Jaldapara Rhinos: Jeep and Elephant Safaris

Why Jaldapara is different

Jaldapara is the big one. Where Gorumara is a compact forest watched from towers, Jaldapara is a 216 km² spread of tall elephant grass, riverine forest and braided channels of the Torsa, Malangi and other rivers, under the blue line of the Bhutan hills. Its rhinos live in the open grass rather than in forest clearings, and the safari is a drive through their country rather than a wait at a tower.

The numbers explain the difference. The March 2025 count, carried out on the same two days as Gorumara's, estimated about 331 rhinos in Jaldapara against about 61 in Gorumara. That makes it the largest rhino population in India after Kaziranga in Assam, and it is the reason the park exists: Jaldapara was declared a sanctuary in 1941 specifically to protect the one-horned rhino, at a time when hunting and the clearing of grassland for tea and farms had nearly finished it in north Bengal. It became a national park in 2014.

Jeep safaris from Madarihat

Jeep safaris start from the Jaldapara range office and gate near Madarihat, the small town on the highway and the Dooars railway that serves as the park's base. Each safari is booked for a slot and a route. Jeeps carry up to six passengers with a driver and a compulsory forest guide, and a drive lasts about one and a half to two hours.

Routes run through the grassland and forest towards watchtowers and viewpoints over the river meadows, where rhinos graze in the open. Routes from the Chilapata side, to the east, pass through denser forest and the brick ruins of Nalraja Garh. The forest department changes routes, slots and the number of jeeps allowed each season, and closes routes when roads are damaged. Ask at the Madarihat office what is running.

The first morning slot is the one to book. Rhinos graze in the open grass at dawn and move into cover as the day heats up, and the light over the grass with the Bhutan hills behind is the best of the day. January mornings are foggy, which can delay the start; February to April, after the grass has been burnt or cut, give the clearest views.

Elephant safaris, when they run

For decades the classic Jaldapara experience was an elephant ride at dawn, sitting on a padded howdah while a mahout guided a trained elephant through grass taller than a jeep, sometimes to within a few metres of a rhino. Rhinos tolerate elephants far better than vehicles, and the view from an elephant's back over the grass is unlike anything a jeep can give.

Elephant safaris have run intermittently in recent years: suspended during the monsoon closure, after floods, during health checks of the elephants and at other times by decision of the forest department. When they run, seats are few, the price has been about ₹800–1,000 per Indian national, and they sell out quickly. Ask at the Madarihat forest office whether they are running before you plan your trip around one, and check current status before you travel.

Some travellers now choose not to ride elephants for welfare reasons. That is a personal decision. The jeep safari is the dependable option, and you will still see the department's kunki elephants at work, carrying rangers on patrol.

Beyond the rhinos

Rhinos are the reason most people come, but they are far from the only thing in the grass. Asian elephants move through Jaldapara in herds and use the forest corridor through Chilapata to reach Buxa Tiger Reserve to the east. Gaur graze at the forest edges. Hog deer, a small, stocky deer of tall grassland, are a Jaldapara speciality, alongside sambar, spotted deer, barking deer and wild boar. Leopards are present and seen occasionally on the forest roads at dusk.

The grassland is also one of the few places in West Bengal for the Bengal florican, an endangered bustard of tall grass that is very hard to see. More easily spotted are crested serpent eagles, pied and great hornbills in the forest patches, peafowl, storks along the river channels and harriers over burnt grass in winter. A good guide will stop for birds if you ask; tell him at the start if you are interested.

Booking, fees and closures

Jaldapara jeep slots are booked through the West Bengal forest department's official online system, the same one used for Gorumara and Buxa. Search for the department's nature tourism booking site rather than following links on forums, and avoid look-alike sites. Bookings need the names and ID numbers of every passenger. Unsold seats are released at the Madarihat counter, and queues start early.

These are indicative 2025–26 figures. Fees change each season; check current status before you travel.

Hollong, floods and what has changed

Hollong, the three-storey wooden forest lodge in the middle of the park, was for years the most sought-after room in the Dooars, with a salt lick in front where rhinos and elephants came at night. It was gutted by fire on the night of 18 June 2024, while closed for the monsoon. Rebuilding has been discussed, but we have not confirmed that it has reopened. Treat any room advertised under the Hollong name with caution and confirm directly with the forest department.

In early October 2025, extreme rain flooded the Torsa and other rivers. Jaldapara closed for a time; forest department kunki elephants ferried stranded tourists across floodwater after a wooden bridge to a forest lodge collapsed, and wildlife was lost. The park reopened after repairs, but some routes may still be affected. The annual monsoon closure runs from about 16 June to 15 September. Check current status before you travel.

Where to stay and what else to do

Madarihat is the practical base, with the WBTDC Jaldapara Tourist Lodge, budget hotels at ₹1,500–2,500 a room and cheap dhabas by the bus stand and station. Chilapata, 20–30 minutes east, has the forest corporation's Mendabari Jungle Lodge in a much quieter forest setting. Hasimara, on the railway, is close to both.

With a spare morning, drive about 22 km north to Totopara, home of the Toto, one of the smallest Adivasi communities in India, numbering under 2,000 people. It is a village, not a show; go with respect, ask before photographing anyone and buy from local shops. Bhutan's border town of Phuentsholing, opposite Jaigaon, is about 20 km from Hasimara, with the documents Bhutan currently requires.

• Book the first morning slot and arrive at the gate 15 minutes early with your ID.
• Wear muted colours and a warm layer in winter; open jeeps are cold at dawn.
• Bring binoculars: rhinos may be 50–300 m away across the grass.
• Do not ask drivers to leave the track or approach animals; rhinos and elephants charge.
• Stay two nights so you can take one evening and one morning slot.