Jaldapara National Park is probably the most important National Park of West Bengal after Sundarban. It was established in 1941 during the British era as a sanctuary ( Game Sanctuary ) to protect the endangered species one-horned rhino. Later the sanctuary has been given status of a national park in 2012. The National Park is situated at the foothills of Himalaya in Alipur Duar district and spread over 216 Km2 with vast area of grassland. The Torsa River flows through the forest. Malangi, Holong & Chira-khawa are the other rivers flowing through the forest.
Jaldapara National Park has the largest population of Indian one horned rhino in India after Kaziranga National Park , Assam. Other than rhinoceros the National Park is home for elephants, bisons, leopards, deers, hog deeras, spoted deers, barking deers, sambers ect. It is also home for various birds & a paradise for the bird lovers. It is among the few places India where one can see the Bengal Florican. Eagales, Finn’s weaver, peacock, hornbill are the some other species found in the park. Species like monitor lizards, phython, cobra, kraits, geckos & different types of turtles are also found. Elephant & jeep safari are both available in Jaldapara in morning & evening shift every day (except Thursday & monsoon)
During the safari, the car stops at different places near watch tower. You can get down from the car here and check a view from the watch tower. Otherwise, you can not roam freely inside the park.
However, once you arrive at Jaldapara, you should spend a few hours simply drinking in the breathtaking beauty of the natural surroundings. On the one hand, there are the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas and the splendid Dooars, and on the other, the gorgeous Torsa river, flowing right through the sanctuary. Spread across nearly 217 sq km of expansive grassland (comprising mostly elephant grass), Jaldapara also has vast tracts of riverine forests.
