Alipurduar is a city of 127,000 people (2011) on the east bank of Kaljani River on the foothills of the Himalayas, in North Bengal. The city is a gateway to Bhutan and northeastern states of India.
Understand
Alipurduar borders Bhutan and Assam at the northeast corner of West Bengal. It is the headquarters Alipurduar district. The area is in eastern Dooars, Himalayan foothills, with thick forests and a variety of wildlife. The entire region exudes great scenic beauty.
Get in
By train
Alipurduar Junction railway station is on the New Jalpaiguri-Alipurduar-Samuktala Road line (built as a metre gauge but later converted to broad gauge) and New Alipurduar railway station is on the New Jalpaiguri-Guwahati main line (broad gauge) with a variety of options for trains from all over India.
By road
Alipurduar is on National Highway 31D, with links to NH 31 and NH 31C. This means easy access to the rest of North Bengal and the North-east. Large number of buses ply on these routes.
Get around
See
- Buxa Tiger Reserve (Located in Buxa National Park - marked on the map). Buxa Tiger Reserve is near Alipurduar in the eastern Dooars. Amongst wildlife in the tiger reserve are tiger, leopard (black panther also), elephant, clouded leopard, Himalayan black bear, barking deer, gaur, pangolin, and python.
- Buxa Fort, Buxaduar, Rajabhatkhawa Gram Panchayet, Kalchini block (The Motorable Road ended at Santrabari Range Office of Buxa Tiger Reserve. From Santrabari one have to trek 4.9 km (1 hour) via Sadar Bazar.), ✉[email protected]. Buxa Fort was conquered after the Dooars Bhutan war in 1865. The fort was primarily used as a military barracks, to protect the Indo-Bhutan border. Later used as detainment camp (1931-1939 & 1942 -1947) for Indian Freedom Fighters. The 2 km2 fort is the symbol of Indian Freedom Movement.
- 1 Rajabhatkhawa (15 km from Alipurduar). It has a railway station on the New Jalpaiguri-Alipurduar-Samuktala line and is also connected by road. Nature Interpretation Centre and Tiger Rescue Centre are points of interest at Rajabhatkhawa.2 Jainti (Jayanti) (30 km from Alipurduar; also approachable from Rajabhatkhawa). Exotic scenic beauty at the foot of the Bhutan Hills, Rich variety of wild life.
- 3 Rasik Beel (south of Kamakhyaguri, about 34 km from Alipurduar). Rasik Beel is a wet land complex (in Bengali, beel means large water body) and bird sanctuary, with such birds as lesser whistling teal, common teal, cotton teal, dapchick, bronze winged jacana, pheasant-tailed janacana, shoveler, barheaded goose, white-eyed poacherd etc. A 70 feet high watch tower has been constructed by Coochbehar Forest Division. There is a mini zoo at Rasik Beel, with tortoise, gharial, leopard, spotted deer, peafowl and other inmates.
Do
Buy
Eat
- Restaurant Parivar, Hotel Sinchula, Puran Bazar, ☏ 91 3564 253884.
Drink
Sleep
Budget
- Kanchanjangha Tourist Lodge, BG Road, ☏ 91 3564 257133. ₹100-1,200.
- Hotel Dooars Mountain, Buxa Feeder Road, Shanti Nagar, ☏ 91 3564 251 491.
- Repose Hotel, Station Road, ☏ 91 9333941268.
Mid-range
- Hotel Elite, Alipurduar Chowpati, ☏ 91 9733330489.
- Hotel Sinchula, Puran Bazar, ☏ 91 3564 253884, 91 9734903280, ✉[email protected]. ₹150-2,600.
- Hotel Shivam, Samuktala Road (Near M.N.Bus Terminus), ☏ 91 3564 257720.
Accommodation outside of Alipurduar
- Forest Rest House, Buxa Tiger Reserve, ☏ 91 3564-256005.
- Eco Development Guest House, Buxa Duar. It is a 16-bed dormitory, at an altitude of 2600 ft, run by local Eco Development Committee for Buxa Duar.
- Leo House, Rajabhatkawa, ☏ 91 3564-2551. 3 rooms with total six beds
- Tiger Lodge, Rajabhatkhawa, ☏ 91 3564-2551. 2 rooms with total four beds
- PHE Bungalow, Jainti (On the bank of Jayanti river), ☏ 91 3561-230659. 3 double-bedded rooms and dormitory with six beds