Tourist Places in West Bengal : Encircled by Great Himalayas in the North and Bay of Bengal in the South, West Bengal is one of the most popular destinations in India. Whether you wish to spend some time on serene beaches or are willing to experience thrill and adventure, this magical place is sure to make your stay memorable. From pristine beaches and great Royal Bengal tiger to Himalayan rain forest, historic museums, hill stations and wild life sanctuaries, there are various tourist places in West Bengal that are sure to enhance your holidaying experience.
Heritage Places
Kolkata is a renowned city that needs no introduction and is the heart of East India. Tourist attractions in this city embrace
Fort William, Eden Gardens, Victoria Memorial, Birla Planetarium, Marble Palace, Howrah Bridge, Writer’s Building, Saheed Minar,Nicco Park, National Library, Science City, Botanical Gardens, MP Birla Planetarium, Jadu Ghar and Alipur Zoo to name a few.
Then Murshidabad is another popular heritage city that was previously the last capital city of independent Bengal and was named after Nawab Murshid Quli Khan. Hazarduari Palace is the main attraction here that was built in 1837 by Duncan McLeod for the Nawab Najim Humaun Jah. Now, the palace is converted to a museum and has an exquisite collection of armorthat includes almost 2700 weapons,armor and swords that were particularly used by Shiraj-ud-Daulla and his grandfather. Lastly, Shantineketan, known as the second house of Rabindranath Tagore boasts stunning scenic beauty, deer park or Ballavpur Wildlife Sanctuary and many other interesting sites to see.
Hill Stations
Beginning with the hill stations,
Darjeeling is first on the list that is located in the lap of Himalayas and is one of the most popular destinations. While sun rise from Tiger Hills is an unforgettable experience, its 96 kilometers long
Toy Train in Darjeeling is enrolled as World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Then, Bastasia Loop, Himalayan Zoological Park, Shingamari Rope-wayLloyd’s Botanical Garden, Monasteries, world famous Tea Gardens and many other places are there that are sure to make your holidaying experience memorable.
Apart from this, there is
Kalimpong that is one of the three famous echo-regions in India. Here
Neora Valley National Park, famous for its tigers and
Rishi Bankim Chandra Park, ecological museum are two well-known tourist spots. If you love to visit monasteries then Deolo Hill and Zong Dog Palri Fo Brang are interesting places to visit.
Kurseong is another popular hill station that is widely known as Land of the White Orchids. This is 47 KM from Siliguri and is usually loved for its pleasant weather that keeps throughout the year.
Here are some famous temples like Ambhotia Shiva Temple, Jagdish Mandir , Giddapahar Durga Mata Mandir, St. Paulseak Church, Juma Mosque and Buddhist Gompa in Montieviot to name a few, where you experience both serenity and spiritualism. Apart from this, you can also enjoy visiting Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Museum, N S C Bose Institute of Asiatic Studies, Eagle’s Craig, Deer Park or Dow Hill Park and The Kholas.
Then Mirik and Lava are some other additions on the list that allow you to unfold a different aspect of West Bengal.
Mirik Lake is the biggest natural lake in West Bengal, while Lava is 30 KM away from Kalingpong. Lava is known for its vicinity to Neora Valley National Park and here you can delight in wonderful views of Jelep La and Rechi La passes. Then 12 km from Lava is a small town called Loleygaon. Tourist places around Lava include Ratnarishi Gumpha, Silviculture Research Centre, Neora Lake and Chhangey falls to name a few.
Beaches
Bakkhali is one of popular islands of Sunderbans delta region that is 135 kms from kolkata. This secluded white sand beach is lined with casuarinas and here you can delight in a fantastic sunset. Crocodile propagation centre at Bakkhali is another interesting spot to visit or you can even choose to hang around in JambuDweep that is an unpopulated and wooded islet out in the sea. If you are looking for a honeymoon spot, then Digha beach is a better option. From here, you can go to
Talsari Beach, Marine Station – Aquarium of Zoological Survey of India and Temple at Chandaneswar.
Apart from these, Junput is another popular choice on the list that is almost 40 km from Digha by road and is absolutely unpolluted.
Brackish water fish cultivation and research done here by State Government Fisheries Department make it different from others, somehow. Moreover, here is a farm where ducks are bred. Then, 128kms from Kolkata Sagardwip is a small island in Sunderbans surrounded by Ganges, called Sagardwip and this well known for its Sgardwip mela which falls during Makar Sankranti. Another tourist places in this region include Ramakrishna Mission, Kapil Muni Temple and Ramakrishna Mission.
Wildlife Sanctuaries
Duar in Assamese, Nepali, Bhojpuri, Magahi and Bengali language means entrance. Floodplains and foothills of the eastern Himalayas in North-East India are called Duars as they serve as the gateway to Bhutan. Within this region
there are six different wildlife sanctuaries namely,
Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, Manas National Park in Assam, Buxa National Park, Gorumara National Park, Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary and Chapramari Wildlife Reserve. If you are holidaying with kids, then these sanctuaries would be a great option to make the vacation truly memorable for your kids.
Then there is Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary which is a protected park located at the foothills of Eastern Himalayas in Alipurduar Sub-Division of Jalpaiguri District in West Bengal. The main attraction of this sanctuary is Asiatic one-horned rhinoceros.
Furthermore, other animals like Royal Bengal Tigers, elephants, deers, sambhar, barking deer, spotted deer, hog deer, wild pig and bisons also draw the attention of the visitors. And if you are bird watcher, then Jaldapara is the place for you. Here you can easily enjoy watching birds like Pallas’s Fishing Eagle, Crested Eagle, shikra, jungle fowl, peafowl, patridges, Bengal Florican and lesser Pied Hornbill. Sundarban is another addition and the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world and home to great Royal Bengal Tigers.
