Buxa National Reserve Forest, West Bengal | Chaturyatri-travel Stories On Budget Travel In India
It was dark with only the moonlight reflecting off the steel wires which guarded us from the dense canopy
. The only sounds that I could hear were that of the unfamiliar insects. Sitting silently on a bamboo trench, we waited patiently to catch one glimpse of the mighty beast The Asiatic Elephant! I could sense the thrill when we heard the first elephant roar. The air smelled strongly of an unknown odour, the beast had just passed. I felt goose bumps when something touched me, and it was not the human skin!Just a snippet from the unparalleled excitement I experienced during my visit to the Buxa National Reserve forest. Tucked away in the northern district of Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, Buxa is an unexplored mystery. Visited mostly by locals but it has a huge potential to cater to the travellers all around the globe. The forest is 171 kilometres square in area, with the Sinchula hill range giving the reserve an undulating topography. Bordering close to Assam, Buxa is actually one of the major reserves for tigers in this part of the country with a count of almost 20 tigers (according to the latest survey in 2011).
We lodged in the West Bengal Forest Development Corporation rest house in the small town of Rajabhatkhawa which is close to the forest. Stay was comfortable, primarily because we were travelling just before the harsh summer began. The jungle night safari and trekking along the routes in this forest is quite an adrenalin rush! The entry point at Rajabhatkhawa (17 kilometers from Alipurduar) has an orchidarium, animal rescue centre and a nature interpretation centre.
One of the most thrilling moments for us in the trip was when we were driven to the middle of a dried river bank and waited for animal sightings. The location was ideal. It was almost twilight, the dried river bed was supposed to be one of the crossing routes for animals going into the core area. Under interesting speculations, animal pugmarks, there we stood only to hear sounds. We listened to silent stories about incidents in the jungle from our guide as we waited.
If you travel to forests You should be a patient lot. Silence, remember is the best policy. And never click animals with bright flash lights.
Unlike the much popular reserves of Bandhavgarh in MP, Simplipal in Orissa, Sundarbans, Buxa is primarily uncultivated. As tourists looking for adventure and kick, we chose Buxa because it was away from the commercial hand-cuffs, much closer to nature and SILENT! Though we did not spot any animals apart from huge Wild Boars, Deer and likesthe trip to Buxa was special.
We had arrived to Alipurduar (prominent railway junction) by train from Calcutta, however, for those travelling from far ends; they can take a flight to the nearest airport at Bagdogra (195 km). It was my first trip to forests and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Contributed by Anwesha Bose
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