Darjeeling is a town in India’s West Bengal state, in the Himalayan foothills. Once a summer resort for the British Raj elite, it remains the terminus of the narrow-gauge Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, or “Toy Train,” completed in 1881. It’s famed for the distinctive black tea grown on plantations that dot its surrounding slopes. Its backdrop is Mt. Kanchenjunga, among the world’s highest peaks.

At sunrise, the peaks of Kanchenjunga are illuminated before the sun is seen at lower elevations. From Tiger Hill, Mount Everest (8848 m) is just visible. Kanchenjunga (8598 m) looks higher than Mt. Everest, as it is several miles closer than Everest. The distance in a straight line from Tiger Hill to Everest is 107 miles.

Sandakphu or Sandakpur is a mountain peak in the Singalila Ridge on the border between India and Nepal. It is the highest point of the ridge and the state of West Bengal, India. The peak is located at the edge of the Singalila National Park.