Jaldapara National Park is a wildlife sanctuary and national park on the banks of the Torsa River in the Alipurduar District of West Bengal, India. This wildlife sanctuary is well known for Elephant safari trips.

Tourists enjoying the Elephant safari trip inside Jaldapara National Park

Jaldapara National Park was previously known as Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary. It is located at the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas. This wildlife sanctuary was established in 1941 and is spread over 216.51 square kilometers.  It was declared as a National Park of India in 2012.

Jaldapara sanctuary is also a habitat for the Great Indian one-horned Rhino or Asiatic one-horned Rhino. This national park has the second-largest single-horned rhinos in India. (Kaziranga National Park in the nearby state of Assam has the largest population of Indian one-horned rhinos.)

This National Park is also rich in flora and fauna. This park has many bird species and is an ornithologist’s paradise. Bengal florican, a rare bird species, can be seen here.

Jaldapara National Park has a large number of elephants. This Wildlife sanctuary offers Elephant Safari trips. This safari trip booking is not done in advance, as climatic conditions determine whether it is possible.

Chilapata reserved forest is a nearby forest. It’s an elephant corridor connecting the National Park with the Buxa Tiger Reserve. A jeep safari is also available inside the Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary.

Jaldapara Museum is a nearby museum, mainly for children.

Khayerbari Tiger Rescue Center is a nearby tourist destination at around 15 kilometers distance. Tigers and leopards can be seen here. You can see them from the watchtower or by traveling in the battery-operated vehicle.

How Do I Go to Jaldapara National Park or Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary?

Jaldapara National Park is at a distance of around 125 kilometers from Siliguri town. It takes around three hours to drive to reach Siliguri. Alipurduar town, the district headquarters,  is around 48 kilometers away.

Madarihat railway station, a small railway station,  is around seven kilometers from the National Park and is the nearest railway station to the wildlife sanctuary. NH 31 connecting Siliguri with Hasimara, passes through Madarihat town. Hasimara town is around 11 kilometers away. Government buses from Siliguri to Alipurduar pass through Madarihat town.

Birpara and Hasimara railway stations are at around 20 kilometers distance, where all express trains stop. New Jalpaiguri  Junction railway station (NJP) in West Bengal state is the nearest major railway station at around 120 kilometers.

Bagdogra airport is the nearest airport at around 140 kilometers distance. This airport is at a distance of 12 kilometers from Siliguri.

Jalpaiguri is around 73 kilometers away from the national park cum wildlife sanctuary.

Forest Resorts

West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Ltd has a Tourist Lodge at Madarihat,  near Jaldapara Sanctuary. WBFDC Buxa Jungle Lodge is another lodge at Alipurduar, close to Buxa Tiger Reserve.