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Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary
Location: Jalpaiguri District, West Bengal
Area: 100 sq. km.
Major Wildlife Attractions: Rhino, Bison, Elephant
Best time to visit: October to April
Places to Stay: Jaldapara Tourist Lodge, Hollong Lodge
About Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary
Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary is
situated in the Alipurduar sub-division of Jalpaiguri district in
north Bengal, very close to the Bhutan border. The sanctuary,
established in 1941, is home to an estimated 60 to 80 mighty Indian
one horned Rhinoceros, which can be distinguished from its African
counterpart, known for its two horns.
Besides the fauna, the jungle presents an amazing sight with dense
trees that rise up to the skies and allow very little sunlight to
penetrate through. All this gives an eerie feeling to the place and a
sense of excitement and uncertainty to the visitors. The park remains
open from September 15 to June 15 and closes down during the monsoons.
The best time to visit the park, however, are the months from October
to April when the weather remains excellent and animals can also be
spotted quite easily.
The one hour Elephant safari is the best way to explore the
sanctuary. The safari, which begins early in the morning should be
booked early in the morning, as during high times, its availability
can not be guaranteed. Timings for elephant safari are 6-8 AM (6:30
inn winters). The forest department does not offer jeep safaris but
these are available for hire from the tourist lodges. It is essential
to take along a forest guard. Jeeps are allowed inside the park from
6-8AM & 3-5PM.
Wildlife Attractions in
Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary
The park is home to a myriad variety of flora and fauna. The place
teems with plants and beautiful flowers, especially after the
monsoons. Some of the prominent tree species found in the park include
tall Sal and Shishu trees. Other variety of ferns, shrubs and tall
grass can also be seen.
The place is a birdwatchers paradise with over 350 species of birds
recorded to have been seen. Some of the prominent avifaunal species of
the region includes the fishing eagle, crested eagle, shikra, jungle
fowl, partridge, peafowl, Bengal florican, pied hornbill,
racket-tailed drongo and paradise flycatcher.
Besides the star residents of the park, the one horned Rhino, other
mammals found in the area are the royal Bengal tiger, leopard,
elephant, sambar, barking deer, hog deer, wild pig, bison and hispid
hare. The creepy crawlie reptiles such as python, cobra, krait.
Best Time to Visit Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary
The best visiting season of Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary is from
October to April. The park remains open from September 15 to June 15.
How to Get there
Air: Bagdogra is the nearest airport. Indian Airlines flies to
Bagdora from Delhi (8:00, Tue, Thu, Sat), (10:25, Mon, Fri) and from
Kolkata (14:30, Tue, Sat).
Rail: New Jalpaiguri is the nearest railhead. Some of the
convenient daily rail connections to the place are from Delhi : North
East Exp. (6:40), Brahmaputra Mail (20:55), Mahananda Exp. (6:35) &
Avadh Assam Exp. (8:25), from Mumbai : Guwahati Exp. (7:45, Wed, Fri,
Sat), from Bangalore : Guwahati Exp. (23:45, Wed, Thu, Fri) and from
Chennai : Guwahati Exp. (6:30, Thu, Fri, Sat).
Road: To reach by road from Siliguri, take the NH31 to Dalgaon
via Coronation bridge, Dam Dim, Mal Bazaar and Chalsa. From there,
take the NH31C to Madarihat via Birpara. |
