DOOARS Tour Information

DOOARS AT A GLANCE
Located in northeastern West Bengal, along with the foothills of Eastern Himalayas, Duars or Dooars are considered the gateway to Bhutan from India. The area has beautiful tea gardens and fascinating wildlife, including leopards, tigers, elephants and the Indian rhinoceros. The Sankosh River divides the area into Western Duars (Bengal Duars) and Eastern Duars (Assam Duars). Duars are easily accessible from Siliguri, Guwahati and New Jalpaiguri.
Dooars valley stretches from river Teesta to river Sankosh and covers an area of 130 km by 40 km covering a major part of Jalpaiguri district. Dooars is about 630 km from Kolkata. Dooars is most easily accessible from Siliguri.
The economy of Dooars is based on three "T"s - Tea, Tourism and Timber. The main industry of the Dooars region is the tea industry. Thousands of people are engaged in the tea estates and factories. Several people are also engaged in the cultivation of betel nuts which contributes to the economy. Cultivation of other crops is done mainly for local consumption
Dooars is the ideal place in Bengal for monsoon travelling.

Devision of Dooars :
EAST DOOARS
o Chilapata
o Jayanti
o Madarihat
o Natunpara
o Raimatang
o Rajabhatkhawa
o Salkumar
o Sikiajhora
WEST DOOARS
o Jhalong and Bindu
o Lataguri
o Murti
HILLS OF DOOARS
o Dalgaon
o Kumai
o Paren
o Rocky Island
o Samsing Suntaleykhola

Communication / Connectivity
You can reach Dooars by Rail, Bus or Air. From Kolkata to Dooars it distance near 560 km and it takes near 12 hours. You can take train from Sealdah Station [here are very few trains that can directly reach you to Dooars from other places in India. One such popular train is Kanchankanya Express that leaves daily from Kolkata (Sealdah station). It departs from Kolkata at night around 10:30pm and reaches New Mal Junction (i.e. Malbazar) next morning around 9:20am via NJP. The train however continues through places like Hasimara up to Alipur Duar.]. If you want to travel by Air then the Bagdogra is the major area where you need to land and that is 17 km from Siliguri.
 
Nearest Railway station of Different Part of Dooars:
Gorumara: Mal Junction and New Jalpaiguri Station
Jaldapara: Hashimara Railway Station
Chilapata: Hashimara Railway Station
Buxa and Jayanti: Alipurduar Junction

Watch tower of Gorumara National Park
Jatraprosad
Chapramari
Chandrachur.
Chukchuki
Medhla

Some Offbeat Destination of Dooars:
Kumai, Rocky Island, Jhandi, Kolakham, Sisamara, Panjhora, Raimatang, Lepchakha, Chunabhatti, Gorubathan, Lankapara and Fagu Tea garden.

Jungle of Dooars:
Gorumara National Park
Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary
Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary
Neora Valley National Park
Jaldapara National Park
Chilapata Wildlife Sanctuary
Buxa National Park
Manas National Park

Gorumara National park Overview
Situated along the banks of the River Murti and Raidak, Gorumara National Park is one of the most popular attractions in Dooars. The area of the park, which is around 80 sq km, encompasses grasslands and forests. Since 1895 it was a reserve forest but years later, it was given the status of a wildlife sanctuary in 1949. Furthermore, in 1994, the park was declared a national park which is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna. It is specially known for being home to the great Indian rhinoceros. Other prominent animals that can be spotted here are elephant, leopard, hornbill, king cobra, Indian python and gaur, to name a few. Travellers can choose between elephant safari and jeep safari to explore the park. They can even climb atop the watchtowers (Methla, Chukchuki, Chandrachur and Jatraprasad) to spot the inhabitants of the park with the help of binoculars.
One of the most popular tourist destinations in Dooars, Gorumara National Park attracts a lot of tourists round the year. The park’s green forests, tall elephant grasses, streams and beautiful landscape provide shelter to several mammals, reptiles, birds and amphibians. Gorumara National Park is also a birders’ paradise. If you are a birder, you will have a great time spotting and photographing birds like hornbill, woodpecker, ibis, drongo, minivet, and pheasants. The ruddy shelduck, also known as the Brahminy duck, migrates to the park during winters. Beautiful butterflies can also be spotted in the jungle, along with night hunters like owls and nightjars.
Preferably visit the park during winters as it is considered the best time for coming here. While you can choose from a number of forest rest houses at Gorumara for accommodation, Lataguri, the nearest town offers several accommodation facilities. The nearest railhead is New Jalpaiguri and the nearest airport is Bagdogra. Gorumara National Park can also be reached by road from Siliguri, which is around 72 km away.

