How much does it cost?

From £4,499 per person, the operator's advertised from-price, read on its own page on 12 Sept 2026. About $6,077 at ECB reference rates. Departures, room types and dates can price differently; the operator's page is the final word.

Is this an escorted tour or independent?

It is an escorted small group tour. Great Rail Journeys provides a UK Tour Manager throughout the 16 days, and the group size is capped at 22 travellers. Guided tours and excursions are included.

How many nights are on trains?

None. This tour includes rail travel during the day on three trains, but overnight accommodation is in hotels. Day 1 is an overnight flight, and Days 15-16 involve overnight flights returning to the UK.

What meals are included?

Breakfast each day, 8 lunches, and 13 dinners are included. On Day 4, dinner is a picnic-style meal aboard the Shatabdi Express.

Which hotels are used?

The Taj Bengal Hotel and Druk Hotel in Kolkata, Hotel Mayfair in Darjeeling, Hotel Druk in Phuentsholing, Tiger Nest Resort in Paro, RKPO Green Resort in Punakha Valley, and Druk Hotel in Thimphu. Most are 3-5 star properties.

When does the tour run?

Great Rail Journeys offers five departures: October 2026, February 2027, March 2027, October 2027, and November 2027.

Great Rail Journeys · Escorted small-group tour

Darjeeling & the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan

Escorted 16-day journey through Darjeeling and Bhutan by rail, coach, and flight

Great Rail Journeys operates this 16-day escorted tour across India and Bhutan, departing from London Heathrow and returning there after journeying through Kolkata, Darjeeling, and Bhutan's capital Thimphu. Your Tour Manager travels with you and the group of up to 22 travellers throughout. The pace alternates between guided exploration in colonial cities and remote mountain regions, with unscheduled free time in Kolkata and Darjeeling. You ride the UNESCO-listed Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a narrow-gauge steam train climbing almost 7,000 feet; travel the Shatabdi Express through the foothills crossing the sacred Ganges; and explore on foot and by coach through Bhutanese monasteries and temples. Accommodation ranges from five-star colonial hotels to solid 3-4 star properties in Bhutan. All breakfasts, most dinners, selected lunches, guided tours, and internal flights are included. This suits repeat rail travellers seeking a structured cultural journey, history enthusiasts drawn to colonial landmarks and Buddhist temples, and photographers seeking dramatic mountain scenery and sunrise vistas.

Price history

Across 5 checks, this price has fallen £300 since 4 Jul, to £4,499.

Each point is a day we checked this operator's own page, not a weekly average, and the line holds flat between checks rather than guessing at movement we did not see. 3 of 5 points are a live read of the operator's page. Hollow points are values shown when the trip was first listed here and never confirmed with the operator.

What to know before you look closer

The single supplement is GBP 1,000 above half the double-occupancy price, a significant uplift for solo travellers.
Day 8 involves a long coach journey from Darjeeling into Bhutan; the border crossing and mountain roads require patience.
Day 10 includes a trek to Tiger's Nest viewpoint; this is not a casual stroll and requires moderate fitness.

