Dooars tour – December 2017
One needs a break from daily
chores. Dooars is one of them. Deep lush green forest filled with wild games,
nice resort stay and plenty of good food. Our altogether seven days tour was full of
fun and amusement as we travelled in a six member group. We visited Siliguri
and it’s famous British constructed Coronation Bridge on river Teesta. We went
to Lataguri, a cool three hours drive from Siliguri via Malbazar. We enjoyed a
sumptuous lunch in Bapi’s hotel there. Afterwards we reached Lataguri at Mayur
resort. The road towards Lataguri was through vast area of tea plantation; a wonderful
scene at late afternoon.
We immediately booked jungle
safari at 3 PM, as in the forest sun sets faster. Long trees silhouetted
against backdrop of thick bush were a scene never to be forgotten. Every forest
in India has distinct signature, forest at Lataguri is also unique never seen
earlier.
We entered into Gorumara wild
game sanctuary in Suzuki Jeep (Gypsy). The bitten forest path made by Jeeps,
surrounded by thick vegetation as well as tall trees, scream of overshooting of
jungle fowl, peacock hooting shrill with loud voice was scary at some places. The
forest guide cum spotter, whose telescopic eyes searched, and helped us in focusing
some games, was boon otherwise we could have missed in fast diminishing sun
light. Saw most of all the animals and while returning to Mayur Resort on the
highway, we saw a lone bull elephant, a tusker, loitering at the road side.
That elephant some days back stampeded a human. It is nearly dusk and we could
not get a good camera view from a safe distance.
Next day we went to Holong. The
tourist lodge made of completely wood was constructed in a secluded place well
inside a forest, some 14 kilometers from the highway. A small riverine (Holong
river) was seen flowing near the lodge. We also saw small fishes flowing there.
Water was in cleanest form. The area was fenced and a small garden was built there
with concrete seats for the visitors. Other side of the riverine a football field size area was cleared of
forest growth and two salt pits were kept for animals to lick those pits. We
saw peacocks loitering there licking salt, picking worms and drinking water from
the Holong riverine. In the afternoon we saw two Bisons came to lick salt and
to our pleasure they had a little bit of bull fight with their locked horns. We
also saw a rhino at the road side while returning. So, at in nut shell we were lucky to
see all the wild animals, birds except secretive leopard.
