Rhinos at Jaldapara, elephants at Gorumara: a Dooars season guide

Two parks, two kinds of morning

The Dooars are the strip of forest, grassland, river and tea garden at the foot of the Himalaya, between the Teesta and the Sankosh. The name is usually explained as doors or gateways, the passes from the plains up into Bhutan. Before the tea planters arrived in the late nineteenth century much of it was forest and tall grass, and the two parks most visitors see, Jaldapara and Gorumara, protect what remains of that older landscape.

They are only about 80 km apart, but they feel different. Jaldapara, beside the Torsa river near Madarihat in Alipurduar district, is a park of wide grasslands and riverine forest, and it is the place for the Indian one-horned rhinoceros. Gorumara, near Lataguri in Jalpaiguri district, is smaller and more wooded, with the Murti and Jaldhaka rivers running past it, and its watchtowers are the classic places to wait for elephants and gaur coming down to a salt lick at dusk. A good Dooars trip does both.

Getting there is easy. New Jalpaiguri and Bagdogra are the gateways, and Siliguri has frequent buses and shared vehicles along the highway towards Malbazar, Lataguri and Madarihat. Lataguri is about two hours from Siliguri by road and Madarihat about three to four. Trains on the Alipurduar line stop at New Mal Junction for Lataguri and at Hasimara or Madarihat for Jaldapara, though timings are thin, so most visitors hire a car for the forest loop and use buses only for the main highway stretches.

placeJaldapara National ParkplaceGorumara National Park

Jaldapara and its rhinos

Jaldapara has the largest population of one-horned rhinos in West Bengal, and it is commonly described as second in India only to Kaziranga in Assam. Rhino numbers here fell badly to poaching in the twentieth century and have recovered strongly through protection. On a morning jeep safari through the grasslands it is normal to see at least one rhino, and on good days several, grazing in the open or wallowing at the edge of a pool. You may also see gaur, sambar, hog deer, wild pigs, peafowl and, with luck, elephants.

Safaris start from the forest department's counter near Madarihat. Jeep safaris run in morning and afternoon shifts, and elephant-back safaris have run from the park in the past, at about ₹800–1,000 per person for Indian nationals when available. Hollong, the old wooden forest lodge inside the park from which the elephant rides traditionally left, was gutted by fire in June 2024, and we have not confirmed that it has reopened. The Jaldapara Tourist Lodge at Madarihat and hotels in the town are the usual bases.

stayJaldapara Tourist Lodge (WBTDC)placeChilapata

Gorumara, watchtowers and elephants

Gorumara works differently. Instead of a long drive through the park, most jeep safaris take you to one of several watchtowers, each with a fixed slot. You climb up, sit quietly and wait for animals to come to the salt lick or the river below. Jatraprasad, named after a well-loved departmental elephant, looks over a grassland and pool where gaur and elephants often appear. Chandrachur and Chukchuki are favoured for birds, and the Medla watchtower is reached by a short bullock-cart ride, a small fee extra.

Gorumara is best known for its herds of Indian bison, as the gaur is often called locally, and for wild elephants, which move between Gorumara, Chapramari and the tea gardens. A small number of rhinos live here too. Tickets are sold at the counter at Lataguri and online, and a six-seat jeep with entry, guide and fees costs roughly ₹2,500–3,500 in 2025–26. Lataguri is the base, with forest corporation cottages, the Lataguri Eco Tourism Centre and many family homestays.

placeLataguriplaceChapramari Wildlife SanctuarystayLataguri Eco-Tourism Centre (WBFDC)

The season, month by month

The Dooars have three wildlife seasons, plus the closure. When the parks reopen in mid-September after the rains, the elephant grass can stand taller than a jeep, and animals are hard to see. Through the cool, dry winter the grass thins, mornings are misty and the light is soft. From late February the forest department burns or cuts sections of grassland, new shoots draw grazers into the open, and as the heat rises animals concentrate around water. Sightings peak just before the parks shut for the monsoon.

journeyGorumara forest weekend on a shoestring

Booking, costs and timing

Safari slots for both parks are sold through the West Bengal forest department's online booking and at the park counters. On weekends, Durga Puja week, Christmas and the New Year, slots sell out days ahead, so book online as soon as your dates are firm. On weekdays outside holidays, you can often get a seat by going to the counter the evening before or early in the morning.

Sharing a jeep is the single biggest saving. A full six-seat jeep costs roughly ₹2,500–4,000 depending on the park and shift, so a seat works out at about ₹450–700. Lodge owners and homestays in Lataguri and Madarihat often put solo travellers and couples together. All prices here are indicative for Indian visitors in 2025–26; foreigners pay more, fees are revised often, and you should check current status before you travel.

How to see more on a safari

Animals are most active in the first hour after dawn and the last hour before dusk, so take the earliest morning shift and the last afternoon one if you have two chances. Keep quiet at watchtowers, where a single loud group can send a herd of gaur back into the trees. Wear muted colours, carry binoculars, and give the driver and guide time; they know the pools and paths far better than any app.

Set your hopes sensibly. These are wild animals in thick habitat, not a zoo, and even the best guide cannot promise a rhino or an elephant on every drive. Two or three safaris across different shifts and parks raise the odds a great deal.

• Do the morning jeep at Jaldapara and an afternoon watchtower at Gorumara for the best mix.
• Bring a light jacket for winter dawns, when an open jeep is cold even in the plains.
• Never get out of the jeep, and keep well back from elephants, especially mothers with calves.
• Drive the forest highways only by day; elephants cross the NH near Chapramari and Chilapata.

Beyond the two big parks

If you have an extra day, the Dooars have more to give. Chapramari, next to Gorumara, is a small sanctuary with its own watchtower. Chilapata forest between Jaldapara and Buxa is an elephant corridor with the ruins of Nalraja Garh, an old fort deep in the trees. The Murti river at Murti and the forest village of Samsing make a cooler, greener break at the edge of the hills. Buxa, further east, has the old fort where freedom fighters were once held, reached by an uphill walk from Santalabari.

Most visitors rush through in two nights. Give the Dooars four or five, combine one rhino morning with two watchtower afternoons, and you will understand why people who grew up in these tea gardens speak of the forest with such affection.

placeMurtiplaceSamsingplaceBuxajourneyDooars rhino loop by train and jeep