Day 1: Holong (Jaldapara) 

We started early from Bhubaneswar on March 5th with all COVID precautions as the Indigo flight to Kolkata started at 6.30AM to reach Kolkata at 7.30AM. As the Kolkata – Bagdogra flight was at about 11.30AM to reach the destination at 12.40PM, we moved to the airport Lounge for breakfast. The Indigo flight to Bagdogra was smooth like Bhubaneswar – Kolkata flight and we landed at the airport at about 12.40PM and our driver for the 9-day trip (Airport to Airport) was Mr. Subhan who was awaiting us at the airport parking lot. Our trip was immaculately planned and directed by Mr. Sumit Adak who is an expert in North Bengal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal, HP and Uttarakhand travel options. The exit from the airport is a bit of pain as the parking fee collection gate is very slow moving. After loading our luggage in the Bolero (in many areas you require a vehicle with high clearing) and a bit of introduction, we drove through the Aqua corridor via Gajaldoba (we stopped here for roadside quick lunch). Gajaldoba is an aquatic area (good place for street fried food (mainly fish) where you can see migratory birds in winter season. Gajaldoba has a big Youth Hostel as well as WBTDC accommodation. The drive is a real pleasure as the road was generally good and you pass through large tea gardens adjacent to the main driveway enjoying the green environment. The beauty of Dooars is unmatched.

Our destination was Holong tourist bungalow inside Jaldapara forest area which is about 160km from Bagdogra airport. We reached the entry gate at about 5PM and was informed by the security guard at the entry gate that wild elephants are nearby on the road and the driver should be careful while driving. We saw a herd of wild elephants with baby elephants happily chewing leaves and breaking small trees for food. We tried to take a few snaps as these elephants were outside the electrically charged fence. The Holong bungalow is one of the best property but the disappointing thing is that they do not allow you to stay for more than 1 day as it is sold as a package to have one night at Holong and another night at Tilabari / Moorti / Batabari. Most people book for 2 nights but only stay at Holong and forgo the other place as it is far away at Lataguri forest area. One choice is to keep Holong as your last night but one destination so that you can move to Lataguri area from Holong from where the airport is nearby (about 1.5 hours).

Famous Holong Bungalow at Madarihat, Jaldapara

Mighty king of the Jungle – Rhino at Jaldapara

Green pigeons and other Birds on the tree near Holong

Indian Roller

Indian Gaur (Bisons) at Jaldapara

Holong Bungalow provides best accommodation in Jaldapara area. Once upon a time, the ex-CM of Bengal, the famous Jyoti Basu was a regular visitor at Holong and a special room was created for him. Now electricity is made available for the benefit of the guests. While driving to the Bungalow, we saw Indian gaur, sambar deer, peacocks, herd of wild elephants, etc. on the road. The Holong stay is memorable as we could enjoy our time there seeing many wild animals and birds in the evening as well as in the morning. The staff use powerful spot lights to show the guests the arrival of wild animals in the salt pit nearby. We saw Rhinos, Indian Gaur, etc. in the night. Sleep was really good as jungle brings the tranquility. The nights were a bit cold and the blankets were good protection. The food served was very good and the system here is to charge per person per meal with 2 meals (dinner and breakfast) and snacks and tea have separate charges. There is no option of going out for food as entry and exit are generally restricted after 6PM. Further, entry fees have to be paid for each entry. We made friendship with a North Indian (Bhopal) family which had driven from Cooch Behar where they are presently located for employment of the head of the family in a nationalized bank branch.

Tea Garden on way – Green everywhere

Parakite couples fighting with each other

Owl looking at the visitors on Safari near the Jaldapara Tower

Wild elephant on way

Wild elephants going away inside Jungle area

Night visit of Rhinos and Indian Gaur – from Holong Bungalow through search light

The early morning Elephant safari (from 5.30AM to 6.30AM) from the bungalow allows a visitor to explore the morning jungle with wild animals. Four people ride one elephant guided by one Mauhunt nwho guide the elephant. We could see a Rhino happily chewing the grass for food. The jeep safari (7.30AM to 9.00AM) is also good as it takes you inside the Jaldapara forest area to explore wild animals and birds. We saw serpent eagles, owls, yellow pigeons, green pigeons, mouse deer, barking deer, parakites, wild boars, Indian gaurs, Rhinos, etc.