Day by day

Day 1overnight: Aboard flight
An overnight flight to Kolkata
Your Indian and Bhutanese holiday begins at London Heathrow, where you meet the Tour Manager and group of fellow travellers, ready to board our flight to India.
Day 2overnight: Kolkata
Arrival in Kolkata, the 'City of Joy'
Landing in Kolkata this morning, we are transferred by coach to our five-star hotel in the heart of this state capital. There is breakfast on arrival, and the remainder of the day is yours to relax, acclimatise or explore at leisure. Back at our hotel this evening, we enjoy our first group meal together.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 3railovernight: Kolkata
Discovering Kolkata on a guided tour
We set out on a guided city tour: the Mullick Ghat flower market, Mother House (Mother Teresa's convent), the white-marble Victoria Memorial, the railway museum and the potter's colony. Later, we board the Circular Railway for a scenic ride to the James Prinsep memorial. We return to our hotel for dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 4railovernight: Siliguri
Crossing the revered Ganges by modern rail
We transfer to the historic Howrah Junction, India's oldest and busiest railway station, and travel in AC Executive Class aboard the Shatabdi Express for 350 miles to New Jalpaiguri, crossing the sacred Ganges en route, with a picnic-style dinner onboard. On arrival, we transfer to our hotel in Siliguri for one night.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5railovernight: Darjeeling
Climbing the Himalayas on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
We visit Salugara Monastery, then continue by jeep to Kurseong for lunch at the colonial-style Cochrane Place Hotel, before boarding the UNESCO-listed Darjeeling Himalayan Railway ('Toy Train') to climb almost 7,000 feet into the Himalayas. We arrive at our five-star heritage hotel in Darjeeling, our base for the next three nights. Please note: for the 10th February departure, the group stays at the Elgin Hotel Darjeeling instead.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6railovernight: Darjeeling
Toy Train to Ghoom Monastery
An optional early-morning excursion to Tiger Hill for sunrise over the Himalayas and Kanchenjunga. After breakfast, we board the steam-hauled 'Toy Train' to Ghoom to tour Ghoom Monastery, the oldest Tibetan Buddhist temple in Darjeeling. Back in Darjeeling, we visit the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and St Andrews Church, with dinner at our hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 7overnight: Darjeeling
Tea time in Darjeeling
We meet the son of a Gurkha veteran, who shares stories of his father's WWII service. We visit the Golden Tips stall at the local market for a Darjeeling tea tasting, then take a heritage walk to the clock tower and head post office, with the afternoon free to explore. We return to the hotel for dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8overnight: Phuentsholing
Crossing into the kingdom of Bhutan
We begin our coach journey towards Bhutan, crossing the Coronation Bridge over the Teesta River and stopping for lunch in Chalsa amid tea plantations. In Jaigaon, we cross into Bhutan under an ornately decorated gate. Our hotel is in the border town of Phuentsholing, with dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 9overnight: Paro
A journey into the Bhutanese Himalayas
We begin one of the world's most scenic drives, deep into Bhutan's Himalayas on our way to Paro, stopping for lunch en route. After checking in, we tour historic Paro, including the country's oldest Buddhist temple, concluding with a tour and beer-tasting at the Namgay Artisanal Brewery, before dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 10overnight: Paro
The Tiger's Nest Monastery
We transfer to the start of the trail and trek up to the Tiger's Nest viewpoint to admire the cliffside monastery, built in the 17th century. On the walk back down, we stop for lunch before an excursion to the 7th-century Kyichu Lhakhang temple near Paro, then return to our hotel for dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 11overnight: Punakha Valley
Rinpung Dzong temple and the Dochula Pass
We visit the National Museum of Bhutan, housed in a 17th-century watchtower, then the nearby Rinpung Dzong, a 15th-century fortress. Leaving Paro, we drive the snow-covered Dochula Pass, home to 108 memorial chortens, with lunch at a local restaurant. We arrive at our hotel in the Punakha Valley and create a spiritual mandala from coloured rice before dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 12overnight: Thimphu
Sacred sights of the Punakha Valley and arrival in Thimphu
We visit Chimi Lhakhang, the temple of fertility, then Punakha Dzong, the 'Palace of Great Happiness'. After lunch at a local farmhouse, we arrive in Thimphu, exploring the 17th-century Tashichho Dzong and a local craft bazaar before checking in to our hotel and dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 13overnight: Thimphu
Exploring the Bhutanese capital
We visit the Memorial Chorten and the towering, gilded Buddha Dordenma statue, then the Royal Takin Preserve to see Bhutan's national animal, with a traditional lunch at the Simply Bhutan living heritage museum. We meet young artists at the National Institute for Zorig Chusum, and join nuns for a tea-offering ceremony at the Zilukha Nunnery, before a cultural performance and dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 14overnight: Kolkata
Back across the Indian border to Kolkata
We head to Paro airport for a flight back to Kolkata. After checking in to our hotel, the rest of the day is free, with the option of an optional cruise along the Hooghly River, payable locally, passing historic Dalhousie Square (BBD Bagh). We regroup for our final dinner together.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 15overnight: Aboard flight
A final day to explore Kolkata
A free morning and afternoon to explore Kolkata at leisure, including the former Dalhousie Square, the General Post Office, the Writer's Building and St John's Church. A coach collects us from our hotel early this evening and transfers us to Kolkata airport for our overnight flight back to the United Kingdom.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 16
Homeward bound
Our discovery of Kolkata, Darjeeling and the little-explored kingdom of Bhutan draws to a close this morning as our plane arrives back at London Heathrow, and you are free to make your way home.

The moments this trip is built around

Day 4Day 4: The Shatabdi Express climbs through India for eight hours in AC Executive Class, crossing the sacred Ganges River en route to the Himalayan foothills.
Day 5Day 5: Board the UNESCO-listed Darjeeling Himalayan Railway ('Toy Train') and climb almost 7,000 feet into the mountains on narrow-gauge heritage track.
Day 10Day 10: Trek uphill to Tiger's Nest Monastery, a 17th-century monastery clinging to the cliffside above the Paro Valley in Bhutan.
Day 11Day 11: Cross the snow-covered Dochula Pass lined with 108 white memorial chortens, then descend into the Punakha Valley.
Day 13Day 13: Visit the nearly 180-foot golden Buddha Dordenma statue, the Royal Takin Preserve, and join Buddhist nuns for a tea ceremony and cultural performance in Thimphu.

Included

Tour Manager: Expertise of a UK Tour Manager from start to finish
Accommodation: 13 nights' 3, 4 & 5-Star hotel accommodation
Transportation: All rail and coach travel throughout your tour; Standard Class, Executive AC Class & non-AC Chair Class rail travel
Flights: Return flights from London Heathrow to Kolkata (usually depart in the afternoon); all internal flights
Food & Drink: Breakfast each day, 8 lunches, 13 dinners
Small Group: average group size of 22, with enhanced excursions and exclusive experiences
Excursions & Entertainment: All guided tours and excursions

Not included

Cancellation & Travel Insurance

Questions travellers ask

How much does it cost?: From £4,499 per person, the operator's advertised from-price, read on its own page on 12 Sept 2026. About $6,077 at ECB reference rates. Departures, room types and dates can price differently; the operator's page is the final word.
Is this an escorted tour or independent?: It is an escorted small group tour. Great Rail Journeys provides a UK Tour Manager throughout the 16 days, and the group size is capped at 22 travellers. Guided tours and excursions are included.
How many nights are on trains?: None. This tour includes rail travel during the day on three trains, but overnight accommodation is in hotels. Day 1 is an overnight flight, and Days 15-16 involve overnight flights returning to the UK.
What meals are included?: Breakfast each day, 8 lunches, and 13 dinners are included. On Day 4, dinner is a picnic-style meal aboard the Shatabdi Express.
Which hotels are used?: The Taj Bengal Hotel and Druk Hotel in Kolkata, Hotel Mayfair in Darjeeling, Hotel Druk in Phuentsholing, Tiger Nest Resort in Paro, RKPO Green Resort in Punakha Valley, and Druk Hotel in Thimphu. Most are 3-5 star properties.
When does the tour run?: Great Rail Journeys offers five departures: October 2026, February 2027, March 2027, October 2027, and November 2027.