Sal forest green and elephant-grass gold

The Dooars & Siliguri

Rhinos, tea gardens and the gates of Bhutan

Altitude61–900m From₹1,650/day BestNov – Mar

Photo: JKDs · CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

In brief

The Dooars are the forested plains and foothills below Bhutan in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts, reached from Siliguri in two to five hours. Come from November to March for one-horned rhinos in Gorumara and Jaldapara, gaur at Chapramari, the walk to Buxa Fort and river valleys at Samsing and Jhalong.

The story of Dooars

The doors to Bhutan

Dooars, or Duars, comes from the word for doors or gateways. The name meant the passes through which trade and armies moved between the Bengal and Assam plains and the hills of Bhutan; there were eighteen of them by the usual count, eleven on the Bengal side and seven in Assam. For two centuries Bhutan held the strip of plains and forest below those passes, and the Koch kings of Cooch Behar and the Raikats of Baikunthapur contested it.

The British ended that contest by force. After a diplomatic mission to Bhutan went badly in 1864, they fought the Duar War of 1864–65, captured forts such as Buxa and Daling, and under the Treaty of Sinchula, signed on 11 November 1865, annexed the Duars in return for an annual payment to Bhutan. In 1869 the western part was joined to Jalpaiguri to form a new district, and its forests were reserved for timber.

Then came tea. The first Dooars garden opened at Gazaldoba in 1874, and within decades gardens ran the length of the foothills, worked by families recruited from Chota Nagpur and the Nepal hills, with a railway to carry the leaf out. What forest was left became the parks of today: Jaldapara from 1941, Gorumara from 1949 and Buxa Tiger Reserve from 1983. Alipurduar became its own district in 2014.

About Dooars

The Dooars are the low country at the foot of the eastern Himalaya, between the Teesta and the Sankosh, where tea gardens, rivers and sal forest share a plain that is rarely more than 100 m above sea level. Most travellers rush through on the way to Darjeeling or Sikkim. Stop, and you find India's second rhino stronghold, gaur herds at forest waterholes, a Bhutanese fort turned British prison and long white riverbeds under the Bhutan hills.

It is also one of the cheapest wildlife regions in India. Homestays in Lataguri, Samsing, Buxa and Jayanti charge ₹1,200–2,000 per person with meals; forest corporation cottages cost ₹1,800–4,000 a room; safari jeeps are shared between six. Trains on the Dooars line run from NJP through Malbazar, Chalsa, Madarihat and Hasimara to Alipurduar for very little.

Siliguri is the gateway: NJP station and Bagdogra airport are minutes apart, and cars, buses and trains fan out east from here. A four-night trip covers Gorumara and Jaldapara; seven to nine nights add the river valleys of Samsing and Jhalong and the forests of Buxa and Jayanti. Parks close for the monsoon, roughly 16 June to 15 September.

Six reasons to go

Rhinos in Jaldapara and Gorumara

Around 330 one-horned rhinos in Jaldapara and about 60 in Gorumara, by the March 2025 count. Jeep safaris in Jaldapara's tall grass and watchtowers in Gorumara give two very different ways to see them.

Gaur at Chapramari

A small sanctuary with one watchtower over a forest waterhole, where some of the largest gaur herds in West Bengal come to drink in the late afternoon. Elephants come too.

The walk to Buxa Fort

Five kilometres on a stone path through forest to a fort that guarded a Bhutanese pass, held Indian revolutionaries in the 1930s and sheltered Tibetan monks after 1959.

Samsing and Suntalekhola

Tea slopes at 900 m on the edge of Neora Valley National Park, a hanging bridge over the orange stream and the Murti's boulders at Rocky Island, an hour from the parks.

Jhalong and Bindu

The Jaldhaka valley on the Bhutan border, with river birds on the shingle, a hydel town, cardamom farms and the last Indian village at the end of the road.

Jayanti and Mahakal

A huge pale riverbed below the Bhutan hills, a long walk to a limestone cave revered as Shiva's shrine, and evenings when elephants cross the river.

Best months: Nov – Mar · Oct and Apr good
Gateway: NJP / Bagdogra / Siliguri
From Siliguri: ≈ 80 km to Lataguri · 2–2.5 h
Altitude: 60 m (Jaldapara) to 900 m (Samsing)
Languages: Bengali, Rajbanshi, Nepali, Hindi, Sadri
Permits: None for Indians; forest fees and safari bookings
Daily budget: ₹1,800–3,500 pp

Month by month

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

BestGoodAvoid or closed

What a day really costs

A shoestring day in the Dooars costs about ₹1,800–2,500 per person: a homestay with dinner and breakfast at ₹1,200–1,800, a shared seat in a safari jeep at ₹450–700, trains and buses between towns and a dhaba lunch. A comfortable day, with forest corporation cottages or a resort, a reserved car and private safari jeeps, runs ₹4,000–6,500. People overspend in three places: hiring a car for the whole trip when trains and buses would do between bases, booking safari jeeps for two people instead of sharing, and paying resort prices in Lataguri for a room they only sleep in. Book safaris online early; last-minute counter seats often go to agents.