Mouse deerFlying off – Peacock in Jaldapara is a regular featureDancing away – peacock at dance class

All bookings have to be done online basis. The Holong forest booking (all accommodation in their property) has to be done at wbtdc website (https://www.wbtdcl.com). They will charge the base charges and Taxes have to be paid at the destination. The safari (Elephant as well as Jeep) has to be booked at ( https://wbfdc.net West Bengal Forest Development Corporation Limited (WBFDCL) . Thursday the safaris are closed. The Safari basic charges will be collected at the time of online booking depending on number of persons. The cost of hiring a jeep and the guide cost will be paid at the counter of the Forest Dept. near Jaldapara Tourist Lodge (typically in the evening at 6PM for next day safari). You can ask your tour operator or the driver to send information to the agents who will onboard your entry and the vehicle will come to your resort to pick you up at the requisite time of Safari. For us, Subhan, our driver for the trip arranged for the boarding and we paid him 1500 (charges for the jeep and guide). Please keep the receipt as it is used for vehicle entry and exit charges setoff otherwise you have to pay extra charges if you are staying in Holong (entry and exit fees are required for the vehicle taking you to the place).

There are many staying options in Jaldapara area and the best possible option is Jaldapara Tourist Lodge (Government property). Many private properties are also available at various levels of budget to suit the need of the tourists.

Indian Gaur looking at visitors

Beauty at its best 

Day 2: Dhupjhora Elephant Camp 

After having breakfast at Holong, we took the Madarihat road and started at about 11AM for Dhupjhora Elephant Camp. The drive was about 2 hours through a combination of good and bad roads – partly Asian Highway, partly National Highway and partly under construction road. The place is closer to Lataguri area and it should have been covered along with Lataguri tourists options. As we had booked for Holong and got Batabari stay option the very next day as per original plan we had already made bookings for other places and arranged for logistics. But we did not like the idea of staying in Batabari and wanted to explore Dhupjhora Elephant camp (commonly known as Gachhbari or Tree House locally) as it was opened by Forest dept. for booking after Feb 16, 2022. We took the chance and booked the property for our accommodation. Dhupjhora is in Gorumara forest area and surrounded by jungle in one side, river in another and tea gardens in all other sides. The place has almost zero noise level and you hear only the sound of birds everywhere. You drive through tea gardens to reach the forest accommodation at Dhupjhora. The backside of the camp is also covered with tea gardens. After checking in we wanted to look around the place. This is an elephant camp where tourists are exposed to elephant bathing, elephant ride (if you book online), feeding elephants, etc. before their elephant ride in the evening at about 4.30PM.

Cottages provide comfortable stay to tourists at Dhupjhora Camp

Bathing elephant is a great experience at Dhupjhora camp

Elephant used for Safari

Sunset at Dhupjhora camp

The camp provides all meals as there are no options of going out for food. They charge 1800 for 2 persons which includes all meals, a tribal performance in the evening at the camp, some souvenirs of jute products manufactured by local women in the June center within the property. We had booked our elephant safari on online basis from wbfdc website from 4.30PM to 5.30PM and here one elephant carries only 2 tourists. The food was prepared by locally employed female cooks and they prepare excellent meals for the tourists. Tea / coffee and snacks are provided by the kitchen caretaker Pradip. He also guides you for birds in the area. After lunch, we opted to take some rest and at about 3.30PM, we were called to visit the river nearby for elephant bathing experience. This is an unique experience for tourists. We found many birds in this area – yellow nape woodpecker, pigmy woodpecker, leaf birds, sun birds, hill myna, black headed Oriole, magpie, peacocks, fan tailed drongo, etc. The evenings are very pleasant. We went for the elephant rides and the ride is through the jungle and then crossing the river, then passing through the grassland to comeback to the camp. We saw wild boars, sambar deer, Indian gaur, peacock, etc.

The local tribal dance troupe arrived in the evening to perform the dance. As our family of 4 were the only tourists staying there, they requested us to attend the same. 11 (7 dancers and 4 musicians) members of the troupe produced 3 dance sessions of about 10 minutes each – a Jhumur dance sequence was performed by the local dancing girls where the guests can also join to lend a leg. It was a good experience to witness the tribal dance.

