West Bengal holidays, tailor made
| country: | India |
| location: | Darjeeling, Indian Himalayas |
| departures: | This trip can be tailor made and adapted to suit your interests, budget and requirements as necessary. |
| price: | From £1100 (13 days) per adult and £550 per child excluding flights. Price includes accommodation with breakfast, all meals in Darjeeling and Sunderbans, transport and all activities |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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introduction to West Bengal holidays, tailor made
Your experience in this tour includes unique opportunities to visit the picturesque and remote Himalayan villages; experience the art & culture at its best in Shantiniketan and also spend few days at Sunderbans National Park.
In Himalayan villages, you will make visits to tea plantations, some of the outstanding ecological sites, and interact with the local community. Enjoy a taste of their lifestyle and be a part of it while staying with them, experience local crafts, cuisine and even be entertained in their local cultural tradition.
Sunderbans is the deltaic region where Hooghly and many other rivers meet the Bay of Bengal. Sunderbans is spread over 150 islands, with close to 1/3rd being still uninhibited and considered as reserve forest for the Royal Bengal Tiger and estuarine crocodile. Be part of an experimental holiday at Sunderbans while you indulge in activities like birding tours, village visits, cultural performances, canopy walks through dense forest and country boat rides.
Your visit to Shantineketan will enrich you with the art & culture of India. Shantinketan is exemplary of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, whose vision became what is now a university town (Visva-Bharati University) that attracts thousands of visitors each year. Staying at Shantiniketan gives you insights into lifestyles of Bengali family, villages and the contribution of Shantiniketan to the richness of Indian art & culture. Also take out time to go for a village trail, a rickshaw ride, and visit to the historic museum and art & craft centre.
In Himalayan villages, you will make visits to tea plantations, some of the outstanding ecological sites, and interact with the local community. Enjoy a taste of their lifestyle and be a part of it while staying with them, experience local crafts, cuisine and even be entertained in their local cultural tradition.
Sunderbans is the deltaic region where Hooghly and many other rivers meet the Bay of Bengal. Sunderbans is spread over 150 islands, with close to 1/3rd being still uninhibited and considered as reserve forest for the Royal Bengal Tiger and estuarine crocodile. Be part of an experimental holiday at Sunderbans while you indulge in activities like birding tours, village visits, cultural performances, canopy walks through dense forest and country boat rides.
Your visit to Shantineketan will enrich you with the art & culture of India. Shantinketan is exemplary of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, whose vision became what is now a university town (Visva-Bharati University) that attracts thousands of visitors each year. Staying at Shantiniketan gives you insights into lifestyles of Bengali family, villages and the contribution of Shantiniketan to the richness of Indian art & culture. Also take out time to go for a village trail, a rickshaw ride, and visit to the historic museum and art & craft centre.
best time to go
The best time to take this holiday is October to March as June to September will be rainy. day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Bagdogra/New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling. Arrive in Bagdogra and transfer to Darjeeling (94 Kms/3hrs) by car. Darjeeling, now a popular hill station was originally a British sanatorium later turned into a tea plantation town. The tea industry is one of the highest revenue making industry in Darjeeling. The heritage colonial bungalows set amidst acres of garden and forest land offers a marvelous stay. These bungalows were once used for British tea estate officers and therefore come with a heavy colonial feel made up of fireplaces, bay windows and huge rooms. Overnight stay in a heritage tea bungalow. |
| Day 2: | Darjeeling. After breakfast proceed to tea garden visits and soft treks amidst plantations. Early morning walk in tea estates amidst leafy green slopes make a compelling and spectacle view in itself. Tungsum is considered to be one the best organic tea gardens of the Darjeeling hills. During your stay at Tea Estate you will visit the plantations and the factory to gain some understanding about the cultivation and processing of organic tea. Visit local communities and garden villages and also enjoy a soft trek in the evening. Overnight in a heritage tea bungalow. |
| Day 3: | Tinchuley Eco village. From Tungsum you will take a short drive to Tinchuley and proceed to farm tour. Tinchuley which literally means three Chulas or ovens is a Model Village and a Community Tourism initiative of Help Tourism, local villagers and WWF-India (West Bengal State Office) in the Darjeeling Hills. You will be hosted by one of the oldest and largest joint families of Darjeeling hills (about 22 family members) here who has put together a guest house. Visit organic farms and orchards to understand the livelihood processes of the local villagers, metre-square gardening process and vermi composting. Walk in the tea garden and visit local market in Takdah. Overnight in Gurung Guest House. |
| Day 4: | Tinchuley Eco village. Early morning proceed to sightseeing of the prominent tourist spots in the Darjeeling city. Some of the best known places are Tiger Hill, Ghoom Monastery, Batasia Loop Zoological Garden, Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Ropeway, Tensing - Gumbo Rock, Tibetan Refugee Self Help Canter, Lebong Race Course, Peace Pagoda & Rock Garden - Gangamaya Park. From Tinchuley drive to Ghoom. From Ghoom embark on a toy train ride to Darjeeling - to the home of the late Tenzing Norgay, co-mountaineer of Sir Edmund Hillary. Darjeeling has since 1954 housed the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute where he trained a generation of mountaineers. The earliest Everest expeditions started their journey from here. Return back to Gurung guest house. Overnight in Gurung Guest House. |
| Day 5: | Kolakham-Neora. Early morning drive to Neora Valley eco resort.Early morning drive to Neora Valley eco resort. The resort is nearly 35 kms from Kalimpong town and adjacent to Neora Valley National Park that harbors wonderful array of wildlife such as Red Panda, Barking Deer, Himalayan Black Bear, Blue Sheep, Bengal Tiger and more than 200 species of birds including many rarities.Our trained local villagers run all services and activities in the resort The most captivating event is the sightseeing at Kalimpong heritage town, village experience and soft trek. The view of snow range from the resort is most expansive. Overnight in Neora Valley Eco Resort. |