Where to go

Places in Dooars

national park61 m Jaldapara National Park India's second rhino stronghold, on the Torsa

forest village80 m Chilapata An elephant corridor with a ruined fort inside

forest village200 m Jayantiजयन्ती A wide white riverbed under the Bhutan hills

forest village100 m Lataguri The highway village at Gorumara's gate

river town150 m Murtiमूर्ति A stony river between two forests

tea garden900 m Samsing Tea slopes where the Dooars meet Neora Valley

trek stop867 m Buxaबक्सा A Bhutanese fort, a British prison, a Tibetan refuge

river town600 m Jhalong A hydel town on the Jaldhaka, facing Bhutan

forest village750 m Suntalekholaसुन्तलेखोला The orange stream and its hanging bridge

village650 m Binduबिन्दु The last Indian village on the Jaldhaka

national park150 m Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary Gaur herds at a forest waterhole

national park150 m Gorumara National Park A small rhino park seen from watchtowers, not jeeps

market town122 m Siliguriसिलिगुडी The gateway town on India's chicken's neck

Trips with the fare printed

Dooars trips

Shoestring Dooars5 nights · Mixed Jaldapara, Buxa and Jayanti on a budget Jaldapara National Park · Buxa · Jayanti ₹11,000per person
about ₹1,850 a day

Shoestring Dooars3 nights · Mixed Buxa Fort and Jayanti on foot Buxa · Jayanti ₹7,000per person
about ₹1,750 a day

Value Dooars6 nights · Mixed Chilapata, Buxa Fort and Jayanti in a week Chilapata · Buxa · Jayanti · Jaldapara National Park ₹21,000per person
about ₹3,000 a day

Comfort Dooars4 nights · Reserved car Murti and Jaldapara with the family, by car Murti · Jaldapara National Park ₹26,000per person
about ₹5,200 a day

Shoestring Dooars2 nights · Mixed Gorumara forest weekend on a shoestring Lataguri ₹5,000per person
about ₹1,650 a day

Value Dooars5 nights · Mixed Gorumara, Jaldapara and Chilapata in 5 nights Lataguri · Jaldapara National Park · Chilapata ₹19,500per person
about ₹3,250 a day

Comfort Dooars7 nights · Reserved car The Dooars end to end in a week, by car Jhalong · Samsing · Lataguri · Jaldapara National Park ₹42,000per person
about ₹5,250 a day

Value Dooars4 nights · Mixed Jhalong, Bindu and the Samsing hills Jhalong · Suntalekhola · Samsing ₹15,000per person
about ₹3,000 a day

Value Dooars3 nights · Mixed Three nights by the Murti river Murti ₹13,000per person
about ₹3,250 a day

Comfort Dooars5 nights · Reserved car Dooars river valleys for birders, by car Murti · Suntalekhola · Jhalong ₹26,000per person
about ₹4,350 a day

Shoestring Dooars6 nights · Shared jeeps Dooars rhino loop by train and jeep Lataguri · Samsing · Jaldapara National Park ₹13,000per person
about ₹1,850 a day

Comfort Dooars9 nights · Reserved car Nine slow nights from Samsing to Jayanti Samsing · Murti · Jaldapara National Park · Chilapata ₹51,000per person
about ₹5,100 a day

When to go

Dooars, month by month

BestJanuary

Plains 8–23 °C, dry, foggy mornings

BestFebruary

Plains 10–26 °C, dry and sunny

BestMarch

Plains 14–30 °C, warming, occasional storms

GoodApril

Plains 18–32 °C, humid, pre-monsoon storms

GoodMay

Plains 22–33 °C, humid, heavy showers

Think twiceJune

Plains 24–32 °C, monsoon rain

Think twiceJuly

Plains 25–32 °C, heavy rain

Think twiceAugust

Plains 25–32 °C, heavy rain

Think twiceSeptember

Plains 24–31 °C, rain easing late

GoodOctober

Plains 20–30 °C, mostly dry after mid-month

BestNovember

Plains 14–28 °C, dry and clear

BestDecember

Plains 10–25 °C, dry, foggy mornings

Things to do

One good morning in each place

Viewpoints Culture and history Tea Treks and walks Wildlife and birds Food Adventure

