Gorumara-A Trip To The Green Castle

Gorumara National Park is a must to visit place while you are visiting Dooars. The national park is a two-hour drive from NJP or Bagdogra through the tea gardens and winding roads. The savannah woodland and the riverine grassland cover around 20% of the total park area of Gorumara. It is used as the grazing ground. The Jaldhaka, Indong and Murti rivers flow through the Gorumara park and makes the natural beauty at its best.. Gorumara is stretched in a total area of 80 sq. km. The forest was declared as a national park in the year 1994 because of this great variety of flora and fauna. The Gorumara grassland is specially famous for the one-horned Asiatic rhino.

Where to stay?

Murti forest bungalow

Watch tower

Gorumara has gained a huge popularity in recent few years. Now a days, many private resorts have grown in the adjoining Lataguri town to meet with the growing demands of the tourists. Tourists are also provided accommodation in the Murti tourist center, which is the most luxurious guest house in the forest. The guest house is located at the bank of the Murti river and has a frontal view of the Tondu forests.

Beside that, there are several watch towers in various parts of this national park to provide the tourists a better view of the Jungle. These watch towers include: Rhino Point; which is located in front of the Gorumara Forest Rest House; Jatraprasad Watch Tower; Chukchuki Tower for the birds only and Chandrachur Tower in old Khunia.

The wild life in Gorumara:

Hornbill

One horn rhinos

               Indian Bison 


The watchtowers of the Gorumara forest offers a panoramic glimpse of the entire Murti vally and the Gorumara national park. Towers are the best place to observe birds and wild animals. Most common birds and animals available in this national park are: Indian one horned rhino, Gaur or the Indian bison, elephant, leopards, Malayan giant squirrel, rock python and deer. These animals come to the salt reservoir, located below the watch tower at a regular basis. The tourists need get a special permission to enter in the core area of Gorumara.

Special features of Gorumara:

Leopard

The Gorumara national park has almost 48 kinds of herbivores and carnivores, 22 kinds of reptiles, 193 species of birds, 27 species of fishes, 7 species of turtles and other micro and macro fauna.

Several bird species are also seen in this national park. Such as: Mini vets, Hornbills, Pheasants, Woodpeckers, Cormorants,Cuckoos, Pigeons, Orioles and Mynas. During the winter months, many winter birds visit this park. These birds include: Indian Shag, Corporant, Lesser Adjutant Stork, Egrets, Darter and Law ping. The night hunters in this forests are the Night jars and Owls.

Best time to visit Gorumara:

 

The perfect time to visit this national park is from November to March. Monsoon starts here very early, in the month of April.