North Bengal is one of the most picturesque locations in India with lush green fields & tea gardens, surrounded by hills; countless streams & waterfalls; dense forests and snow peaked mountains.

I went on a Trip to Dooars with my family last year. We had booked rooms in Resort Murti and our main plan was to go for safaris in Gorumara & Chapramari Forests. [Check out the blog post here : Enchanting Dooars – Gorumara National Park & Chapramari Forest]

Taking a little break from forest safaris, we decided to go on a Day Trip, exploring small villages in Kalimpong and Jalpaiguri districts.

We crossed countless streams and small waterfalls before reaching our first spot.

JHALONG

Jhalong, a small village in Kalimpong District, situated on the banks of the Jaldhaka River, was our first stop for the day. The Jhalong View Point overlooks the Bhutan Hills.

BINDU

Our next stop was Bindu – another small village in Kalimpong district. It is the last village on the Indian side bordering Bhutan. India’s second oldest dam is situated here, known as Bindu Dam, which also acts as a bridge for crossing over to Bhutan.

The landscape was truly beautiful.

It had started drizzling when we got back in the car.

We stopped at Applestone Restaurant for lunch. There were just two places in this route which serve lunch and you need to order atleast an hour before. So we had ordered our meals while going to Bindu and stopped on our way back to have it.

ROCKY ISLAND

It was raining heavily when we reached Rocky Island and I was the only one to get down from the car, with an umbrella in one hand and the camera in another! Perhaps the people standing under shelters were thinking I am crazy! But I just couldn’t miss catching a glimpse of such a beautiful place.

SUNTALEKHOLA

Our next stop Suntalekhola is another small serene village in Kalimpong district.

We passed by Samsing Forest on our way to Suntalekhola.

When we reached Suntalekhola, it was still raining heavily. There is a hanging bridge here, but we had to board a separate car to go there. We decided to have coffee and momos instead and enjoy the view!

SAMSING

Our last stop for the day was Samsing. It is a small hill village in Jalpaiguri district. It is known for its beautiful landscape with lush green tea gardens, hills and forests.

The rain had finally subsided when we reached Samsing and it was near sunset. The view was absolutely spectacular.

It was time to head back home. Though our affair with the hills just lasted for a day, it definitely was a beautiful one!

Some pointers to help you plan your trip:

• New Jalpaiguri (NJP) is the nearest major Railway Station and Bagdogra is the nearest airport from Dooars. If you are travelling from any part of West Bengal, you can also take a bus to Siliguri. Hop on to a car from there to reach your accommodation. We had taken a Sumo from Siliguri, which charged us Rs. 2200. Car fare from NJP is between Rs. 1800 to Rs. 2000 (Depends on where you are staying). Shared cabs are also available from NJP.
• This trip can be done as a Day Tour like we did or can be split into two days: Jhalong–> Bindu and Rocky Island–> Suntalekhola–> Samsing.
• It is best to merge this trip with the Gorumara and Chapramari forest tours if you plan a long vacation. You can also plan it as a weekend getaway.

• Accommodations:

1. There are many mid range to high-end hotels and resorts in both Lataguri and Murti.
2. Government run accommodations are available in Jhalong and also in Murti.

• You can ask your hotel to book the car for the trip. We were charged Rs. 2700 car fare for this the trip.

I really hope you enjoyed reading this article and you’ll find the information useful whenever you plan to visit these places. 🙂

Also, don’t forget to check out the YouTube video I made on this trip!