Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, the Dooars and Bhutan · a planner replies within one working day
Try "Gangtok", "toy train", "rhino", "Bhutan permit"
A six-night journey across the Dooars from west to east: tea hills at Samsing, safaris at Gorumara and Jaldapara, the dense forest of Chilapata and two nights walking to Buxa Fort. Ends at Alipurduar or back in Siliguri.
This journey follows the Dooars from the tea hills in the west to the Bhutan border in the east, about 350 km in all. Each day is a short drive, and each place gives you something different: tea and streams at Samsing, watchtowers at Gorumara, open grassland at Jaldapara, deep forest and ruins at Chilapata, and a walk up to the old Buxa Fort.
It suits travellers who like walking and simple stays as much as safaris. The last two nights are in or near Buxa Tiger Reserve, ideally in a village homestay above the fort. Finish at Alipurduar Junction for a train, or drive back to Siliguri in about 4.5–5 hours.
Highlights
Three ways to do it
Budget
₹17,500 pp
Slower but very cheap; best for travellers with flexible time.
Ask for BudgetValue
₹32,000 pp
Our recommended way to do the whole Dooars.
Ask for ValueComfort
₹52,000 pp
More comfort, though Chilapata and Buxa stay simple.
Ask for ComfortIndicative, per person, twin sharing, for the whole package. Mix tiers night by night if you like. Your written quote lists every cost.
Day by day
Drive from Siliguri over the Coronation Bridge and through Malbazar and Chalsa up to Samsing at about 900 m. After lunch walk to the hanging bridge at Suntalekhola and on to the boulders of Rocky Island on the Murti. Sunset from the Lali Guras viewpoint, then dinner and a cool night.
Walk through Samsing's tea gardens at first light, then drive down to Lataguri. In the afternoon take a watchtower safari in Gorumara, to Jatraprasad for rhino and gaur or to Medla for the bullock-cart ride. If you stay at Murti, finish on the riverbed at dusk.
Take a dawn watchtower safari if you have a slot, then drive east through the tea estates of Nagrakata and Birpara to Madarihat. In the afternoon cross Jaldapara's Torsa grasslands by jeep, with the best chances in West Bengal of seeing one-horned rhinos. Overnight in Madarihat.
Take the dawn jeep safari at Jaldapara. After breakfast drive via Hasimara to the Chilapata forest. Walk through the Rabha village of Kodalbasti with a local guide, then take an afternoon jeep safari through dense sal forest to the ruins of Nal Raja Garh. Spend the night in the forest at the Mendabari lodge or a village eco-cottage.
Drive via Kalchini to Rajabhatkhawa, pay the reserve entry fee and continue 15 km through the forest to Santalabari. Take a guide from the counter and walk about 4–5 km up through forest to Buxa Fort, with porters for your bags if you are staying above. Spend the evening in the village beside the fort, where homestays are allowed, or return to Rajabhatkhawa or Jayanti.
Walk up to the Drukpa village of Lepchakha in the morning for wide views over the Dooars rivers, then walk back down to Santalabari. Drive to Jayanti and spend the late afternoon on the wide stony riverbed below the Bhutan hills. If you did not stay above the fort, do the Lepchakha walk as a day trip from Santalabari.
Take an optional dawn jungle drive from Rajabhatkhawa if it is running, then drive to Alipurduar Junction or New Alipurduar for a train, or back along the Dooars road to Siliguri, NJP or Bagdogra. If you are flying, choose an evening flight from Bagdogra.
Included
Not included
Where you sleep
Forest corporation cottages and tents beside the Suntalekhola stream above Samsing, reached over a hanging footbridge. Cheap, green and quiet.
The West Bengal Forest Development Corporation lodge beside the Murti river near Gorumara, with a main building, cottages and tents in a large garden. Guests can …
The West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation lodge at Madarihat, right by the entry to Jaldapara National Park. Plain, spacious and well placed for early safaris.
A small forest corporation lodge inside the Chilapata and Mendabari forest near Jaldapara. Simple rooms, real forest at the door and very few people.
Simple family homestays in the villages on the walk to Buxa Fort, run mostly by Drukpa and Nepali-speaking families. Basic rooms, home food and forest all …
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Questions travellers ask
No. The longest drive is the first day, about 85 km and 2.5–3 hours from Siliguri to Samsing. The other days are 30–75 km, an hour or two each. If you end by driving back to Siliguri from Buxa, that last leg is longer, at 4.5–5 hours; ending at Alipurduar Junction by train avoids it.
Fit enough to walk uphill for about two hours on the Buxa Fort path and a similar walk to Lepchakha. The rest is easy: short walks, safaris and village visits. If you prefer less walking, skip Lepchakha and do Jayanti and a jungle drive instead.
If homestays in Buxa village are allowed to operate when you travel, yes, and it is a highlight. Rules inside the tiger reserve have changed after court and forest department orders, so we confirm close to your dates and use Jayanti or Rajabhatkhawa otherwise. Check current status before you travel.
Yes. Start from Alipurduar Junction or New Alipurduar by train, do Buxa first and finish at Samsing, which is about 2.5–3 hours from Siliguri and Bagdogra. The order makes little difference to the experience. Safari slots and Buxa homestay rules matter more than direction, so we confirm those first and then fix the route.
November to March is ideal, with dry tracks, clear days and good wildlife. April and May are hot on the plains but still workable, and Samsing is cool. The parks and Buxa are closed from 16 June to 15 September, so the trip cannot run then.
For children who enjoy walking and nature, yes. The Buxa walk suits children of about eight and above. Mendabari and Buxa village are simple, with patchy power, so prepare them for that. Families with small children may prefer our four-night Gorumara and Jaldapara trip.
Yes. From Chilapata or Buxa, the Bhutan border town of Phuentsholing is about 25–60 km away via Hasimara and Jaigaon. Indians need a passport or voter ID and pay Bhutan's Sustainable Development Fee; foreigners need a visa. Check current status before you travel.
Mostly home-style Bengali and Nepali food: rice, dal, vegetables, fish or chicken curry, eggs and rotis. Samsing and Buxa homestays serve simple home cooking, and resorts offer wider menus. Tell us about dietary needs in advance so we can warn the lodges.
Yes, per person for two sharing a room, indicative for the 2025–26 season. Peak dates cost more. Single travellers pay a supplement. Safari and entry fees are set by the forest department and can change, so we confirm totals when we book.
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