Smart Tips to Remember While Visiting Dooars

Dooars brings in mind a landscape of glittering silver against the rich colour of the settling sun! Derived from the Sanskrit word “Drawa”, Dooars marks the doorway to the pristine land of Bhutan. Of extreme economic value to North Bengal Tourism, a visit to the Terai land of Dooars encompasses a rich natural bounty of sprawling tea gardens, luscious forest cover and numerous rolling hills, criss-crossed by the significant rivers of Teesta, Torsha, Raidak and Kaljani. Much sought after by the nature lovers, travel information on Dooars tours and travel packages is relatively obscure. Take a note of few smart tips to jazz up your Dooars tour plan that might help in better time management and save bailing out the extra bucks. Here you go!

The best tip to bear in mind few points is to build knowledge on the entire geography of Dooars tourism. Basically, there are 3 significant belts of Dooars tourism–A) Spots consisting of Murti, Jhalang, Saming, Suntalekhola, Paren, Gorumana Sactuary and Chapramari Sanctuary. Here, the nearest railway station would be New Mal Junction. B) Jaldapara and Chilapata Reserve Forests. The railway station to reach these spots is Hasimara and C) Buxaduar, Jayanti and Rajabhatkhaoa from the Alipurduar Railway Jnc. If you face difficulties to book train tickets to New Mal Junction, Hasimara or Alipurduar Jnc, travel till NJP railway station and explore any suitable region of choice from there. All the above regions can be reached from NJP by road too. It takes approximately 3-3.5 hours from NJP to Murti (the first belt), 4 hours to Lataguri (the entry point to Gorumara) and 5-6 hours to Jayanti/Buxa tourist spots. The nearest airport for all these regions of North Bengal tourism is Bagdogra. Bhutan border is in the vicinity of Hasimara. You can makea day trip to Phutsholing from Jaldapara or Chilapata too. Plan your tour for the right months – anytime between the months of October to May would be the best times. Monsoons might be alluring but they are tough too. It’s better to avoid between June to September months. From 15^th of July to 15^th of September, the forests remain closed for animal breeding season. Sometime, rains come early, continue heavily and forest officials may exert their discretionary power to keep it closed till the situation comes under control.

You can take the advantage of discounted travel packages in those months, other than Jungle Safari Tours. Also, if you plan early and budget in advance, you can avoid the rush in those peak seasons. Hotels/ Resorts are difficult to get without prior booking during those months. It’s advisable to contact a local tour operator well ahead in time for more information and pre-booking ideas on Dooars package tours. While there is no dearth of vehicles for local sight –seeing purposes for all spots of Dooars tourism, a point to point transfer in your tour can be cumbersome. Also, time –bound and risky as you may be at the mercy of your driver and tour agent for visiting all spots. Plan to have a fully reserved vehicle might also help you in case of any exigencies in the middle of your Doors tour. Say for e.g., you might use it for making a visit to the local market as well as for pick and drop purposes as per your itinerary. And, having a dedicated driver with a personalised car helps you get a driver come guide to your advantage. Personally, booking a car for the entire trip was economical for me. Sight –seeing package deals are plenty for all destinations of North Bengal tourism. But, you need the right information to plan for the best deal with guaranteed fun on your Dooras tour.

For forest lovers, the following forest range safaris are worth consideration- A) Chapramari (Booking at Murti) B) Gorumara(Booking at Lataguri) C) Chilapata (Booking at Jaldapora) C) Jayanti D) Rajabhatkhawa. 6 persons are allowed in a Gypsy at a time including the guide. It costs around Rs. 2,500- Rs. 3,000for each trip. Are you planning to enjoy an elephant ride on jungle safari? Elephant safari is also available at the following ranges of Dooars tourism – A) Kalipur Eco Village at Gorumara B) Dhupjhora Elephate Camp at Gurumara C) Jaldapara (from Holong Tourist Lodge) D) Jaldapara from Malangi Lodge. It would cost around Rs. 650-700 (INR) per head for elephant safari. At a time, 4 persons can be accommodated at the elephant’s back.

You must remember that weather is erratic to affect your Dooars tour plan. So, make sure to take the essentials. Carry woollen garments, jackets to extra shawls to beat the chills in winter months. Don’t miss out to carry along binoculars and high range camera for the remarkable captures of nature at its best. All hotels/resorts provide mosquito repellents but you may prefer to carry one of your own as a back-up resource. Also, carry along basic medicines in emergency, a torch and rain-proof and sturdy shoes, if you plan to take it high on jungle safari. Try avoiding bright colours as they dazzle the animals in wild. Also, be a responsible tourist by not spreading plastics or non-degradable waste in the forests. Don’t forget to do your bit while making the most of your Dooars tour plan. After all, Dooars package tours are meant for unlimited fun and sport for adventure.  May your trip to Dooars turns out to be one of lifetime experience!

Stay tuned to TravelDias for more travel updates and information on Dooars. You can mail me at “uvreachedavi@gmail.com” for any detail you need and I will revert back soon. Keep travelling, cheers…!