Description:
The first of its kind in India, the Tenzing Norgay Mountaineering Institute is a training centre for mountaineers. The institute was established to commemorate the first anniversary of the first conquest of Mount Everest in 1953 by Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa from Darjeeling, and Sir Edmund Hillary. It was formed with the aim of imparting the requisite skills to all mountaineering enthusiasts. Tenzing himself was one of the founding members as well as the Field Director of the Institute. Just next to the institute is the Padmaja Naidu or the town zoo. The zoo has a splendid collection of some rare species like the Yak, snow leopard, Siberian tiger, Himalayan black bear, red panda, Tibetan wolf and the Himalayan pheasant with others. A high altitude zoological park, it is also a successful breeding centre for snow leopards and red pandas.
