Tiger Hill

Where

Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary, above Ghum

Altitude

2,590 m (8,500 ft)

Distance

About 11 km from Darjeeling, 30–40 minutes

Timings

Sunrise visits; gates open around 3–4am depending on season

Entry fee

Vehicle fee (about ₹200 reported); viewing tower ₹20–40 by floor

Permit

No permit. Cars run on tokens issued the day before, so book a taxi in advance

Best time

October–December for the clearest mornings

Time needed

2.5–3 hours including the drive

Tiger Hill is the highest point near Darjeeling, 2,590 m above sea level and 11 km from town. It is famous for one thing: the sunrise. On a clear morning, first light turns the snows of Kanchenjunga pink while the valleys below are still dark, and far to the west the peaks of the Everest group catch the sun a little later.

What you can see

• Kanchenjunga (8,586 m), the world's third-highest mountain, filling the northern skyline. It looks taller than Everest because it is much closer.
• Everest, Lhotse and Makalu, small and distant to the west on very clear days. Everest is about 172 km away in a straight line.
• Chomolhari on the Bhutan–Tibet border, about 135 km away, over the Chola range.
• The plains to the south: Kurseong, and the Teesta, Mahananda, Balason and Mechi rivers on the clearest mornings.

Sunrise time by month

Sunrise at Tiger Hill, calculated for the 15th of each month. The summit catches first light a few minutes earlier, and the snow peaks glow pink 15 to 20 minutes before the sun appears, so be in place well before these times.

How the morning works

Cars leave Darjeeling between 3:30 and 4:30am depending on the season. You park below the summit and walk up to the viewing area, which has open ground and a multi-storey viewing tower with paid floors. On the way back most trips stop at Ghum Monastery, Batasia Loop and Senchal Lake, the "three-point tour".

Road distances from OpenStreetMap routing. Drive times are what we see on these mountain roads, not map estimates.

Tokens, fees and tickets

• Vehicle tokens: only a limited number of cars are allowed up each morning, on tokens issued the day before, so you need a booked taxi. Ask your hotel or driver the evening before.
• Vehicle fee: about ₹200 per car in most reports, usually built into the taxi fare.
• Viewing tower: about ₹20 for the ground floor, ₹30 for the first floor and ₹40 for the top floor.
• Walking up: possible from Jorebungalow (Ghum) through the forest, about 1.5 hours; start very early with a torch.

See car rental in Darjeeling to book the morning car.

Weather and best time

The ten-year record shows near-freezing dawns from December to February and the monsoon from June to September, when Kanchenjunga is usually hidden.

Monthly averages for 2015–2024 from ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, at the site's elevation (about 2574 m). Rain and snow are rated relative to this location's own year.

• October–December: the clearest mornings of the year.
• March–April: good early, with haze building by mid-morning.
• June–September: the view is usually lost in cloud.
• Check the night before. A clear night sky is the best sign of a good sunrise.

Things most guides don't tell you

• Dress for freezing, whatever the season. You'll stand still in the wind for an hour.
• Hot tea and coffee are sold at the top; carry cash.
• The tower's top floor is worth the extra ₹20 on crowded days, when the open ground is packed.
• If the sunrise is clouded out, go back down via Ghum Monastery rather than waiting; it rarely clears late.

Nearby

• Batasia Loop on the way down.
• Darjeeling tourist spots.
• Darjeeling tour packages.