Jaldapara National Park Overview
The Jaldapara National Park is situated at the foothill of Eastern Himalayas on the bank of river Torsa in West Bengal. The vast grassland with patches of riverine forests, was declared a sanctuary in 1943 for protection of the great variety of flora and fauna. Principle among them is the Asiatic one horned Rhino. In 2012 the status of the forest was upgraded to a National Park. The forest here is a mixture of a mosaic of woods, grassland, swamps and streams. The forest covers an area of 216.51 sq km.sDrained by rivers Torsa, Malangi, Hollong, Chirakhawa, Kalijhora, Sissamara, Bhaluka and Buri Torsa, the National Park provides extensive grassland which is refuge to a wide variety of mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds. Madarihat town is the main town near the forest.The river Torsha flows through this rain forest sanctuary and have an area of 141 Sq.Km and altitude of 61 m. Jaldapara, the vast grassland with patches of riverine forests was declared a sanctuary in 1941 for protection of the great variety flora and fauna, particularly the one-horned rhinoceros, an animal threatened with extinction. The Jaldapara Sanctuary covers 216 sq Km, is a mosaic of woods, grasslands, perennial streams, sandy river banks and extensive belts of tall grass. It contains a great diversity of flora and fauna of mixed deciduous forest, grasslands and river banks. The Malangi River also flows nearby from east to west. Drained by rivers Torsa, Malangi, Hollong, Chirakhawa, Kalijhora, Sissamara, Bhaluka and Buri Torsa, the Sanctuary provides extensive grassland which is the last refuge to a wide variety of mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds.  

Chapramari Reserve Forest
Chapramari is essentially an virtual extension of Gorumara National Park - the two are actually seperated by the Murti river on either side. Chapramari is located on its west side of Murti river and on its east side by Jaldhaka river. Chapramari reserve is relatively small forest (about 10 square kms in area), it's one of the oldest forest in Dooars. In 1895 it was first recognized as a forest reserve due to its diversity in flora & fauna. Subsequently in 1998 it became a wildlife sanctuary. Chapramari name is originated from a type of fish (known as 'Chopra') that are found in abundance here ('mari').Chapramari reserve has numerous watchtower allows the visitors to spot herd of wild elephant in their natural habitat along with other wild inhabitant of Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary like wild boar, barking deer, guar and sambar. Overlooking the sprinkling water of River Murti from Chapramari Watchtower is also an ideal place for bird watching in Dooars. Migratory birds are seen flocking during in winters along the river banks of Murti making Chapramari a bird watching paradise for avid bird watcher.Far from the hassle of daily life relish the serene ambiance of Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary while being surrounded by the emerald green subtropical forest. The beauty of Chapramari forest can be enjoyed throughout the year except during the monsoon.The serene overview of reserve forest bring out a nascent pact between man and nature with complete peace from day today cosmopolitan life.  

Buxa Tiger Reserve
The Buxa Tiger Reserve is a 760 sq km protracted inhabitant tiger reserve located inside the Buxa National Park(W.B.) located in the Buxa Hills of the southern hilly area of Bhutan. Animals found in the park include, the tiger, civet, elephant, gaur (Indian bison), Indian boar and red jungle fowl.The park holds maximum number of elephant, Indian bison, leopard, many species of deer and many smaller mammals, innumerable species of birds and reptiles. Buxa is rich with bio-diversity and has a great collection of rare orchids and medicinal plants. Because of inaccessible terrain, some parts of Buxa hills in the Sinchula range are still unexplored.  

Chilapata Forest
Chilapata forest is within of Jaldapara National Park. the two have been divided by river Torsha. Jaldapara is to the west of Torsha while Chilapata is to the east, and in between the river flows. In recent times Chilapata has come to prominence as a lot of tourists who visit and stay at Jaldapara, have also started taking car Jeep safaris at Chilapata. Actually most of the wildlife that you can see in the main forest of Jaldapara can also be seen at Chilapata and that includes one-horned rhinos, elephants, leopards, bisons, many different kinds of deers like chital, sambar, hog deer, barking deer etc, and of course plethora of birds.   

Khayerbari Loepard Rescue centre
Located at 10km away from Madarihat. Known mainly as “Royal Bengal Tiger & Leopard” rescue centre. During the ban of animals from various circuses and shows several wild animals were captured by the forest officials who included 11 tigers seized from the Olympic circus in Hooghly district. The tigers that are being shifted to Khayerbari are part of this group which was kept at Hollong temporarily. This place is highly attractive to tourists because they can get a close spot to watch. South Khayerbari Nature Park is a tiger rescue centre just 15 km away from Jaldapara. Developed with the objective of treatment and rehabilitation of leopards and tigers,the park act is temporary shelter home for these wild cats.Park has special program for rehabilitation and shelter of the wild cats.The leopards and tigers have been kept in a natural environment in this park for the purpose of the rehabilitation.   

