Darjeeling & Sikkim

In Darjeeling, tea estates tumble down the hillsides and the UNESCO-listed toy train still puffs through the town. Before dawn, Tiger Hill fills with travellers waiting for the first light on Kangchenjunga, the world's third-highest mountain.

Across the valley, Sikkim adds Buddhist monasteries, the frozen Tsomgo Lake and the glass skywalk of Pelling, all in one of India's cleanest and friendliest states.