How to book a Dooars safari: Jaldapara, Gorumara and more

Every national park and wildlife sanctuary in North Bengal, including Jaldapara, Gorumara, Chapramari, Neora Valley and the tourism zones of Buxa Tiger Reserve, closes for the monsoon from 16 June to 15 September. This is for the animals' breeding season and because heavy rain washes out forest tracks and bridges. Tea-garden villages such as Samsing remain open, but there are no safaris.

The parks reopen on 16 September, but some routes open later if the tracks need repair. October brings the Durga Puja holidays, when the whole of Bengal seems to travel and slots sell out quickly. The grass is still tall then, which can hide rhinos. From December to April the grass is shorter, the forest is drier and sightings are better.

Parks can also close at short notice for a day or two, for official animal counts, elections, security reasons or after a forest fire. A good lodge will tell you, but it is worth looking at local news the week you travel.

• Best months for sightings: December to April
• Busiest weeks: Durga Puja, Christmas and New Year
• Closed: 16 June to 15 September every year
• First slot each day: around sunrise, about 6 am in winter

Jaldapara is about 216 km² of grassland and riverine forest on the Torsa river. Its jeep safaris drive through the grassland on set routes, and the guide looks for rhinos in the open. This is the best park in West Bengal for the one-horned rhinoceros. Most travellers stay at Madarihat, a few minutes from the gate.

Gorumara, near Lataguri, is smaller at about 80 km². Most of its trips are watchtower safaris: the jeep drives into the forest to a particular tower, you climb up, and you wait quietly while animals come to a salt lick or water body. Jatraprasad is the most popular tower. Medla includes a short bullock-cart ride and a dance by Adivasi performers at the camp. Chandrachur is quieter, and Chukchuki is mainly for birds. Nearby Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary has its own watchtower trip.

Chilapata, near Hasimara, is dense forest with a jeep route to the ruins of Nal Raja Garh. Sightings are harder but the forest feels wilder and vehicles are few. Buxa Tiger Reserve offers jungle drives from Rajabhatkhawa, but most visitors come to walk to Buxa Fort and visit Jayanti rather than for a classic safari.

Safaris are priced per vehicle, not per person. Each open jeep, usually a Maruti Gypsy or similar, takes up to six passengers. The total includes the vehicle, the driver and the forest guide, plus park entry fees per person. Foreign nationals pay higher entry fees. Some parks charge a separate camera fee for larger cameras.

Because the fee is per jeep, couples and solo travellers save a great deal by sharing with others. Lodges in Lataguri and Madarihat often put guests together, and you can ask at the counter if anyone is looking to share. The table below gives indicative 2025–26 ranges for a full jeep; check current figures when you book.

Start planning four to six weeks ahead for any trip between November and March, and further ahead for Puja, Christmas and New Year. Decide which park and which slot you want: the first morning slot is best for animals and birds; the last afternoon slot gives warm light for photographs.

When online booking is open, use only the official West Bengal forest department or WBFDC booking pages. You will usually need the name, age, gender and an ID number for every passenger, and the same ID must be carried on the day. Payment is online. Keep the confirmation on your phone and on paper.

If online slots are sold out, or online booking is not open for that park, go to the counter. At Lataguri the forest department counter is in the town, near the nature interpretation centre, and at Madarihat it is near the tourist lodge and park gate. Counters usually sell the next day's remaining slots from the afternoon, and queues can start early in peak season. If you are staying in a WBFDC lodge such as Murti Banani, ask reception first; guests can often book there.

• Use official pages only; be wary of anyone selling guaranteed slots
• Carry the same photo ID you used to book
• Report 15–30 minutes before your slot
• Ask your lodge the evening before whether timings have changed

For many years an elephant ride at Jaldapara was the classic Dooars experience. Trained forest department elephants carried a few visitors into the tall grass near the Hollong lodge, where rhinos let an elephant come closer than a jeep. The rides have been suspended and restarted more than once since then, and the wooden Hollong lodge itself was destroyed by fire in June 2024.

For the 2025–26 season the forest department announced elephant safaris again from September, starting in the Hollong area, with only a small number of seats sold online. There is no reliable way to buy them through private agents. Some travellers choose not to ride elephants for welfare reasons. A jeep safari covers the same grassland and is much easier to book, so plan your trip around jeep safaris and treat an elephant ride as a possible extra. Check current status before you travel.

Dress in dull greens, browns or greys. Bright colours and white stand out. From November to February, dawn in an open jeep is cold, around 8–12°C, so wear layers, a hat and gloves. By late morning it is warm.

Keep your voice low, switch your phone to silent and never stand up or get out of the jeep unless the guide says so. Do not ask the driver to chase animals or go off the track; it is against the rules and stresses the animals. On watchtowers, stay still and let animals come to you. Binoculars make a big difference, as rhinos and elephants are often seen at a distance.

Tip the guide and driver if they have done a good job; ₹100–200 each per safari is usual. Take all litter back with you. Plastic is banned inside the parks.

Do not give up on the trip. In Gorumara, try a different watchtower or the nearby Chapramari trip. Ask at the counter the afternoon before; cancellations do come up. At Jaldapara, try the counter early in the morning for the afternoon slot.

There is also plenty to do outside the parks. Walk on the Murti riverbed at dusk, visit the Jalpesh temple, spend a morning in the tea gardens, or go to Totopara or Chilapata. Some of the best wildlife moments in the Dooars happen on public roads at dusk, when elephants cross from one forest to another, though you should watch them from a safe distance in your vehicle.