Permits for safaris:
Jungle safaris are organised by the Forest Department. Permits for Dooars Jungle safari are issued on the spot by the Forest Department and limited numbers of permits are issued every day from the Entry gates of the respective forests. Discretion of issuing permits for jungle safari in cars or elephants, solely depend on the Forest Department.

Elephant safari timings:

You can get elephant safari in Jaladapara National Park and Chilapata Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Elephant safari timings at Jaldapara National Park:
First shift: 5:30 AM to 6:30 AM
Second Shift: 6:30 AM to 7:30 AM
Third Shift: 7:30 AM to 8:30 AM

The Elephant safari timings at Chilapata Wildlife Sanctuary 
First shift: 5:30 AM to 6:30 AM
Second Shift: 6:30 AM to 7:30 AM
Third shift: 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Fourth shift: 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Please note timings of elephant safari may change.

Car safari timings:
You can get car safaris in most of the jungles of Dooars region like Gorumara, Chilapata, Buxa and Jaldapara.

The car safari timings at Jaldapara National Park is:
First shift: 5:00 AM to 7:00 AM
Second Shift: 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM
Third Shift: 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM

The car safari timings at Gormara National Park from march to september:
First shift: 6:00 AM to 8:30 AM
Second Shift: 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM
Third Shift: 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Fourth Shift: 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM

The car safari timings at Gorumara National Park from October to February:
First shift: 6:30 AM to 8:00 AM
Second Shift: 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM
Third Shift: 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Fourth Shift: 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM

The car safari timings at Buxa Tiger Reserve:
First shift: 6:00 AM to 8:30 AM
Day shift: 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM (anytime for 02 hours)
Afternoon shift: 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM

The car safari timings at Chilapata Wildlife Sanctuary:
First shift: 5:00 AM to 7:00 AM
Second Shift: 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM
Third Shift: 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Please note timings of car safari may change.

N.B: All jungles in Dooars (Gorumara, Chapramari, Buxa, Jaldapara, Chilapata etc.) closed from 15 June to 15 September every year. No forest safaris are organised during this time of the year. Also, every Thursday the National Parks and Sanctuaries stay closed and Elephant safaris as well as car safaris are also close on Thursdays in any of the jungles.
 

Tour Itinerary

PLAN A


Buxa,Jayanti,Lataguri

6 Nights 7 Days tour package Dooars
Places Covered : Coochbehar, Jayanti,Buxa, -Gorumara Wildlife Sanctuary -  Jhanlung Bindu - Samsing-Suntaleykhola
Duration : 6 Nights / 7 Days
Day 1 Start from sealdah padatik exp
Day 2:  Alipurduar/Coochbehar to Jayanti via coochbehar rajbari, madanmohan temple, sikhiya jhora, ect.
Day 3: Early morning start –Jayanti tour [28 mile, buxa fort, lepchakha, jayanti river bed, ect] night stay at jayanti
Day 4: Morning proceed to Jayanti, Buxa tiger reserve. After lunch visit buxa tiger reserve, pukri lake, chuniya watch tower.
night stay at Jayanti.
Day 5:  Jayanti to Lataguri via sidesceen raimatang.
 Day 6: Lataguri tour samsing, sultelekhola, bindu, jhalong, paran,
Day 7: NJP drop via Lal jhamela bosti, Gajaldoba

PLAN B


Jaldapara Gorumara

6 Nights 7 Days tour package Dooars

Places Covered : Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary - Totopara -  Khayerbari -  Chilapata - Phuentsholing -Gorumara Wildlife Sanctuary -  Jhanlung Bindu - Samsing-Suntaleykhola
Duration : 6 Nights / 7 Days

DAY1
Arrival at Bagdogra Airport (IXB) / New Jalpaiguri Railway Station (NJP) / Tenzing Norgay Bus Terminus (Junction) / Siliguri and Transfer to Jaldapara (Madarihat) - You will be received by our official at Bagdogra Airport (IXB) / New Jalpaiguri Railway Station (NJP) – Drive to Jaldapara National Park – The drive is nearly 3 ½ - 4 hours over a distance of approximately 155 kilometers Via Malbazaar, Chalsa, Madarihat - Lunch on the way in Dhaba or on reaching Jaldapara Tourist Lodge - Jaldapara National Park - It ensures a pleasant climate round the year so it isn’t a problem even if you’ve set your visit any time of the year - (The forest Safari closes on June 15 and reopens on September 15 each year hence Safari / Elephant ride not possible during the period) - Totopara, Khayerbari, Chilapata, Phuentsholling are some of the tourist spot nearby - Evening free - Night stay at Jaldapara

