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Gorumara National Park

gorumara national park
Gorumara National Park

Gorumara National Park is situated on the bank of rivers Murti and Raidak in Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal. It is a medium-sized National Park, covering an area of 80 sq km in the Dooars region of northern West Bengal. The park is mostly covered by the riverine grasslands and moist deciduous forests. Sal (Shorea robusta) is the most common and valuable tree in this park, which is commonly known as Siliguri Sal; Teak, simul, siris, etc are also available inside the forests. The Gorumara National Park is important and famous for its natural population of One-Horned Rhinoceros which are also known as Indian Rhinoceros. In 2009, the park was declared as the best-protected area in India by the Environment and Forests Ministry of Indian Govt. Gorumara forest was declared as Gorumara Wildlife Sanctuary in 1949 and in the year of 1994, it was declared as Gorumara National Park.

Besides the one-horned rhinoceros, Gorumara National Park is also the home for various types of mammal, reptiles, birds, and insects. Some of the common mammals like Gaur (Indian Bison), Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus), Sloth bear, Chital, Sambar Deer, Barking deer, Hog deer, Royal Bengal Tigers, Wild Dogs, Wolf, endangered Pygmy Hog, Giant Squirrels, Bristly rabbit, Wild swine, birds like Scarlet Minivet, Sunbird, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Spangled Drongo, Great Hornbill, Woodpeckers, Pheasants, Peafowls, Brahminy Duck and reptiles like Indian Python, King Cobra, etc are main inhabitance here. Basically in winter, the park is attractive for migrant birds.

elephant safari at gorumara national park
Elephant Safari at Gorumara National Park

The park falls in the Indomalaya ecozone. You can find out two type of forests verity in Gorumara National Park, Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands and Lower Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests. Main flora of the Gorumara National Park are Sal, Rain Tree (Shirish), Silk Cotton (Shimul) tree, various kind of Bamboo groves, Terai grassland vegetation and tropical riverine reeds. You can also find out several kinds of orchids and ferns.

Note- Gorumara National Park remains closed on the rainy season between 16th June and 15th September.

Best Time to Visit: December to January is the best time to visit Gorumara National Park.

Tourist Activities

Note
Area 80 Sq Km
Location Malbazar subdivision of Jalpaiguri District, West Bengal
Nearby City Jalpaiguri, Siliguri, Malbazar
Distance 75 km from Siliguri, 52 km from Jalpaiguri and 8 Km from Lataguri
Best season November to April
Park Closed From 16th June to 15th September
Languages Bengali, Hindi & English
Railway Station New Jalpaiguri & New Mal Jn.
Airport Bagdogra Airport
Currency Indian Rupee(indian rupee)
Time Zone UTC+5:30

Jungle Safari is the most famous and attractive activities in Gorumara National Park. Two types of safari are available to enter inside the Gorumara Forests – Elephant Safari and Jeep Safari, which guarantees the sighting of wildlife like, Elephants, Rhinos, Indian Bison (Gaur), Peacock, Deer etc. You should carry powerful binoculars, with night vision facilities when you come to Gorumara National Park. Several watches towers are there to give you a memorable excitement of forests and wildlife. And the Jungle Safari leads you to any of the watch towers

  • Jatraprasad Watch Tower: Named after a legendary elephant
  • Rhino Observation Point: Watch tower in front of the Gorumara forest bungalow
  • Chandrachur Watch Tower: Near the Murti forest bungalow (Old Khunia Watch Tower)
  • Chukchuki Bird-watching Point: It is good for bird watching
  • Medla Watch Tower

Jeep Safari in Gorumara National Park is available in four shifts of a day and a maximum number of 40 tourists are permitted to enter the forest for each watch tower.

March to September
Time of PermitTime of Safari
05.30 am – 06.30 am 06.00 am – 07.30 am
06.30 am – 07.30 am 08.30 am – 10.00 am
01.00 pm – 02.00 pm 02.00 pm – 03.30 pm
02.00 pm – 03.00 pm 04.30 pm – 06.00 pm
October to February
Time of PermitTime of Safari
06.00 am – 07.00 am 06.30 am – 08.00 am
07.00 am – 08.00 am 09.00 am – 10.30 am
12.00 pm – 01.00 pm 01.00 pm – 02.30 pm
01.00 pm – 02.00 pm 03.30 pm – 05.00 pm

Transport

By Road: NH31 between Siliguri and Guwahati passes over Lataguri, Chalsa, and Nagrakata near the park. North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) Buses, Bhutan Govt. Buses, Mini Buses, and Private Buses are available from Siliguri to Alipurduar via Madarihat, which are passes by the said census towns. Lataguri is about 1.30 hours driving distance from Siliguri. A private car, taxi or motorcycle is very much comfortable to visit Gorumara from Siliguri.

By Rail : The nearest railway station is at Chalsa which is about 14 km driving distance from the Gorumara National Park. But all the train does not have a stoppage at this station. New Jalpaiguri (NJP) and Siliguri Railway Station are the main railway stations in this area. You can change the train from New Jalpaiguri or can follow the road journey from New Jalpaiguri or Siliguri to reach at Gorumara.

By Air : The nearest airport is at Bagdogra. It is a domestic airport. All major air services are available from all over India. The distance between Bagdogra and Siliguri is 10 km. You can find out various vehicles to reach at Gorumara from the airport.

Climate

In winter, temperature comes below to 6°C where in summer its goes more than 40°C. But the average temperature ranges from 10° C to 21° C from November to February, 24°C to 27°C from March to April and 27°C to 37°C from May to October. Gorumara National park belongs in heavy rainfall zone. Where May to October known as rainy season. Average annual rainfall is 382 cm.

Accommodation

Gorumara Forest Bungalow is an old wooden pastoral cottage which has a watchtower overlooking the salt reservoir. Accommodations are also available in River Wood Forest Retreats, a 4-star resort overlooking the Gorumara national park and Gorumara Elephant Camp at Dhupjhora.

Numbers of cheap hotels, as well as star rated luxurious accommodations with all modern amenities, are also available on all sides of the Gorumara National Park. The nearby small town Lataguri, Murti and Dhupjhora are best places to stay at private Resorts and Lodges in the Gorumara National Park.

Government tourist accommodation and Forest Bungalows in and around the Gorumara forests are:

  • Kalipur Eco village: 4 cottages on the eastern side of the forest.
  • The Rhino Camp: Located at Ramsai of Kalipur has 4 cottages
  • Hornbill Nest: Situated at Lataguri has 4 cottages
  • Elephant Camp: Located at Dhupjhora, on the bank of Murti Rive has 7 cottages including the famous Gachbari (the tree house).
  • Murti Cottages: Located at Murti has 4 cottages.
  • Panjhora eco resort: Located in Chapramari forest has 4 cottages.

For booking of the private and government tourist accommodations at Gorumara National Park or any tour package in Dooars, please contact with us.