Lloyd's Botanical Garden

Take a walk amidst the exotic flora of the Himalayan region and feel your senses with aroma of the flowers surrounding you. Lloyd's Botanical Garden was established in 1878 when 40 acres (160,000 m2) of land was acquired at Darjeeling to form a botanic garden as a distant annexe of the Calcutta Botanical Garden. The land was provided by William Lloyd, in whose name the botanical garden has been named. He gifted this sprawling 40 acres of area on an open hill slope for making one of the best gardens in Asia.

These pleasant gardens contain an impressive collection of Himalayan plants, most famously orchids and rhododendrons. Anyone who is in love with nature and greenery is certain to fall in love with this place. Its collection boasts of alpine plants, arum lilies, geraniums, spectacular azaleas, tree ferns and conifers from Europe, apart from hawthorn, blackberry, broom, horse, chestnut, ash, birch and lilac from China and Japan. The cryptomerias, plums, cherries, magnolias and maples weeping willows and deodars from Africa and Bulbon plants and cypress from America are other attractive varieties here.

An appealing characteristic of Lloyd's Botanical Garden is that the Garden Conservatory showcases over 150 species of cactus and other tender plants from dry eco-regions like the Montane grasslands and shrub lands along with a desert type of area where there is a permanent moisture shortage. The Botanical Gardens of Darjeeling is located just below the Eden Sanatorium (or the Saheed Durga Mall District Hospital). It is a walking distance from the taxi stand of Chowk Bazaar which is the main market center of Darjeeling at the lower level. You can approach it through the Victoria Road as well. It stays open from 6am - 5pm daily and the entry is free. Lloyd Botanical garden is a place to immerse in nature.

Old, tall, exotic trees and shrubs of all kinds surround you. Beautifully landscaped with a small pond it has enough trails to walk a good distance amidst fresh air. Lloyd Botanical Park is a must visit for nature lovers.