DAY 2
Toto Para Visit & Khayerbari - Early morning Drive to Totapara - Famous for the Dooars aboriginals Totos - Totoapara is 22 kilometers from Jaldapara - Toto is an isolated tribal group residing only in a small enclave called Totopara - Totopara is located at the foot of the Himalayas just to the south of the border of Bhutan on the western bank of Torsa river - Next visit South Khayerbari known for Tiger and Leopard Rescue Centre and is nearly 10 kilometers from Madarihat - Tourists will also find cubs and grown up leopards which were rescued from illicit animal smugglers on the hills - They are providing rehab facility to all the animals suffering from various kinds of torture and danger - There are 18 leopards in this centre - The environment of the place is serene and tourists will find it interesting to watch the animals enjoying themselves in their home

Day3
Sightseeing to Chilapata& Phuentsholling - Early morning one can proceed to Chilapata - Nearly 26 kilometers from Jaldapara or Alipurduar - The forest is used by the Elephants as a corridor to migrate - Chilapata Forest Reserve, NalRajarGarh, Barodabari / Malangi and KodalBosti are the place of interest - Interesting is Ram Guna Tree locally called is known as the tree that bleed - Back to Resort - Post Lunch one can visit Phuentsholling - The frontier town in southern Bhutan nearly - Phuentsholling or Phuentsholling is the administrative seat of the Chukha district - A thriving commercial centre, it is home to a potpourri of ethnic groups intermingling at the point where the countries Bhutan and India meet - Temple called ZangthoPelri Lhakhang, Monastery KharbandiGoemba, Crocodile breeding centre and the local market is the places of interest - Back to resort / hotel / Camp - Night stay at Jaldapara / Hollong

DAY4
Forest Activities & Transfer to Gorumara - Early morning drive to Early morning drive to Hollong for thrilling elephant safari is organized in the early morning from Hollong - It offers the exquisite beauty of the vast grassland of Jaldapara - Tourists 06 - 07 elephants operating from Hollong every morning and they make 2 round trips - One can sight Indian rhinos, bison, deer and Asiatic elephants – Back to resort for breakfast – Drive to Lataguri (75 kilometers, 2 hours) – Check into the resort and have lunch or one can have lunch outside rich tropical forests, innumerable hill streams cutting across the green carpet, undulating plains makes this a tourist hotspot - Safari time is 4 PM - 6 PM jungle safari to Medhla watchtower (subject to the availability of tickets) - In the late evening campfire & tribal dance at the resort can be arranged (Optional) – Night halt at Resort

Day 5
Local Sight Seeing Samsing, Suntaleykhola – Early morning Breakfast - Next one has to leave for Excursion - Visit Samsing
, Suntaleykhola in the lap of Himalaya - The area is known for its diversified flora and fauna - Samsing
 is a village at around 3000 feet known for its landscape, tea gardens and the forest. It is also a gateway to Neora Valley National Park - Aivel estate is a treat to watch & Suntaley Khola is named from a stream named Suntaley - One can spot exotic species of birds and butterflies - Visitors can cherish the natural natures beauty of this hamlet – Back to resort by 2 PM and have Lunch - Next to prepare for booking of Safari Tickets - Early evening (4 PM to 6 PM) Jungle safari subjected to availability of tickets – In the late evening one can stroll around the market area - Guest are advised not to stroll away from the crowd towards the forest – Back to resort - Late evening Tribal Dance Show can be arranged at Supplement cost - Night Stay at Resort in Lataguri (Duars / Dooars)

DAY6
Departure transfer to Bagdogra Airport (IXB) / New Jalpaiguri Railway Station (NJP) / Tenzing Norgay Bus Terminus (Junction) / Siliguri - Early morning breakfast – Check Out Time 11 AM - Next one has to drive to Siliguri, on the way to Bagdogra Airport (IXB) / New Jalpaiguri Railway Station (NJP) - It is approximately 90 kilometers drive and is nearly 02 ½ - 03 hours via Sevoke Coronation Bridge / Sevoke Kali Mandir – One can stop will be provided at Coronation Bridge for photography and scenic beauty if time permits - One can also have some refreshment if time permits The traffic will be more hence one has to start early - Reach Bagdogra Airport (IXB) / New Jalpaiguri Railway Station (NJP) / Tenzing Norgay Bus Terminus (Junction) / Siliguri - Forwarding Journey


N.B. : THE ITINERARY MAY BE CUSTOMISE AT ANY TIME AS PER YOUR CHOICE.