Elephant baby (17 months) playing in the river area

Minivet Female

Blue Whistling Thrush

Black headed Oriole

Yellow Nape Woodpecker

Jute spinning – creating a dignified livelihood for local women at Dhupjhora camp

Early morning at the camp is simply beautiful. Mr. Pradip from the Camp had advised us not to venture into the jungle alone without a guide as wild elephants are nearby so also good number of leopards. Sunrise is really beautiful and enchanting if you can walk towards the river area about 200 meters away from the camp. Wild animals walk out of the jungle and at times enter the camp. We saw a barking deer happily foraging grass in front of the cottages and slowly walked inside the jungle while a peacock was walking to the camp area from the jungle. It is always better to carry your own tea making stuffs as nobody is available to help you with morning tea before 8.00AM. We met one Mr. Indrajit Sengupta from Kolkata who had come there to attend a training and review meeting. He heads a dog squad and helps forest dept. to avoid and reduce poaching incidents. He is a good in birds identification as he is associated with a wildlife magazine and a resort in Sundarbans. He invited us to visit the place in Sep to see the beauty of Sundarbans. In the morning, we found lot of birds happily chirping away in the area. The sound of woodpecker hitting the tree is really noisy early in the morning.

Barking deer inside Dhupjhora 

Elephant Camp

Barking deer going back and peacock is coming in

Sunrise at Dhupjhora camp

Baby elephant is paying with mother and another elephant

Yellonape Woodpecker is at work

The booking for Dhupjhora was made from https://wbfdc.net – the official website of Forest Dept. West Bengal Forest Dept has many stay facilities in forests and they have opened up for booking by tourists. Cancellation charges are reasonable for accommodation but for Safari, there would be no refund. It is always better to carry dry fruits, biscuits, tea making provisions, etc.

After breakfast, we visited the Jute products workshop where the forest dept. trains local women to make Jute products like bags, mats, carpets, essence sticks, etc. A small buying by the tourists can help these local women to earn a dignified living.

The famous Gacchbari – Tree house 

Day 3: Sishamara Rhino Cottage 

Sishamara is about 7-8km away from Holong and regular Jeep Safari trips are made by tourists staying in Sishamara. It is a new tourists attraction with limited staying options. The drive from Dhupjhora crosses through many interior roads among the cultivation fields and we could see harvesting and packing of potatoes everywhere. The area does not have many banks (rather we did not see any) and hence carrying cash is most recommended as ATMs are not available easily.

Potato harvesting on our way to Sishamara

Reflection of a Tree on the River near Sishamara Rhino Camp

There are only 3 Homestays in the area (close to each other on the bank of the river adjacent to the forest) and Rhino Cottage is the oldest and started about 5 years ago in 2017 by one Mr. Pradip Roy of Falakata area (the nearest small town). The accommodation is located in a 10 bigha land parcel on the boundary of Jaldapara forest separated by the river. The tourist accommodations are located in the first floor of the two small buildings (4 rooms in all) and one dorm with 4 beds. The tourists can sit out at various sitting areas in the property and as well use the swing for comfort. The dining place is in a open place covered with straw giving cooling comfort to tourists. The dining table and chairs have been created with trunks of large trees and looks gorgeous. The river adjacent to the forest and Home stays is the main source of water for wild animals and you can see at times a few wild animals coming out from the forest or passing through. We could see some peacocks and wild boars in the evening.

Peahen walking with a reflection on River nearby

Sishamara is a quiet place and full of tranquility of a village. We met 3 senior couples who have come to unwind and staying in the new nearby Home Stay opened only a couple of months ago. The place does not provide any outside exploring except walking on the raised river bank and moving around in the property. People who would like to come here for unwinding should bring good number of books to read and spend time in solitude.

Searching for Food items on the tree

The hosts are very nice people and they arrange for all your food but typically service staff get up late and early risers will have a problem of getting tea and breakfast early in the morning. It is suggested for tourists to bring your own tea making stuffs to avoid discomfort of not getting morning tea. The food is generally standard non-veg (fish in lunch and chicken in dinner) and getting vegetarian food is a big challenge here.

