Tucked away within the eastern Himalayan foothills of West Bengal, Jaldapara sanctuary is home to one-horned Indian rhinoceros, leopards, elephants, bison, wild pigs, deer and variety of birds. The Buri-torsa River flows through the 216 sq km sanctuary. Malangi River flows nearby. This rain forest is covered with variety of woods, perennial rivulets, and wide patches of tall grasses. The rhinos are usually visible in the swampy grasslands. The elephants riding point is also nearby. Trained elephants of the forest department take visitors (usually four to an elephant) on a two-hourly ride through the forest. The elephant-drives are experienced enough to locate rhinos; even if you are unlucky with the animals, an early morning ride through the picturesque forest can be rewarding. You can also pay a visit to the elephant camp nearby to see the calves or the trainee-elephants. In the evening, you may be able to catch animals at the salt lake opposite the lodge.

Jaldapara is accessible through Siliguri town, 120 km away. NBSTC buses run from Tenging Norge bus stand towards Cooacgh-bihar, Jaigao. Madarihat, on the Siliguri-Phuntsholling highway, is the place to get off. The entrance of the Jaldapara forest is just in front of the bus stand.

November to March

The state-run Tourist Lodge at Madarihat has quite a large number of rooms including dormitories.
Contact no: (03563)262230.
The Hollong Forest Lodge inside the sanctuary has very limited accommodation.
Both can be booked through:-
West Bengal Tourism
3/2 BBD Bag (E),
Kolkata-700029.
Tel No.-(033) 22485168/22437260

There is entry fee in the forest.

Cars, permits and cameras are chaged separetely.