Travel style
Wildlife and birds
Rhino, elephant, red panda and hornbills
The Dooars parks, Jaldapara and Gorumara, hold one-horned rhino, Asian elephants and gaur. Higher up, Singalila and Neora Valley shelter the red panda.
Parks close from mid-June to mid-September. We book safari slots ahead in the busy months and pick lodges at the forest edge.
Journeys
Routes in this style
Places
Where it fits best
A boot-shaped lake and farm homestays below the Silk Route
A Lepcha reserve of cardamom, rivers and village homestays
The top of West Bengal, facing four of the five highest peaks
The plains city where every hill journey begins
Mist, monks and the gate to Neora Valley
A Bhutanese fort and prison in the clouds above the Dooars
Elephant corridor and a lost fort in the sal
Watchtower safaris on the edge of the Murti and Jaldhaka
Rhino country on the Torsa grasslands
The winter valley of the black-necked cranes
Shape your own trip Tell us your dates and budget. We draw the route around you. Begin Not sure where to start? We match the valley to your month, your budget and the people travelling with you. Begin Talk to a planner A first route and an itemised price within one working day. No payment to start. BeginStays
Rooms that suit it
Aritar has a good spread of family homestays around Lampokhari lake and the surrounding villages. They are clean, friendly and cheap, and most include dinner and …
Family homestays in Lepcha villages such as Lingthem, Passingdang and Hee Gyathang. The main way to stay in the reserve, and one of the most rewarding …
On the way to Sandakphu you sleep in simple stone and timber lodges at Tumling, Gairibas, Kalipokhri and Sandakphu itself. Expect shared rooms, thick blankets, basic …
A long-running mid-range hotel in Siliguri, part of the Kolkata-based Sinclairs chain. We use it when a late train or an early flight forces a night …
Wooden cottages run by the West Bengal Forest Development Corporation on a forested slope at Lava. It is the closest thing to staying inside the forest …
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.
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 …
A large hilltop resort at Chalsa, about 15 km from Lataguri, with cottage-style rooms, a pool and views over the Dooars plains. The most comfortable base …
A small forest corporation lodge inside the Chilapata and Mendabari forest near Jaldapara. Simple rooms, real forest at the door and very few people.
Shape your own trip Tell us your dates and budget. We draw the route around you. Begin Not sure where to start? We match the valley to your month, your budget and the people travelling with you. Begin Talk to a planner A first route and an itemised price within one working day. No payment to start. Begin