Lonely Planet - EARTH

It is a town in the State of West Bengal, in the lower Shiwalik Range of the great Himalayas at an altitude of 2134 m above sea level. It became a hill station and summer retreat during the reign of the British. The area was developed during this period by them.

It is very famous for tea plantations and a great mountaineering spot. Being in The Himalayas, it is needless to say about the scenic beauty.

The main advantage of the place is the nearness to Nepal. Most tourists coming to Darjeeling, have Nepal in their travel schedule.

Darjeeling Himalayan Railways opened in 1881 is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Himalayan Zoo: It shares the premises with Himalayan Mountaineering Institute. It is a nice place with some rare species of animals.

Kanchenjunga: It is best when viewed at dawn from Tiger Hills. But Just watch out for the climate, for a cloudy day might spoil the efforts of getting up 3 AM.
Mirik Lake:

This offers boating and Horse ride around the lake. There are good restaurants alongside the lake that offers quality food.

Tiger Hills:
It is the spot for viewing the first rays of sun kissing the snow covered Kanchenjunga. It gives a great pink tint which is an awesome view that you’ll never forget in life. You can taste the delicious tea on any roadside Dhabba on the way to Tiger Hills.

Other than these, there are few buddhist monasteries and there is a Japanese Peace Pagoda to visit.

You can find some good curio shops here and do buy a pack of tea when you go home.
Getting There:

The Nearest Airport is Bagdogra, 96 Kms from Darjeeling.

Air India, Jet Airways and Kingfisher flies regular flights from Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati.

Siliguri is the nearest town and has many taxis and buses to Darjeeling.

There are Trains from Delhi to Siliguri. And There is a Darjeeling Mail from Kolkata Which also gives you the opportunity to travel in the great Darjeeling Himalayan Railway’s Toy Train. Try this and surely you’ll have great fun getting there to Darjeeling.

Gokarna is a small village in the state of Karnataka. It name refers to cow’s ear. It is an important pilgrimage in karnataka. From the myths, it is said that parashurama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu threw his axe after killing the kshatriyas,in the waters surrounding gokarna.

Transport ::

Buses are available from the gokarna bus stand to some of the places in goa, mangalore and mysore.

Only two passeger trains stop at the gokarna railway station. Gokarna doesn’t have an airport.

Tourist Spot ::

Gokarna has lot of temples in and around it. Some of the important temples are Mahabaleshwar Temple which is devoted to lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of Lingam. Ganesh Temple nearby the Mahabaleshwar is dedicated to Lord Ganesh. Some other temples are Venkataraman Temple and Koorthi Teertha.

Gokarna is famous for its numerous beaches surrounding it. The best of the beaches is the Kudle beach. Accomodation is available near the beach itself. The next beach is the Om beach which is about a 30 min walk from kudle beach. The other beaches are half-moon beach and paradise beach and they are deserted all the time. Boat rides are available from gokarna beach to kudle and Om.

Mangalore is a port city located on western coast of India. It handles major exports of coffee. Mangalore is famous for the terracotta tiles.Although it is a coastal city, it is much cooler compared to the other coastal cities in India. It is because it receives more rainfall from southwest monsoon winds.Languages spoken are English,Hindi,Tulu,konkani,Kannada and beary.

Sultan

Transport ::
Road:: Mangalore is well connected by road to many of the major cities. It has KSRTC bus stand at about 3 kms from the city.
Railways:: Mangalore has trains to goa,kerala and mumbai.
Airport :: From mangalore airport, daily flights are available to mumbai and bangalore.

Mangalore beach

Touring Spots ::
1) Sultan’s Battery :: It is a watch tower made of stones. It was built by Tipu Sultan to keep the british navy from entering the gurpur river.
2) Some of the other spots include  Kadri Manjunatha Temple, St,Aloysius College Chapel and Government Museum.
3) Beach :: The Ullal beach is located about 12 kms south of mangalore. It is a sandy beach.
4) Udupi :: It is located about 56kms from Mangalore. It is famous for its Krishna temple which is open 24/7.
5)Sringeri :: It is located at a distance of 100 kms from mangalore. The Vidyashankar Temple present here is noted for its pillars and courtyard.

Belur:

It is located in the state of Karnataka, at a distance of about 220 Kms from Bangalore. The place is well known for its great Hoysala Architecture. It shows the rich cultural heritage of the Vijayanagar Empire and the Great Sculptors and Architects of our country. It attracts many foreigners.

