Two of Gorumara's Watchtowers Are Shut. Drive from Siliguri for the Rest

By Nitin Kanish · 20 October 2026

The forests of the Dooars opened again on 16 September after their usual three-month monsoon break, and Gorumara is busy once more. But a few things are different this season. Entry fees are back after a long waiver, tickets are still sold by hand at the counters, and two of the park's best-known watchtowers did not reopen with the rest. If you are driving from Siliguri, it helps to know all of this before you set off, not when you reach the queue.

This guide covers the drive from Siliguri over the Coronation Bridge to Lataguri, which towers are open, what the 2026 fees look like, the shift times, and how to fit it all into one day and still be back before dark. If you want to go this week, book a self-drive car in Siliguri and use the plan below.

What has changed at Gorumara this season

Gorumara reopened on Wednesday, 16 September, along with Chapramari, Jaldapara and Buxa. Two days later, the forest department brought back entry fees. They had been waived since January 2025. According to The Telegraph (17 September 2026), Gorumara's additional divisional forest officer, Rajib Dey, said visitors now pay ₹200 each as an entry fee, and every vehicle entering the forest pays a road tax of ₹480. A family on a safari pays both. Until the online system is fully working, he said, everything is handled by hand at the department's counters.

That has a practical effect. Elephant safaris at Gorumara and Jaldapara can be booked online. Jeep and watchtower tickets still mean queuing at Lataguri, often from early morning. Bring cash, a photocopy of your ID and a pen. Darjeeling Tourism's Gorumara guide notes that one person from your group must be at the counter with ID and must fill in a form before the permits are issued.

The other change is the watchtowers. When the park reopened, both Anandabazar Patrika and Ei Samay reported that the Chukchuki and Chandrachur towers were still closed because repair work had not been done. Ei Samay quoted the Lataguri gypsy owners' association as saying that Jatraprasad, Chapramari and the Ramsai–Medla towers were open. Ask at the counter whether that has changed. If not, choose from the towers that are running.

Your car takes you to Lataguri. A forest gypsy does the rest

It is worth being clear about this before you go. You cannot drive your own car into the park. Only open gypsies run by the forest department may use the forest tracks, and only in limited numbers. Each one carries up to six people with a guide. You drive to Lataguri, park, buy your permits at the counter next to the Nature Interpretation Centre, and the gypsy takes you to your tower.

Gypsy fares are fixed for each route. The Telegraph reported a range of ₹1,350 to ₹1,500 per vehicle for safaris in Gorumara and Chapramari, with guides paid ₹300 a trip. Subkuz listed ₹1,330 from Lataguri to Jatraprasad or Medla, and ₹1,530 to Chapramari. Gypsy owners and guides have asked for higher rates, so check the board on the day.

Your own car will still pass through forest. The highway between Lataguri and Chalsa, NH 717, runs right through the national park. Treat it as wildlife country. Keep to the speed limit, do not stop to photograph animals near the road, never get out of the car if you see an elephant or a gaur, and do not use your horn to move animals along.

The drive: Siliguri, Sevoke and the Coronation Bridge

The usual route runs north-east out of Siliguri on the Sevoke road, crosses the Teesta on the Coronation Bridge, and continues east on NH 17 through Odlabari and Malbazar. At Chalsa, turn right onto NH 717 for Murti and Lataguri. Darjeeling Tourism gives Chalsa as 8 km from Malbazar, and Lataguri as 20 km beyond Chalsa. Our routing from central Siliguri comes to about 75 km. Allow two hours with a tea stop.

The bridge is worth a short stop in its own right. According to its Wikipedia entry, it was named for the coronation of King George VI in 1937 and finished in 1941. Its single concrete arch springs from rock on either side of the gorge, because the river was too deep and fast for piers. Locals call it Baghpool, or tiger bridge, after the two tiger statues at one end. The state PWD has barred vehicles over 10 tonnes from the bridge since 2020 to protect it. Cars are not affected, but expect slow traffic and do not stop on the deck itself.

There are two other ways to go. One goes south through Jalpaiguri and Maynaguri on NH 27, which our routing puts at about 79 km and noticeably slower. The other is a shorter line across the Teesta barrage at Gajoldoba, about 60 km, which map apps sometimes suggest. It is a narrower crossing, so check that it is open before you commit to it.

A note on NH 10. You may have read about night closures on NH 10 near Sevoke. That restriction covers the 52 km stretch from the Coronation Bridge up the Teesta valley to Rangpo, for repairs. It runs from 9 pm to 6 am, from 26 October to 5 November. The Gorumara route crosses the bridge and heads east on NH 17, so it does not use that stretch. It matters only if you plan to add Kalimpong or Sikkim to the same trip.

A day plan that gets you home before dark

Darjeeling Tourism lists four watchtower shifts from October to February. Permits for each shift are issued at set times before it starts:

• Shift 1: visit 6:30 to 8 am (permits 6 to 7 am)
• Shift 2: visit 9 to 10:30 am (permits 7 to 8 am)
• Shift 3: visit 1 to 2:30 pm (permits 12 noon to 1 pm)
• Shift 4: visit 3:30 to 5 pm (permits 1 to 2 pm), with a tribal dance programme and tea at the end

The guide also notes that only 40 people may go to any one tower in a shift, so the popular towers fill fast. Since the online system is not running yet, treat these times as a guide and confirm them at the counter.