| Day 6: | Kolakham - Neora Valley National Park - Kalimpong Hills. Morning Trek through Neora Valley National Park. Overnight stay at Neora Valley Eco Resort. |
| Day 7: | New Jalpaiguri-Shantiniketan (overnight train). Check out after breakfast and transfer to New Jalpaiguri (4 hours) by car to onward destination. Board overnight train from New Jalpaiguri to Shantiniketan. |
| Day 8: | Shantiniketan. In the morning you be welcome by our guide at the station. Transfer to the homestay where you will spend your Shantiniketan experience and will be hosted by a cultured Bengali family. The homestay situated in the peaceful and quaint environment of Purba Pally, is at a walking distance from the university complex. In the afternoon go for a cultural visit. Overnight stay at Chutty Holiday Resort. |
| Day 9: | Shantiniketan. After breakfast you will set out for a cultural and village experience of Shantiniketan. You will visit the museum center and proceed to the picturesque Ballavpur Danga- a rural self-help group project. The visit includes a village trail, rickshaw ride, museum, art & craft centre and a traditional local lunch at Ballavpur Danga tribal village. In the afternoon you will visit a local craft market and textile emporium. Return to your home stay. Dinner and overnight stay in Chutty Holiday Resort. |
| Day 10: | Kolkata. Morning time is free for shopping or you can visit Subarnarekha - a book cum music store, famous for its expansive collection of books and music. Early lunch and transfer to Bolpur station from where you will board train that takes you back to Kolkata (3 hrs).On arrival at Howrah station you will be transferred to hotel. In the evening explore Kolkata city life and taste famous Bengali sweets and local cuisines. Overnight at Bodhi Tree Boutique Guest Hotel. |
| Day 11: | Kolkata/Sunderbans National Park. Transfer to Sunderbans (3 hrs) by car and then (2 hrs) by motor boat. Briefing and interpretation by our local guide cum naturalist followed by 2 hours spectacular cruise through river Hogol, Gomor, Durgaduani and Gumdi. Optional stopover at Gosaba, one of the earliest human settlements of Sunderbans to visit the house of Sir Danniel Hamilton (Scottish banker who initiated the first co-operative movement of India). Arrive at Bali Island and check into Sunderbans Jungle Camp. Jungle camping at night. |
| Day 12: | Sunderbans National Park. Full day jungle cruise, birding tour to Netidhopani watchtower (subject to weather permitting the same) including crab catching and fishing expeditions from the fragile country boats. Lunch will be served on board. Evening with the villagers is the part of cultural experience. The theatre tells interesting story about the Tiger Lord, Forest God and Goddess, fishermen and honey collectors with lot of songs and dances. Jungle camping at night. |
| Day 13: | Kolkata. Guided Village Walk in which participants are encouraged to have a close interaction and interesting encounters with the local villagers and their lifestyle, local craft and cuisines, indigenous farming and household equipments used by the villagers. Guided adventures cruise by manually oared country boat followed by a short cruise to Do Banki watchtower to enjoy a small canopy walk. Post lunch proceed to Sonakhali and then to Calcutta by boat & car. Transfer to airport/railway station for onward journey. |
travelling with a local operator
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.highly commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2006 First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society. Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Environment:
Sunderbans Jungle Camp is small low-impact accommodation which is environmentally-sensitive and liked by those who have interest to explore the infinite bio-diversity and uniqueness of the ecosystem of Sunderbans through a participatory, authentic, knowledgeable, meaningful, intimate, mutually-educative, responsible encounters with the local people and their culture and livelihood. Your visits are our support and contribute to a great extent to this small initiative to support the sustainable development of the local community and the conservation of the forest and the great cats. Neora Valley Eco Resort has started several initiatives to reforestation of the protected area, especially in order to regenerate the endangered Red Panda’s habitats. Sadly, bamboo as the main feeding plant had been replaced by other plants, often timber trees. As an initiative, a community owned reserve forest has been established. 1000 tree seedlings have been distributed and planted during a great ceremony in summer 2007. Aim of this measure is to add natural resources to the village's assets, thus extending the Red Panda's habitat. Flights. We promote the services of Atmosfair for carbon offset of international flights. Community: Sunderbans Jungle Camp on Bali island is a participatory Community Tourism demonstration Project for the rehabilitation of the poachers-turned-conservationists, sustainable development of the local community and conservation of the wildlife and flora of this unique eco system. In order to assist the local community to have a better quality of life, host of social development projects such as - Free Medical Camps, a Night School, Tailoring training and various other initiatives are arranged on need basis. These activities are supported by our local partners and institutional patrons and agencies and organizations like WWF-India, WPSI, SHIS, Sunderbans Tiger Reserve and co-ordinated by our NGO ACT(Association for Conservation and Tourism)and Bali Nature and Wildlife Conservation Society. Neora Valley Eco Resort is run by trained local community people. They take care of all services and activities. The Eco resort also supports various self-help groups like sewing or culture groups that have been initiated to provide alternative and additional livelihood options for the villagers. Darjeeling Tinchuley Village is a Model Village and a Community Tourism initiative in the Darjeeling Hills. You will be hosted by one of the oldest and largest joint families of Darjeeling hills (about 22 family members) here who has put together a guest house with 04 double bedded and 04 four-bedded rooms with private toilet cum bath in one building. Guides. All guides and naturalists are local. We have created a set of guidelines in order to sensitize tourists towards people, flora and fauna. Furthermore, at the beginning of each trip tourists are briefed on do’s and don'ts by their guide. Our guides understand the principles of responsible tourism and guests are always welcome to consult their tour guide in case they feel insecure about the responsibility of their actions. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
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