Viewpoints · 1 hourThe Bindu barrage and the Bhutan bankBindu · Free

Treks and walks · 2–3 hours up, 1.5 hours downWalk up to Buxa Fort from SantalabariBuxa · Forest fees about ₹100–300; porter ₹500…

Wildlife and birds · 1.5–2 hoursGaur at the Chapramari watchtowerChapramari Wildlife Sanctuary · ₹2,500–3,500 a jeep for up to 6 (indica…

Culture and history · 2 hours with safariThe brick ruins of Nalraja GarhChilapata · Included in Chilapata safari, ₹2,500–3,…

Wildlife and birds · 1.5–2 hoursJatraprasad and Rhino Observation PointGorumara National Park · ₹2,500–3,500 a jeep for up to 6 (indica…

Wildlife and birds · 1.5–2 hoursDawn jeep safari for Jaldapara's rhinosJaldapara National Park · ₹2,500–4,000 a jeep for up to 6 (indica…

Treks and walks · 6–8 hours returnThe Mahakal cave walk up the riverbedJayanti · Guide ₹600–1,000; forest fees if applic… Wildlife and birds · 2–3 hoursRiver birding on the Jaldhaka at dawnJhalong · Free; guide ₹500–800

Culture and history · 3–4 hoursHalf-day to the Jalpesh Shiva templeLataguri · ₹1,500–2,000 car; temple free

Viewpoints · 1.5 hoursSunset on the Murti riverbedMurti · Free

Tea · 2 hoursMorning walk through Samsing tea gardenSamsing · Free; guide ₹300–500

Wildlife and birds · 4–5 hoursWinter ducks at the Gajoldoba barrageSiliguri · ₹1,500–2,000 car + ₹300–600 boat Viewpoints · 1 hourAcross the Suntalekhola hanging bridgeSuntalekhola · Free

Getting there

Reaching Dooars

Fly to Bagdogra (IXB) or take a train to New Jalpaiguri (NJP), the railhead for the whole region. From there, reserved cars cost about ₹3,000–3,500 to Lataguri or Murti (75–85 km, two to two and a half hours), ₹3,500–4,500 to Samsing, ₹4,000–5,000 to Madarihat for Jaldapara (125 km, about four hours) and ₹5,500–6,500 to Jayanti or the Buxa road head. Buses from the Tenzing Norgay terminus in Siliguri run east towards Malbazar, Birpara and Alipurduar for ₹100–300. The cheapest and most pleasant option is often the train: Dooars line services run from NJP and Siliguri Junction to New Mal Junction, Chalsa, Madarihat, Hasimara, Rajabhatkhawa and Alipurduar, but timetables change, so check before you plan. Shared jeeps run up to Samsing and Jhalong from Chalsa, mostly in the morning.

Permits

Indian citizens need no special permit for the Dooars. Every national park and sanctuary charges entry, vehicle, guide and camera fees, and safaris must be booked through the West Bengal forest department, online or at counters in Lataguri, Madarihat and Rajabhatkhawa; carry the ID used to book. Foreign nationals pay higher fees and should carry passports, especially near the Bhutan border at Jhalong, Bindu, Totopara and Buxa. There are no border crossings for travellers in the parks; entry to Bhutan is via Phuentsholing opposite Jaigaon, with Bhutan's own documents and fees. Rules change: check current status before you travel.

Siliguri to Lataguri Siliguri to Jaldapara National Park Lataguri to Jaldapara National Park Jaldapara National Park to Buxa Siliguri to Samsing

Where to sleep

government lodgeJaldapara National Park Jaldapara Tourist Lodge (WBTDC) Government mid-range rates; check the current WBTDC tariff (indicative)

forest bungalowMurti Murti Banani Eco-Tourism Centre (WBFDC) ₹1,800–4,000 a room, tent from about ₹1,500 (indicative, WBFDC tariff)

forest bungalowGorumara National Park Dhupjhora Elephant Camp (WBFDC) About ₹2,000 a cottage plus meals (indicative, WBFDC tariff)

forest bungalowLataguri Lataguri Eco-Tourism Centre (WBFDC) About ₹3,000–4,000 a room (indicative, WBFDC tariff)

