Tourists rush to Darjeeling after Sandakphu snowfall

TNN, 16 December 2013, Darjeeling: With Sandakphu having received its first snowfall last week, the queen of hill stations is waiting for its turn. And tourists have already started rushing to Darjeeling to soak in the chill. After a prolonged lull through most of the year due to political turmoil, the hotels are once again booked to capacity. Vehicles packed with tourists are arriving almost every hour and the mall is once again buzzing with visitors.

"Now, all we need is the snowfall. It's getting chillier by the day, so who knows? If the snow indeed happens, everyone will forget the dull months," said Rajesh Rajak, general manager of Hotel Anand Palace. Almost all hotels were booked to capacity between December 25 and January 1. Hoteliers are expecting the flow to continue till February. "This year, we had a good number of tourists coming in during the April-May period. After that, there was a sharp drop due to the agitation. With things having improved, tourists are thankfully coming back," said a hotel manager.

Temperature in the Darjeeling hills has come down sharply since Friday following the season's first snowfall in Sandakphu. On Sunday evening, it is believed to have hovered around 2-3 degrees. The snowfall in Sandakphu, measured around two to three inches in the area, brought down the mercury level significantly.

The highest place in the state went under a thick blanket of snow and fog. Tourist vehicles came to a halt. Even the majority of locals chose to stay indoors bringing life to a standstill.

But the tourists visiting Sandakphu lapped up the opportunity. Hundreds were seen enjoying the snowfall. According to locals, as the weather has grown colder, it is likely the place will witness more heavy snowfall in the coming days. The last snowfall in the Hills was witnessed on January 11 this year in Tiger Hill, Ghoom and other areas.