ChennaKesava Temple:

This temple for Lord Vishnu was started by King Vishnuvardhana and it took 103 years to complete it. The temple is made out of Soapstone and has a many sided star shaped outline when viewed from top. All the idols in the temple walls have great minute details like nails, intricate filigree work for the jewellery and more. It has great ornate pillars that can revolve around its axis.

Halebidu:

This was the capital of the Vijayanagar Empire from 12th century. This is also famous for the magnificent Hoysala Architecture.

Hoysaleshwara Temple is the main attraction here. The entire outer wall of the temple is filled with finest carvings. This temple was also built by Vishnuvardhana in 12th century.

Getting there:

Belur is about 220 Kms from Bangalore And Halebidu is 16 Kms from Belur.
Its well connected by rail and road to Bangalore, Mysore and Mangalore.

Mysore is always a favourite with the tourists.The city is famous for its sandalwood , painting and Silk. This city has a wonderful climate and is less polluted than bangalore.This city was built in the 14th century and was ruled by Vijayanagar kings.Mysore is also famous for the palace and zoo.

Transport ::
Road:: The central bus stand has buses to the nearby cities.
Railways :: The railway statio has many trains to bangalore everyday. It also has trains to chennai and mumbai.
Airport:: Mysore doesn’t have an airport.

Touring Spots ::
1) Palace :: This palace is an absolute beauty. It was renovated by the british in 1912. The interior of the palace is full of mirrors and is colourful. Few Hindu temples are located inside the palace. The palace is open for public on all days.
2) Chamundi Hill :: This is a small hill located near mysore. There is a temple for goddess chamundeshwari on this hill. It is one of the main pilgrim centres in mysore .
3) Folklore Museum :: This is a small museum located in the campus of Mysore University.It has wooden carvings, puppets and some masks in display.

giraffe at mysore zoo

4) Mysore Zoo :: It is one of the best zoo in India.The animals that can be found here are white tigers,bengal tigers,elephants,bears,birds and rhinos.

Bangalore(bengaluru) is the capital city of the state of karnataka.It is one of the busiest cities in India. This city heavily populated and is a major contributor to the Indian economy.Bangalore has a much cooler climate compared to other major cities.It is the home of many Information Technology companies. It is the first city in India to use bio-diesel for buses.

Transport ::
Road:: Bangalore has a large central bus stand and is well connected by road to all the major cities.
Railways:: Bangalore has 3 main railway stations which has trains to all the parts of the country.
Airport:: The airport is located outside the city and had flights to all the major cities.

Touring Spots ::
1) ISKCON Temple :: ISKCON expands as International Society Of Krishna Consciousness. It has a beautiful shrine and is located 8kms to the north of bangalore.

2) Vidhan Soudha :: It was built in 1954 by convicts. The secretariat and the state legislature is present here.
3) Lalbagh Botanical Gardens :: This park is spread over an area of 96 hectares and located to the south of the city. It was built in the 18th century by Hyder ali. This park contains many old trees and is famous for its red roses.
4) Bull Temple :: It is one of the oldest temples in bangalore. It was built in the 16th century.
5) Tipu Sultan Palace :: Actually, Tipu Sultan modified the Kempegowda built in 1537 and turned it into a palace in 18th century.
6) Other Places are :: Cubbon park,High court,State central library,Government museum,Vishveshwara Technical museum and venkata art gallery.

Panaji is the capital city of Goa. It is also known as Panjim and is located at the mouth of the river Mandovi. It is one of the smallest cities in India.Most of the tourists fail to notice the presence of this beautiful city when touring goa.

Transport ::
Road :: Panaji has kadamba bus stand within the city which connects to many cities like Mumbai,mysore,bangalore and pune.
Railway :: The nearest railway station is at Karmali about 12 kms from panaji.
Airport :: Panaji has a domestic airport that has flights to all the major cities.

Touring Spots ::
1) Church :: This is the most important touring spot when history of goa is concerned. The church of our lady of the immaculate conception was built in 1541 by the portuguese.It attracts a lot of tourists everyday. It is said that the sailors from portuguese first visit this church before entering India.
2) Goa State Museum :: This a large museum with collections fro Hindu,Jain and Christian arts.It is located to the south of kadamba bus stand.
3) Observatory :: The public observatoy is located at the roof top of the junta house. People can study stars at night from this place.
4) Secretariat :: This building was built in the 16th century by muslim ruler adil shah. Now its been used as the government building.
5) Miramar Beach :: This is the only beach that is located close to panaji. It is 3 kms to the south of panaji. Barracuda diving is taught at this place by professionals.