasia Loop and Ghoom Monastery on the way back, then after breakfast head out again to cover the Zoo, HMI Museum, Ropeway, Japanese Temple, Peace Pagoda, a tea garden, and Tenzing Rock through the course of the day.

Head back toward NJP with a string of last stops along the way — the Pine Trees View Point, Simana View Point, the Pashupati Bazaar on the Nepal border, the Golpahar Viewpoint, and a quiet moment at Mirik Lake before the drive back to the station.