Dooars - The forest trail

A fascinating and tempting landscape with breathtaking natural beauty, exotic locations and a rich treasure of flora and fauna. Lying in the Himalayan foothills in North Bengal plains, Dooars forms gateway to Bhutan & the North-Eastern states of India. A vast texture of dense forests teeming with wildlife, unending tea gardens, babbling rivers, interspersed with quiet or busy settlements, constitute a fascinating tourist destination - the Dooars. Till recently a hidden treasure, Dooars has in the recent past opened its doors welcoming tourists both domestic and international. The Dooars valley stretches from River Teesta on the west to River Sankosh on the east, over a span of 130 km by 40 km, forms a major part of Jalpaiguri district.

Derived from the word 'doors' this region provides many doors to Bhutan Kingdom. The Dooars valley is specially known for its wildlife sanctuaries and parks. The most notable forests areas are the Gorumara National Park (75 km from Siliguri), Chapramari forests (68 km from Siliguri), the Buxa Tiger Reserve (200 km from Siliguri) and the Jaldapara Santuary (124 km from Siliguri). The dense natural forests interwoven with lush green tea gardens, crisscrossed by Teesta, Raidak, Torsha, Jaldhaka, Kaljani and other rivers & their innumerable tributaries trotting and rolling down from the hills. The entire region is served with a network of motor-able roads running through the deep forests and tea gardens. A journey by rail through the Dooarsitself is a memorable experience. 

The vast region of Dooars is home to a large number of ethnic communities. The colourful rituals and unique lifestyles of Toto, Rava, Mech, Turi, Drukpa make it a veritable paradise for lovers of ethnic and eco-tourism.

Reachin Dooars: Siliguri is the gateway to the Dooars. The entire Dooars area is well connected from Siliguri as well as from Kolkata, Jalpaiguri and other areas of the state. There is a broad gauge railway service connecting Cooch Behar with Kolkata via New Jalpaiguri (NJP railway station near Siliguri). The nearest airport is Bagdogra, connecting Kolkata, Delhi and Guwahati. 

Important Forests in Dooars and distance from Siliguri: 

• Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary (Madarihat) - 135km
• Gorumara National Park (Lataguri) - 80km
• Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary (Chalsa) - 65km 
• Buxa Tiger Reserve (Alipurduar) - 180km

Places of tourism interests and distance from Siliguri

• Samsing & Suntalekhola - 80km
• Bindu & Jhalong - 108km
• Murti - 82km
• Mongpong - 30km
• Rajabhatkhawa & Jayanti - 170km

Important Towns and distance from Siliguri:

• Jalpaiguri 45km
• Alipurduar 180km
• Malbazar 50km
• Birpara 120km
• Chalsa 60km
• Madarihat 135km
• Dhupguri 145km
• Gayerkata 110km

Hotels in Dooars

Although Dooars has immense scope of nature tourism, the accommodation infrastructure is yet to be developed in a large scale. However, the fewer accommodations have a favourable impact in maintaining the ecology of the area. Apart from the Well-equipped tourist lodges and forest bungalows at Malbazar, Jalpaiguri, Jaldapara, Hollong, Madarihat, Gorumara, Samsing, Bindu, Jhalong, Jayanti and Rajabhatkhawa, there are quite a good number of hotels, resorts, guest houses etc. offering comfortable stay.

Weather of Dooars

Summer
20-30 degree celcius Winter
8-20 degree celcius Rainy Season
July - August

Places of Interest of Dooars