Tiger Hill, 11 km from Darjeeling at an elevation of 2,590 metres, is the classic sunrise viewpoint. Visitors leave town before 4am to reach the summit in time to watch the light hit Kanchenjunga and, on clear days, Everest 225 km to the northwest. Mount Everest appears between two flanking peaks, Makalu and Lhotse. The viewpoint can be crowded on peak-season mornings, but the spectacle — when weather cooperates — is one of the finest in the eastern Himalayas. Shared jeeps run from Darjeeling at 4am; the alternative is hiring a private vehicle the night before.
Tiger Hill
Pre-dawn sunrise viewpoint over Kanchenjunga and Everest
A story
Tiger Hill at 2,590 metres is the highest point in the Darjeeling area. On the clearest days, five of the world's six highest peaks are visible from the summit: Everest, Kanchenjunga, Makalu, Lhotse, and Cho Oyu — a concentration of extreme altitude unmatched from any other easily accessible viewpoint.