Jeep safaris, watchtower evenings, and a river under the Bhutan hills
The Dooars is the flat forest belt where the hills run out, an hour and a half from our office, and it is the easiest wildlife trip in eastern India to reach. Gorumara and Chapramari on one side, Jaldapara on the other, with tea gardens and river beds in between.
You are looking for one-horned rhino, elephant, gaur, deer and, with luck and patience, leopard. The watchtowers over the salt licks are where the reliable sightings happen, and an evening at Chukchuki or Medla is worth more than another drive.
Short, cheap, good for children, and genuinely wild. The one rule is that the forests close for the monsoon, and we will not sell you a safari that cannot run.
This is the plan as we would run it. Days can be swapped, dropped or added — say what you want changed and we will rebuild it before you pay anything.
Day 1
Met at Bagdogra or NJP and driven into the Dooars, well under two hours. Check in, then the afternoon jeep safari into Gorumara, which is the range with the best rhino and gaur record. Evening at the watchtower if a slot is available.
Day 2
Early safari into Chapramari, which is smaller and denser than Gorumara and produces good elephant sightings. Afterwards the Murti riverbed, and a run up to Samsing and Suntalekhola on the Bhutan-facing slope if you want a half-day in the foothills.
Day 3
East to Jaldapara, about two and a half hours, with a stop at the Jalpesh temple or a tea garden. Afternoon jeep safari into the Jaldapara grassland, which holds the second-largest rhino population in the country after Kaziranga.
Day 4
The elephant-back safari runs at first light and is the best way into the tall grass, where a jeep cannot go. Slots are very limited and allocated in advance. Afterwards, back to Bagdogra or NJP, about three hours.
Elephant safari slots are released by the forest department in small numbers and cannot be guaranteed. If yours is not allotted, the charge is not taken.
Hotels are named on your written itinerary before you pay. The properties below are the ones we normally use in this band; if one is full on your dates we substitute a hotel of the same standard and tell you which, rather than leaving you to find out at check-in.
Private vehicle for all transfers. Safaris are run in forest-department jeeps with a department guide, as the rules require, and those are included.
Up to 4 travellers normally ride in a Wagon R, Swift Dzire or similar; 5 to 7 in an Innova, Xylo or Scorpio; 8 and above in a Tempo Traveller or a second vehicle. On the North Sikkim and Silk Route legs the vehicle is always a Bolero, Sumo or Scorpio, because that is what those roads take.
Your written confirmation carries the exact advance, the balance date and the cancellation schedule for your trip. Those numbers, not this page, are the ones that apply. Full terms are on the booking conditions page.
General questions: permits, seasons, packing and how to get here
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Fill this in and we will come back with a proper day-by-day itinerary for your dates, with named hotels and one all-in price. No payment is taken at this stage and nothing is confirmed until you say so.
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Dates, how many of you, and anywhere you have your heart set on — that is enough for us to start. You will get a day-by-day plan with named hotels and one all-in price, in writing, before you pay anything.
