From Agra and Varanasi it’s quite a train ride to the North East, but if you’re looking for a good hiking spot Darjeeling is the place to go. Not only is it surrounded by the world famous tea plantations, beautiful mountain scenery and cute and colorful villages, Darjeeling itself is a bustling town. We enjoyed the night market (I think I bought 20 shawls there and still use them as birthday gifts!) and some great restaurants.Try to book a room at the Shangri La Darjeeling hotel that has some characteristic features and a nice Indian restaurant down stairs. Darjeeling is nice for a few days, but mainly used as a base to start your trek. We booked ours at one of the local trekking agencies. Forgot your hiking gear? No worries, they sell everything you need: The North Face jackets, Colombia sleeping bags and thermal underwear. Ok you probably think you wont need those, but wait till you hear our story. We wish we had them with us….