For a same-day trip, shift 3 works best. Leave Siliguri by 9 am, stop at the Coronation Bridge, and reach Lataguri by about 11:30. Visit the Nature Interpretation Centre, then join the queue before the counter opens at noon. After the tower visit, have a late lunch and leave Lataguri by about 3:30 pm. By our calculation, the sun sets at Lataguri at 5:02 pm on 20 October and 4:52 pm on 31 October. That gets most of the forest stretch done in daylight.

The dawn shift is the one wildlife lovers prefer, and shift 4 has the dance programme. Both make most sense if you stay the night in Lataguri, which has many private resorts, or at Murti. A two-day rental lets you do an afternoon tower on day one and a dawn tower on day two without driving the forest road in the dark.

Which tower should you pick?

Jatraprasad and Rhino Point. This is the most popular trip, because one ticket covers two towers. Jatraprasad overlooks a salt lick, and Rhino Point stands in front of the old forest bungalow. West Bengal Tourism calls it a famous spot for sighting rhinos, with views of the Murti and Jaldhaka rivers and the Bamandanga tea garden. Darjeeling Tourism says it is named after a female elephant that served the forest department for many years. It sells out first, so queue early.

Medla. The trip ends with a short bullock-cart ride from Kalipur village to the tower, which looks out over the forest and the Murti river. Many visitors find the ride as memorable as the tower.

Chapramari. This is a separate wildlife sanctuary next to Gorumara, and you get its permits at the same Lataguri counter, with the same timings. It is a good second choice when Jatraprasad is full.

Closed at the reopening: Chukchuki, the birding tower between Ramsai and Lataguri, and Chandrachur (Old Khunia), the grassland tower. Check at the counter before you plan around either.

What you might see

Gorumara is small, about 80 sq km, but it has a long history of protection. It has been a reserve forest since 1895 and became a wildlife sanctuary in 1949 because of its breeding population of one-horned rhinos. According to Wikipedia's Gorumara page, it lies on the flood plains of the Murti and Raidak rivers, with the Jaldhaka as its main river. The park has recorded 50 mammal species and 194 bird species.

The animals most people hope for are rhinos, gaur and Asian elephants, along with sambar, barking deer, hog deer and peafowl. Hornbills, minivets and woodpeckers are also found here. Sightings are never guaranteed. Animals come out to the salt licks and rivers in the cooler hours and go back into the forest when the day warms up, so the morning and late-afternoon shifts are usually better than midday. Bring binoculars, wear dull colours, and keep your voice down on the tower.

Weather and timing this week

The weather is on your side. The India Meteorological Department's North Bengal bulletin of 20 October 2026 forecast dry weather for Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts on every day up to 27 October, with no warnings. Mornings in the Dooars can be misty, so use dipped headlights on the forest stretch until it clears.

Plan around the calendar too. There are no safaris on Thursdays, so avoid 22 and 29 October and 5 November. Weekends and festival holidays bring the longest queues at Lataguri. A Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday will give you the best chance of getting the tower you want.

Checklist before you leave Siliguri

• Papers: your original driving licence, plus a government photo ID and a photocopy of it for the safari counter.
• Cash: enough for entry fees, the road tax, the gypsy, the guide and lunch, as counters may not take cards.
• A pen: you fill in a form at the counter.
• Fuel: fill up in Siliguri. The round trip is about 150 km.
• Forest manners: no music, no littering and no feeding animals, and stay in the vehicle or on the tower.
• Time: be clear of the forest highway by sunset.

Choosing your car

The whole route is on national highways, so you do not need an SUV. A hatchback is fine for two people. A compact SUV or a seven-seater suits a family with bags, especially if you are staying the night.

On 20 October 2026, the Hire N Ride Siliguri page (listed under Gandhi Nagar) showed nine self-drive cars. The lowest one-day rate was ₹2,462, for a manual Maruti Suzuki Baleno with a 10% offer applied. Other cars were a Tata Nexon at ₹2,527, a Maruti Suzuki Fronx at ₹2,969, a Hyundai Creta at ₹3,175, a Maruti Suzuki Brezza at ₹3,490, a Maruti Suzuki Ertiga at ₹3,689, a Toyota Innova at ₹3,933, a Mahindra Scorpio at ₹4,139 and a Toyota Innova Crysta at ₹4,358. The Baleno listing showed a ₹5,000 security deposit. The page says fuel is not included and drivers must be at least 21. Rates and availability change, so check the live page before you book.

Looking for more rhino country? Read our guide to Kaziranga from Guwahati, or the shorter drive to Pobitora's rhinos. For a self-drive start to a tiger reserve safari, see Tadoba's Kolara gate from Nagpur.

Conclusion: go for the towers that are open

Two closed towers and a ticket queue are no reason to skip Gorumara this season. The forest is open, the weather is dry, and the drive is a good one: across the Teesta gorge on a 1941 arch bridge, past tea estates, and into rhino country in about two hours. Pick Jatraprasad, Medla or Chapramari, avoid Thursdays, and watch the clock on the way home. With a self-drive car rental in Siliguri, you set the pace from the first stop to the last.

Ready to go? Book a self-drive car in Siliguri, carry your ID and some cash, and join the Lataguri queue before noon.

About the author: Nitin Kanish writes road-trip and self-drive guides for Hire N Ride. He checks routes, official timings and the latest local news, so renters know what is open before they set off.