Dooars Tour Plan & Itineraries
Covering Dooars in a single tour is not easy because the area is vast and places to visit are many. However if you are visiting Dooars for the first time then you can follow the day-wise tour plan below which I had designed when I made my first visit to Dooars. We had 6 nights/ 7 days for the tour and a dedicated car starting from Bagdogra airport all through till it dropped us back at the airport.
You can fine tune the itinerary depending on number of days you have and the mode of transport you use. The forum discussions following this initial tour plan are focussed on finer aspects of the tours.
Day-1
Reach Bagdogra airport in the afternoon and have lunch at the airport restaurant (if operational) or alternatively at one of the many restaurants in Siliguri.
Transfer from Bagdogra to Murti (at Gorumara National Park) via Teesta Barriage at Gajoldoba.
At Murti book Jeep Safari of Gorumara National Park for next morning (we booked it through Murti Tourist Lodge of WBTDCL where we had our cottages booked for 3 nights).
In the evening visit Rangamati Tea Garden (via Chalsa and Malbazar, about 30 minute drive one-way) and witness the nature's spectacle of millions of fireflies over vast stretch of tea bushes. This is best seen on full moon nights. I have described our mind-blowing experience of this nature's spectacle on a section of this page about exploring Dooars.
Day-2
Gairibas View Point to get a lovely panoramic view of Jhalong settlement from top, Jaldhaka river flowing below with a backdrop of Bhutan hills.
Go further along and visit the settlement of Jhalong village (also known as Jaldhaka).
Visit Paren - a quaint village spread across lower and upper reaches of the hills.
Visit Bindu Dam at Bindu Valley... a dam over Jaldhaka river with sweeping views of Indian and Bhutan Himalayas. This dam is used for the Hydel Project at Jhalong.
Lunch at Bindu (or at Jhalong) and enjoy local cuisine at a local eatery.
Visit Samsing at the fringe of Neora Valley National Park and then Suntalekhola.... see the Hanging Bridge that leads to the WBFDC Forest Lodge at Suntalekhola.
Visit Rocky Island located at the bank of Murti river.
Day-3
Go down to the forest office counter at Murti early in the morning to book and avail Jeep safari and watchtower visit to Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary.
In the afternoon go down to Lataguri to book and visit Jatraprasad Watchtower and Rhino Point at Gorumara National Park. We booked the last trip as that includes as tribal dance at the end of the trip. NOTE: If you stay at Banani Lodge of WBFDC, you can book Gorumara safari as well as watchtower visits from the lodge itself including Jeep pickup and drop. They have a special quota for their guests. From Lataguri counter only limited Jeeps are allocated and demand is high.
Day-4
Check out from Murti Tourst Lodge... we would transfer to Jaldapara National Park today. It's about 1 hour drive from Murti.
After check out, visit nearby Murti River Bank and enjoy the river and view of the forest on the opposite bank of the river... that's Chapramari forest.
Start for Jaldapara... on the way take a Tea Garden Tour of Dharanipur Tea Estate, Chengmari Tea Estate and also enjoy the views of Diana river, Bhutan hills and visit Lal Jhamela Basti.
NOTE: There are limited elephant rides every day and demands are very high. So it can easily take 2-3 days to get a booking for elephant safari. Guests at WBFDC Hollong Lodge get preference. We got our elephant safari booking on the third day (i.e. day-6). So you should keep your tour plan flexible. It is easier to get a booking for Jeep Safari.
Day-5
Take the Jeep safari of Jaldapara National Park early in the morning.
Day-6
Take elephant safari of Jaldapara National Park which starts from Hollong Lodge (we got the first slot in the morning at 6am. There are 3 rides for 1 hour each. Usually four elephants are used for the safari each carrying up to four tourists).
Day-7
Transfer to Bagdogra airport via Chalsa > Mal Bazaar > Sevoke.
Take lunch at Bagdogra airport before boarding the flight.
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Nagarajan (March 2021)
Dear Sir,
I am from Kolkata. I am planning a visit to Dooars during end-March for 3 nights(first time visitor) with family. Is this a good time to visit Dooars? I am also confused as to which would be the best part of Dooars to cover. Our interests would be hills, wildlife, scenic beauty.
Would be grateful for some guidance from you. Thanks in advance.
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Raj (darjeeling-tourism.com) March 2021
Hello,
3 nights (which essentially means only 2 full days) is actually quite short to get a real flavor of Dooars. However, if that's all that you have, then I suggest staying at Murti (in the Gorumara National Park area).
On the first day, visit one of the watchtowers in Gorumara (Jastraprasad which also includes Rhino Point is the most popular for viewing wildlife)... if you take this jeep tour in the afternoon (the last trip), you can also enjoy a tribal dance program at the end. You can now book these trips online. (Note that Jatraprasad Watchtower Jeep trip originates from Lataguri... 25 minutes from Murti by car. Go through Jatraprasad Watchtower and Rhino Point for details.
In the other half of the day, you can visit another tower or a forest area like Chapramari (you can also book this online). This trip can be taken from Murti itself.
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