Places Covered:
- Kohima 2N
- Dimapur 1N
The new sensational destination of Dooars gets its name from being a 'Door' or a 'Gateway' to the country of Bhutan. The Dooars have their Eastern and Western sides which are believed to be given up by Bhutan after the end of the Bhutan War (1864–65). It is situated in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas and divided into Western and Eastern Dooars by the Sankosh River. The altitude of Dooars area varies in ranges from about 90 m to 1750 m. The Dooars region is mostly in the plains but also includes some hilly areas at a relatively lower altitude. There are innumerable rivers and streams which flow through these fertile plains of the Dooars which actually flow in from the mountains of Bhutan. River Teesta is one of the largest rivers in the region followed by rivers Torsha and Sankosh. There are many rivers that flow in this region like the Jaldhaka, Murti, Dyna, Karatowa, Raidak and the Kaljani.
Whenever you plan a visit to any new destination it must be after you have read about the best time of the year to visit that place to double the experience. In Dooars, Dooarsthe monsoon and the rain can be a bad time to see anything here as the rain spoils the whole charm of the existing National parks, making it impossible to enter. Let us see some good times to visit Dooars:
October to March : These months are the high season for tourist activity in Dooars. The pleasant temperature during these months and the low chances of rain make it a favorable time to explore the wilderness.
April to May : These summer months also witnesses a huge traffic of tourist who comes to Dooars for its favorable climate during the summers. The temperature remains below 30 degree Celsius and is also a great time for the safari ride.
If you are traveling from other parts of India, the nearest airport would be Bagdogra Airport and the major railway station would be the NJP. After you arrive through flight or train to Siliguri, you could just hire a car rental to take the road trip towards the Dooars. The Dooars also has many smaller train stations like Alipurduar, Coochbehar, Hasimara or Malbazar which can be reached by through train ride, to reach Dooars.
It must also be noted that any trains heading towards the North East have to pass through the Dooars as there are no alternate train routes to the Northeast.
These regions were just dense forest some time ago, which used to be the migratory path for the elephants to move Dooarsfrom Assam towards the Nepal border. The human habitation has completely changed the demographics of the region but there still are dense forests here along with several National Parks, Forest Reserve as well as Wildlife Sanctuaries. The entire region is covered in green and also has a network of motorable roads which runs through the deep forests and its tea gardens. The train journey through the plains too is a wonderful experience which should be experienced atleast once in your lifetime. The Dooars includes several forest areas including parts of Baikunthapur forest division, Chapramari sanctuary, Neora Valley, Khuttimari forests, TiTi forests and few others.
The forests of Dooars are also home to some of the most varied and few really large animals like the Asiatic Elephants, Rhinos, Gaur, and the Indian Bison. Their numbers here are quite impressive and are also increasing steadily. Sighting these beasts is also relatively common for tourists here. Besides these animals, the wildlife variety also includes a wide range of birds, reptiles, and deer.
When we talk about the original inhabitants of this region, the Mongolians seem to be the earliest settlers here due to the presence of the mountains and the rivers like Brahmaputra, Teesta, Torsa, Jaldhaka, Dyna, and Murty. DooarsThese rivers made this region fertile and excellent for vegetation and life. The variety of present natives in this region including the Bodo, the Mech, the Toto, Rajbongshi, Tamangs, Limbu and the Lepchas has distinct Mongolian features.
The variety of tribes here are due to the planting of the Tea gardens in the region by the British as they imported labor from Nepal and Chota Nagpur. The present tribes of Dooars community are the Oraons, Mundas, Mahali, Lohara, and Kharia who were also responsible for the conversion of these dense forests to current day cluster of villages. Due to its attachment to Assam, several Bengali populations are also present here who settled here after being displaced due to the partition of Bengal. The beautiful coexistence of a huge variety of tribes here shows the rich diversity of this region, which is commendable.