Morning Sunnrise at Sishamara

Sunrise at Sishamara

The evenings are cooler as the place is located near the jungle and water body like the river. The camp fire is helpful to sit out for sometime. The sleep is very peaceful. We did not find any interesting birds in the area though the place is closer to the jungle area. As there is no online booking facility, we were guided by our trip guide to contact Mr. Pradip Roy, the owner on his mobile number. If you are taking a driver with you, typically the drivers are places in the ground floor rooms against payment.

We had our delicious breakfast of “Luchi” and “Alu dum” and tea with eggs. We started for our next destination “Chilapata” at about 10.00AM as it takes about 1.5 hours of drive to reach Chilapata from Sishamara Rhino Cottage.

Sishamara Rhino Cottage

Nearby Home Stays at Sishamara Rhino Cottage

Sishamara – closer to the forest area and separated by a river 

Day 4: Chilapata Nalgarh Retreat 

Chilapata Range is a good drive of about 2 hours from Sishamara area. The road is generally good to drive though at times we encountered bad road and road under construction. The accommodation was arranged at Nalgarh Retreat which is about 1.5km from the main Chilapata area and closer to the entry gate of the forest. One side of the resort is connected to the forest and sitting in the rear-side balcony, we can enjoy the beauty of the forest with continuous chirping of birds everywhere. The resort is a good property with 4 building housing 8 rooms with a good gardening area and children play area. There are a few birds continuously chattering away – specifically redwhiskered bulbuls.

We had booked a Jeep Safari at Chilapata and we paid the resort people to arrange for the vehicle and guide to come to the place of our stay in time so that we can start the jeep safari well in time. Last time we had seen many elephants in Chilapata and our expectation was very high. However, we did not see any animal this time. Just before getting down at Gorumara jungle camp for tribal dance show, we saw a big Indian Gaur walking on the road.

Fort of Chilapata – destroyed and partially visible

Dense Chilapata forest

The Tribal dance was a very short affair as we were the only vehicle which had come to see the dance as we did not disappoint the dancers who have come from far off places to showcase their dancing skill. The dancers and the people around the place typically use Asamese Mekhela and Chadar (two pieces) as their regular dress.

The food at the Nalgarh Retreat is good but typically oily. The booking can be made online as well as by calling up the front desk or through a travel advisor. There is hardly anything to do in Chilapata except walking around in nearby places. The forest Jeep safari does not offer much as hardly any animals are available in the forest. The tower where grasslands are available (you can see some wild animals like Indian Gaur, wild boar, etc.) is closed for tourists and it is simply driving through the forest enjoying the green environment.

Chilapata became famous after a Prasenjit starrer movie “Moner Manus” was shot here by famous director Mr. Gautam Ghosh. They have a resort by the name of the Movie. Restaurants are hardly available to have decent food. Hence, you are typically confined to your resort if not going out for jungle safari. In entire Dooars area, only Jaldapara offers great animal viewing in safaris while other places like Chilapata are available for unwinding and enjoying the tranquility of forest. Chilapata has very little to offer to value seeking tourists.

Day 5: Raimatang 

Our next destination was offbeat Raimatang closer to Bhutan border area. It is a good drive from Chilapata as we wanted to cover first Bhutanghat before landing at Raimatang village. We started from Chilapata after breakfast at about 9.00AM and drove through good and bad roads to reach Bhutanghat at about 11.45AM. We needed a local guide from the area who will get the required permission from the forest and the army post (SSB) and our driver made the arrangement after talking to some local person near the place. We drove through the jungle for about 20 minutes to reach the river bed and Bhutanghat. The beauty of Bhutanghat is that the small hills on the bank of the river has seven colours of stone. It is a nice place for picnic. We walked upto the river bed for snaps. You will require 45 minutes to 1 hour to have a good visit to the place. Near Bhutanghat, there are a few Home Stays and a big Youth Hostel.

