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| Our room (left one) at the Lataguri lodge, with the Gorumara forest in the background |
My Dooars trip had happened way back in 2009, all of a sudden, thanks to a cancelled Kashmir tour.
Looking back now, I don’t regret that trip being cancelled because the Kashmir tour I made last July-August was far better than that conducted tour could have possibly been. However, not having the advantage of hindsight at that point, the cancelled tour had caused much heartbreak.
The organizers had called off the trip on the very day we were about to leave, and we hardly had the time to make any alternative plans. But instead of sulking, we—my aunt and I—booked Tatkal tickets and left for the Dooars. And, the lovely Himalayan foothills—‘dooar’ or ’duar’ literally means ‘door’—gave us no reason to regret the decision.
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| Kingfisher clicked from my window |
We took the Kanchan Kanya Express from Sealdah to New Mal Junction in Jalpaiguri district of northern West Bengal. After crossing New Jalpaiguri (NJP) station—which is the gateway to Darjeeling as well as Sikkim—the few hours’ journey to New Mal Junction is a beautiful green stretch.
In fact, much of the track passes through the elephant corridor, on which every year some of the majestic animals lose their lives, thanks to train hits. Wildlife-lovers have been demanding that the tracks be abandoned or shifted, but nothing has been done yet. Anyway, if you ever make the journey, keep your eyes wide open for the jumbos; a sighting cannot be ruled out.
We had a car waiting for us at New Mal Junction to take us to Lataguri, the gateway to Gorumara National Park. I can’t remember the exact details after such a long time, but it certainly hadn’t taken more than an hour to reach Lataguri. The train had reached New Mal around 9 am, and we had reached Lataguri well before lunchtime.
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| Towards the watchtower at Gorumara. Only this one was still open |
The resort was beautiful, and right outside the boundaries of the reserve forest. In fact, there were several lodges in Lataguri of exactly the same design. Our room was designed somewhat like a tree-house. A flight of steps led up to a point from where it bifurcated towards two rooms on each side. We occupied the one on the left.
The room had all the modern amenities, and even better, the forest was right behind our window. Within minutes of arriving, I caught on my lens a kingfisher perched on a tree outside my window. We heard that elephant herds like to venture into the compound at night from time to time.
There was a very well-maintained garden in the compound, flanked by two-room cottages. To have our meals, we would have to take the path that skirted the garden and led to the main building, which housed the dining hall.
After lunch and a brief rest, we left for Gorumara National Park in the same vehicle that we had come to Lataguri in. We were accompanied by a guide. We were first given a goody bag with a brochure and two small gifts—local handicraft. (I still have my butterfly fashioned out of coir strings.) Then we were taken inside the forest in a buffalo-drawn carriage. It was an amazing ride.
Unfortunately, it was mid-June—nearly the time for Gorumara to shut down. So, only one of the five watchtowers was open. The carriage took us to a certain point, from where we had to walk to the watchtower.
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| Murti River clicked from the watchtower |
From the top, we had a grand view over the national park and the Murti River, which flows across it. Before long, we sighted a peacock. There was a salt pit in the distance. And soon enough, we saw three one-horned rhinos—the brand ambassadors of Gorumara—emerging from the forests beyond and ambling towards the pits.
There were two adults and a calf. They gave us a long time to enjoy the sight. Unfortunately, those were my initial travelling days and I did not yet own a good camera. So the photographs are not very good. But the memories are excellent.
We were next taken for a tribal dance that is organized inside the forest. By the time we made our way back to the resort, it was pitch-dark. The narrow path leading through the thick foliage made our car headlights look dim. In that light, the forest looked even more mysterious.
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| Rhinos clicked from the watchtower. I did not possess a very good camera at that time, so the picture is not very good |
Suddenly something small and spotted crossed our path. It looked somewhat like a small leopard. The guide said excitedly that it was small member of the cat family which is hardly sighted nowadays. “You are very lucky,” he said. “We haven’t seen these in a long time.” By the next morning, we had become famous in Lataguri. News spread like wildfire that a “mother-daughter duo” had seen a “leopard”!
The forests, the leopard and the knowledge that elephants liked to pay visit to the lodge made quite a bit of an impression on my aunt’s mind, and led to a pretty comical incident that night. I had put my camera batteries on charge before going to bed. The charger had a small bright-red light that glowed in the dark like some sinister monster’s eye.
Sometime in the middle of the night, I awoke with a start at my aunt’s cries. I was lying on my back, so the first thing I noticed was that the ceiling fan was not moving. I realised in an instant that there was a power cut. Turning to my aunt now, I saw that she was pointing at the wall—exactly where my charger was plugged—and shouting at the top of her voice about a “huge light”.
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| Peacock clicked from the watchtower |
“That light… that light…what’s that light?” she was hysterical. “You were dreaming,” I told her gently, shaking her fully awake. “No, there’s a light. Can’t you see?” she was still hyper. “How can there be a light? The fan’s not moving. There’s a power cut,” I pointed at the fan. “Oh!” she said finally, not yet fully convinced.
Since I had woken up that hour, I decided to take a peek outside the window, hoping to see some huge dark shadows moving outside. I opened the window and shone the torch outside with a mix of hope, anxiousness and excitement.
The night was still, so was the forest. Gorumara was fast asleep. The jumbos had not decided to pay a visit that night.
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| Jaldhaka River clicked at Bindu. On the left side is Bhutan, the right side is India |
I left our room the next morning to a chorus of birds I am yet to hear again. I have a 48-second video in which at least six distinct kinds can be made out very clearly. After breakfast, we left for a short trip to two comparatively lesser known destinations in Darjeeling—Jhalong-Bindu and Samsing.
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| Suntalekhola in Samsing |
I won’t describe the road; those who have ever been to Darjeeling or other North Bengal destinations will know how scenic it is. Jhalong and Bindu are two wonderful spots near the Bhutan border. On one side of Jaldhaka River is India; on the other is Bhutan. In Bindu, the countries are separated by a barrage, on which tourists can climb, but photography is not allowed.
I liked Samsing even better. The car took us to a certain point from where we had to walk. The road started from a village with its corn fields and picturesque hill houses with gardens and flower pots hanging from the edges of the roof. In a short while, we were into the forest.
That walk is something I’m yet to forget, even after four Himalayan treks. My own footsteps seemed noisy to me; I’d have probably even heard my heartbeat had I tried hard enough. The silence was all-pervasive. I could hear every minute sound of the forest—the distant chirping of a bird, the rustle of the leaves, the sound of water somewhere close…
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| The road leading to Suntalekhola, Samsing |
The path led to the Suntalay Khola (or Suntalekhola), a narrow stream over which there is a small hanging bridge. On the other side of the bridge is a West Bengal Forest Development Corporation bungalow. I would strongly suggest that anyone who wishes to make this trip spend at least a day in that bungalow. I did not know about it; or I’d have certainly stayed there. Cars to the bungalow are allowed to go till the bridge.
We returned to Lataguri via some tea gardens, and in the evening, left Dooars. It was all we could arrange in such a short time. But if anyone visits Dooars, the best time to do so is from mid-September to mid-June. The national parks remain closed from June 15 to September 15.
There are several other reserve forests in the region apart from Gorumara, including Buxa Tiger Reserve, Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, and Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary. All of them have their unique attractions. A Dooars trip definitely deserves some time and planning.