The Indian Railways offer some of the most spectacular rail journeys in the world. Rising from the foothills and climbing up the mighty Himalayas or the Western Ghats, these journeys are as enchanting as the destinations they travel to.

Note: These trains run subject to local weather and weather related track conditions. The train timings mentioned are based on presently applicable train schedules and may be subject to change without prior notice.

Please contact us if you wish to include any one or more of the train journeys stated below for your tour to india.

THE OOTACAMUND RAILWAY - Mettapalayam to Ootacamund

The narrow-gauge track of the Nilgiri's toy-train twists up through lush green coffee and tea-plantations of the Nilgiri Hills in southern India. This enchanting journey takes close to five hours to cover the 45 kms from Mettupalayam to Ootacamund (Ooty) crossing 250 bridges in enthralling scenery. Winding its way through the hills, this railway runs with a central track that engages to prevent downward slides.

The schedule for this train is as follows:
(these timings are subject to change without notice)

Dep Mettupalayam 0710 Hrs - Arr Ootacamund 1200 Hrs. (Daily)
Dep Ootacamund 1500 Hrs - Arr Mettupalayam 1835 Hrs. (Daily)

This train journey can be experienced if one is travelling to Southern India visiting the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The recommended routing would be - Bangalore ; Hassan ; Mysore ; Ooty ; Cochin - While the entire tour would be done by road, the train journey can be experienced while visiting Ooty. While leaving from Ooty, one can travel to Conoor for a short, 1 hour, enthralling experience on this train and then continue to drive onward to your final destination from Conoor to Cochin or vice versa. You can also chose to take the full 5 hour journey from Ooty to Mettupalayam and then continue to Cochin or vice versa.

THE HIMACHAL TRAIL - Kalka to Shimla

Shimla was the summer capital of the British Raj and even today retains much of its old charm and grandeur, which can be seen in the many colonial buildings.
The narrow-gauge track from Kalka to Shimla rising into the Himalayas is another of India's engineering wonders, built in 1903. It takes six hours to cover 96km, rising from 650m at Kalka to a height of 2100m at the hill-station of Shimla. The views of valleys and gorges are magnificent and the scenery is breathtaking. The train passes through nearly 100 tunnels during this journey, making it a memorable experience. While there is a local passenger train, which takes about 7 hours from Kalka to Shimla, it is recommended that one travels on the Deluxe Shivalik Express which takes around 5 hours.

The schedule for the Shivalik Express is as follows:
(the timings are subject to change without notice)

Dep Kalka 0530 Hrs & Arr Shimla 1015 Hrs. (Daily).
Dep Kalka 1205 Hrs & Arr Shimla 1720 Hrs. (Daily).
Dep Shimla 1040 Hrs & Arr Kalka 1605 Hrs. (Daily).
Dep Shimla 1730 Hrs & Arr Kalka 2215 Hrs. (Daily).

Shimla is a destination, on its own, and can be included as an extension to any programme, which terminates or commences in Delhi. One can travel from Delhi to Kalka by road (around 7 hours) and then connect the toy train to Shimla. Alternatively one can also take the overnight train from Delhi to Kalka (around 8 hrs) and then connect the train to Shimla. For adventure lovers, Shimla can also be included as a 1 or 2 night stop, while travelling from Delhi all the way up to Ladakh through Manali.The routing in this case would be - Delhi ; Shimla ; Manali ; Jispa : Sarchu ; Leh.

DARJEELING HIMALAYAN RAILWAY - New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling

Darjeeling was also a summer retreat of the British Raj and is today one of the best known hill stations in the East - famous for its magnificient views of the mighty Kanchenjunga mountain ranges.

Very recently awarded a heritage status, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is arguably one of the greatest train rides in the world. This original toy train, as it is popularly called, travels through villages and small towns where school children walk and run along side, sometimes hopping on and off at will. Historically this is the first hill track, laid down nearly a century ago, and boasts of the oldest steam engine in the world which is still in use on very special occasions. It climbs from just 500 feet at New Jaipaiguri right upto 7,407 feet at Ghoom, which is the highest station, just before Darjeeling main station.

The schedule for this train is as follows:
(the timings are subject to change without notice)

Dep New Jalpaiguri 0900 Hrs- Arr Darjeeling 1715 Hrs. (Daily)
Dep Darjeeling 0825 Hrs - Arr New Jalpaiguri 1620 Hrs. (Daily)

As the timings signify, the entire journey takes more than 8 hours and is therefore more of an individual tourist experience in itself, rather than just a train journey from one point to another. This train journey is best experienced for a short ride, hopping on and off midway, while the car follows to pick you up from the station where you alight. The recommended routing, during which this train journey can be experienced would be - Kolkatta ; Darjeeling ; Gangtok ; Kalimpong ; Kolkatta - the trip can be further extended into Bhutan for 4/5 days from Kalimpong.