Read before you go

Dooars guides

seasons · 5 min read Best Time to Visit the Dooars, Month by Month

November to March is the best time to visit the Dooars: parks are open, days are dry and 22–27 °C, and the grass is …

treks · 5 min read Buxa and Jayanti Treks: Fort, Ridge, Cave and Lake

The best walking in the Dooars is in Buxa Tiger Reserve. A 5 km stone path climbs from Santalabari to Buxa Fort; Lepchakha's ridge …

food · 5 min read What to Eat in the Dooars: Boroli, Shidol and Momos

Dooars food is river fish, rice and greens, cooked three or four ways. Rajbanshi homes make shidol and pelka, Bengali dhabas serve boroli fish …

stays · 5 min read Forest-Village Stays in the Dooars: Where to Sleep

Sleep beside the forest, not on the highway. Murti's riverside forest corporation cottages and Lataguri's homestays serve Gorumara; Mendabari at Chilapata sits deep in …

practical · 5 min read Getting to the Dooars: Trains, Buses and Cars

Reach the Dooars from New Jalpaiguri (NJP) station, Bagdogra airport or Siliguri. Reserved cars cost ₹3,000–3,800 to Lataguri and ₹4,000–5,000 to Madarihat. Buses from …

wildlife · 5 min read Gorumara Safaris Explained: Towers, Slots and Booking

A Gorumara safari is a short jeep ride from Lataguri to one watchtower, where you sit for an hour or so over a salt …

history · 5 min read Doors to Bhutan: A Short History of the Dooars

The Dooars take their name from the doors, or passes, into Bhutan. Bhutan held the plains below them until the British won the Duar …

wildlife · 5 min read Jaldapara Rhinos: Jeep and Elephant Safaris

Jaldapara, on the Torsa river near Madarihat, holds about 330 one-horned rhinos, more than anywhere in India outside Assam. Jeep safaris for six cost …

budget · 5 min read The Dooars on a Budget: What Things Really Cost

The Dooars cost about ₹1,800–2,500 a person a day on a shoestring and ₹2,500–4,000 at a comfortable value level, if you share safari jeeps, …

culture · 5 min read The Dooars Tea Estates: CTC, Gardens and Garden Lines

Tea gardens cover much of the Dooars between the Teesta and the Sankosh, almost all making CTC tea for strong, milky chai. The first …

Festivals

Jalpesh Mela at Shivaratri · Feb–Mar, around Maha Shivaratri (…Mahakal Cave at Shivaratri · Feb–Mar, around Maha Shivaratri (…Karam Puja in the tea gardens · Aug–Sep, in the month of Bhadra (…

Ways to travel here

Treks and walks Homestays Wildlife and birds Family trips Honeymoons on a budget Solo and backpacking Photography Long weekends

Questions people ask

Questions about Dooars

What does Dooars mean?

Dooars, or Duars, means doors or gateways. It refers to the passes from the Bengal and Assam plains into Bhutan, eighteen by the usual count, and to the strip of plains and forest below them. Bhutan held this land until the British annexed it after the Duar War of 1864–65.

What is the best time to visit the Dooars?

November to March, when parks are open, days are dry and grass is short enough for good sightings. February and early March are especially good. October and April are acceptable. Parks close from about 16 June to 15 September for the monsoon.

How many days do we need for the Dooars?

Four nights cover Gorumara and Jaldapara: two in Lataguri or Murti, two in Madarihat. Six or seven nights add Samsing or Jhalong and Buxa. Nine nights let you see almost everything, from Siliguri to Jayanti, at an easy pace.

How do I book safaris in Gorumara and Jaldapara?

Through the West Bengal forest department's online booking system, as soon as your dates are fixed; winter weekends sell out. Leftover seats are sold at counters in Lataguri and Madarihat. Bring the ID used to book. A six-seat jeep with fees costs roughly ₹2,500–4,000.

How much does a Dooars trip cost?

About ₹1,800–2,500 per person a day on a shoestring with homestays, shared jeeps and trains; ₹2,500–4,000 with forest corporation cottages and some private cars; ₹4,000–6,500 with resorts and a car throughout. A four-night value trip from NJP costs around ₹13,000–15,000 per person.

Is Hollong lodge in Jaldapara open?

Hollong, the wooden forest lodge inside Jaldapara, was gutted by fire on 18 June 2024. We have not confirmed that it has reopened. Stay at Madarihat instead, and check with the forest department before booking anything advertised under the Hollong name.

Did the October 2025 floods affect the Dooars?

Yes. Extreme rain in early October 2025 flooded the Torsa, Jaldhaka, Murti and other rivers, killing wildlife in Gorumara and Jaldapara and damaging roads and bridges. Parks closed for a time and reopened after repairs. Check current status before you travel.

Is the Dooars good for families with children?

Very good. Drives from NJP are two to four hours, safaris are short, the Medla bullock-cart ride and Dhupjhora's elephants delight children, and homestays welcome families. Keep children away from riverbeds after rain and inside compounds after dark.

Can we visit Bhutan from the Dooars?

Yes, via Jaigaon and Phuentsholing, about 20 km from Hasimara, with the documents and fees Bhutan currently requires. There are no border crossings for travellers at Jhalong, Bindu, Buxa or Jayanti, even though Bhutan is across the river.