Entry to Bhutanghat through the Forest area – SSB permission is required for the vehicle

Bhutaghat hill with 7 colours – River connects India and Bhutan

River on Bhutanghat with clean water

After spending some time in Bhutanghat, we started driving towards Buxa area through the forests as there was no place nearby to have food as we are close to lunchtime. We reached Buxa at about 1PM and visited Banante hotel for our meals. It is a reasonably good place for food and earlier we had food from the place a few years ago when we visited Jainti area. Food was okay and we got ready to take another couple of hours drive to Raimatang. The drive through Buxa reserve forest was a good experience and we enjoyed the cool breeze while driving via Kalchini. We called up the Home Stay to inform them about our expected time of arrival where we are going to stay for the night at Raimatang.

River Bed in Raimatang river

Village Road in Raimatang

Raimatang River dry bed which gets flooded in Rainy season

Homestay where we stayed at Raimatang

After Kalchini, we reached the Raimatang market area and saw the weekly market is in full swing and local people are busy in buying the products starting with vegetables to clothes for family members. As directed by the Home Stay owner, we started driving towards Raimatang village who will meet us on our way. We drove through a very large riverbed and later we were informed by the Home Stay owner that during rainy season, the river gets water from the local mountains and totally flooded and there will be no transport available from the village to outside world. People typically stay indoors and inside the village area for almost 3 months when the Raimatang river is flooded.

We also understood that local villagers used to cultivate many agricultural products in their own fields but the elephants destroy the same every year. Hence, the villagers have stopped agricultural cultivation and moved to Betel nut farming which is of no interest to elephants. The place is famous for black pepper cultivation and we found every house has a plant that gives black pepper, we also purchased a small quantity from one of the villagers.

Birds at Raimatang

Raimatang village has a very few houses and have about 5/6 home stays. The Home Stay in front of the Forest Bungalow is the best option but we stayed in a smaller homestay (Mountain view) which was not so good.

Typically, fans are not required for the night but as the temperature was soaring, we had to switch on the standing fan. The dinner and breakfast was simple.

Raimatang Seasonal River – gets flooded in Rainy season cutting off access to outside world

We walked towards the river area through the forest with the help of a guide. The guide said that birds like Hornbill come regularly to Raimatang. The walk to the river was pleasant but there was not so steep climbing for about 200 meters or so to reach the river bed. It was good experience. Raimatang offer stunning Sunset from the village through the trees.

The place is totally quiet and only sound you hear is the chirping of birds nearby. Typically, some Bulbuls and sun birds visit the place and fly happily. The booking for this place was done by our tour guide but there were better options available in the area. A nice and quiet place. Most importantly, network is not available for Jio/Airtel/Voda. Only BSNL is available but not always you can call.

Day 6: Todey 

Todey is an offbeat place in Kalimpong district and you have to take the long road to Bindu, Paren area to visit Todey. It is a very remote place with bad roads and last 36km took almost 2.5 hours. Once you reach the place, it is a kind of heaven on a hill top with a very few people around. It is a real long drive from Raimatang and the road condition is not very good and you have to continuously ask people for direction as road signs are not generally available. However, our driver, Mr. Shuban, was more or less had idea about Paren and Bindu and could maneuver the place. Nerwork is also a major issue on our way at many places and after about 5.5 hours, we could reach Todey at about 1.30PM. First, we had to stop at Todey market and meet one of the owner brothers and seek direction to drive another 2km upward to hilltop to reach the Home Stay. The drive is difficult but once you reach the place, your mind fills with joy seeing the nature in abundance. You can see the mountains on Indian and Bhutan side and easily see Bhutan houses from the top. The weather was not very clear to see the snowclad hill tops. We could see the Doklam peak from the Home Stay. The Tongse (last Indian village before Medicine river divides India and Bhutan) monastery could be see from the Home Stay. The accommodation is basic but clean. The Home stay has only 3 rooms to offer for tourists. Todey is a new tourist attraction as other nearby areas like Bindu and Paren are operating on almost full capacity given their resource crunch.

Todey – snowclad tops are covered with fog

Bhutan Mountains from Home Stay

Dining area for Home Stay – nicely designed

The local Church catering to the nearby areas

Lunch was simple but delicious. There is a beautiful Church nearby from where we could hear the sound of the bell. Lepcha brothers are very good hosts and take all care to make you feel comfortable. In the evening, they do bonfire and make kababs for the tourists. As there is not much to do in the place, we had early dinner and went to enjoy the tranquility of the place by sitting out to watch the stars.

