Dooars General Information

Total Area:  114 Square Kilometer 
Latitude : 25° 58' to 27 ° 45' North, Longitude:  89° 08' to 89 ° 59' East 

Altitude:  61 Meters, Temperature:  2° C Min and 41° Max.  

Best Season:  October to May, particularly March and April, when new grass is growing. 
Best Time to Visit: Between September and March, especially in winter to catch a view of the migratory birds and animals. 
Off-Season: 15th June to 14th September (Sanctuary closed) 
Clothing:  Summer- Cottons, Winter- Woolens 
Language: Bengali, Hindi, Nepali, English

Getting There:

Air: Bagdogra is the nearest airport with good connections to Kolkata, Guwahati, and Delhi.
Rail: All the express trains stop at Birpara/ Hasimara railway stations, both 20km away from the Jaldapara Sanctuary.
Road: Jaldapara is 124 km from Siliguri, NH 31.

Tourist Destinations in Dooars:

Broadly the area can be divided into Eastern, Central, and Western Dooars. The Western Dooars is most popular among tourists. The Gorumara forests and their surrounding area bring hordes of tourists to this part every year. The surrounding area also offers a number of tourist destinations such as Samsing, Bindu, Jhalong, Chapramari, and others. A tour to Eastern Dooars can be easily combined with parts of Kalimpong especially Lava, Loleygaon, Rishop.

The main attraction of Central Dooars is the Jaldapara forests. This is also the oldest tourist destination in the area. The Halong bungalow inside the forest has seen many tourists including VIP’s staying there. Chilapata is the adjacent forest that has gained prominence in the recent past. The entry point to Bhutan through Phuentsholing is also in this area.

The most popular destination of Eastern Dooars is the Buxa forests. Being a Tiger reserve, there is a restriction in tourist movement in the area. Tourists may visit a number of destinations within the Buxa forests such as Raimatang, Buxa Fort, Jayanti, Lepchakha, and others. Coochbehar, the erstwhile kingdom of the Cooch dynasty also falls in the area.

Dooars and its People:

Dooars is a cultural melting pot. The original inhabitants of the area include forest dwellers such as the Mech and Rava. The area was the kingdom of Cooch kings and has a substantial number of Rajbanshis or Kamtapuris living here. The tea gardens have migrant laborers and tribals from Southern Bengal, Bihar, and Jharkhand. The proximity to Nepal and Bhutan has meant a substantial number of Dukpa and Nepali population also live here. Bengali, Marwari, Bihari, and other major groups also live here.

Over the centuries, there have been major mixing of the different cultures but even now villages and Tea gardens in Dooars have a variety of cultures to showcase. Most importantly despite the cultural diversity, the different ethnic groups have been co-existing peacefully and amicably in the area.