The traditional welcome of Guests with clothes

Generally hill people are late risers and you do not get bed tea or early morning tea unless you make your own arrangements. The morning was used for watching birds and Sunrise. We could see some birds (limited varieties) like red whiskered Bulbul, yellow vented Bulbul, minivet, leaf bird, verditer flycatcher, sun birds, etc.

Cardamom plantation and Todey village

Todey Village from Home Stay

Local School

Bindu area – Crossing riven lands you in Bhutan

Breakfast was usual Puri and Sabji with eggs and tea…Quite good taste…The Lepcha brothers of the Home Stay offered the traditional welcome with acloth apiece on our necks as a mark of respect. Red cloth is generally given to the head of the party and others are given white cloth as a mark of respect to the tourists. The booking of the place was arranged by our tour guide and we enjoyed our overnight stay here at Todey. We also visited the Church and local school to interact with a few students. We were informed that teachers have gone for some work and all students upto Std 8 had gala time to enjoy.

Tongse Monastery from Todey Cardamom Home Stay

Verditer Flycatcher

Day 7: Sunthelikhola 

The drive to Sunthelikhola from Todey was about 2.5 hours passing through Bindu, Paren, Rocky island, Jhalong, etc. The road is partly okay but many places, the construction work was going on. Bad hill roads is a genuine problem. We drove through the tea gardens and reached Samsing area. Samsing is a small town with a few shops and Home Stays. We have to travel beyond Samsing to reach our destination inside the forest area. We had booked the forest dept. super deluxe rooms through online booking portal of WBFDC. The rooms were large with one common room used for sitting out. There is also a small verandah to sit outside to watch the birds nearby. Continuous chirping of birds can be heard. There are 2 sets of accommodation owned by forest Dept. One is a camp with only 4 rooms (where we stayed) and another has about 14 rooms and tents after you cross the hanging bridge to reach the cottages and tents (little cheaper than the other set). Camp was fully occupied but the Cottage had only one guest in a tent.

The food is prepared if ordered well in time otherwise you need to either walk about a km or drive the same to reach the Samsing market area where you can get food and other necessary stuffs.

The place is enchanting as it is fully covered with greenery and tall trees everywhere. It gets dark very fast and you have to be confined to your room. The food prepared by the security guard looking after the place is tasty but very oily. All meals are charged as per intake. The security guard goes out after lunch hours and comes back only in the evening. Then he gives dinner and goes out to be back in the morning at about 8AM.

After getting up in the morning, we walked around in the property and also moved to the cottage area after crossing the hanging bridge to see the bird activities. We could see many common birds like Bulbul, sun birds, minivet, drongoes, etc. Worth staying for overnight.

Day 8 – Neora Jungle Camp 

We drove from Sunthelikhola through tea gardens and stopped at various places to buy tea and see the tea garden workers picking up tea leaves and depositing them to the weighing team on the road. The workers are paid on the basis of the collection of leaves from the tea garden. The whole process is hand picked. We stopped at Batabari area to visit the Tata Tea shop located inside tea garden selling both Assam and Darjeeling tea to local people as well to the tourists. We drove towards Lataguri area via Madarihat and our destination was inside the jungle. Neora jungle camp is located inside the forest and can be booked through the portal of WBFDC. They have only 7 rooms and being inside the forest, your entry and exit are restricted. We had booked a Jeep Safari for Chapramari tower which is the farthest of the towers. It takes about 45 minutes to reach the gate.

Entry gate to Neora Jungle camp

Neora Jungle Camp cottages outside Watch Tower area

We reached the place around 12 Noon and checked into our rooms. The camp has only 9 rooms – 5 cottages with attached bath outside the main watch tower area and 4 with common baths (rooms are small) in the watch tower building near the dining place. We were given the attached bath rooms and the view of the jungle was great with continuous sound of birds and peacocks.

Indian Gaurs in the Chapramari Tower area

The food is good but do not expect better service here. If you have a flight to catch and need to start before 8/8.30AM, in all probability you will not get even morning tea. Generally, food is standard with a few items and to be paid on meal basis.

Indian Gaurs near the Chapramari gate

Nights are very peaceful as the place inside the jungle. Early morning safari starts at 5.30AM and you will see many jeeps passing trough the staying area.