It’s
true, that West Bengal is not bestowed with a topography which can offer
much to adventure seekers, but whatever possibilities available in the state
are enough to satisfy the urge of any adventure lover. With the sincere
efforts of the State Tourism Department, Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council,
Forest and Environment Department, the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute at
Darjeeling, the Netaji Institute of Sports (SAI) in Kolkata, Adventure
Tourism is becoming popular in West Bengal day-by-day.
Darjeeling Hills top the adventure chart, trekking is the adventure option
which you will surely love to undertake here. Besides trekking, you can
enjoy a number of adventure sports in West Bengal such as mountaineering,
mountain biking, rock climbing, canoeing, kayaking, water skiing, yachting,
river rafting, swimming, para-sailing, car rally and much more.
Trekking in West Bengal
In West Bengal, trekking is possible only in Darjeeling Hills. Started
almost a century ago, trekking in Darjeeling now draws thousands of trek
enthusiasts every year from India and abroad. From easier to moderate,
Darjeeling offers exciting trek routes passing through dense oak and
rhododendron forests, magnolias, orchids and wild flowers. Besides, the
spectacular sights of lofty mountains like Everest, Kangchendozonga,
Chamlang, Makalu, Baruntse, Kokthang and several other peaks makes your
trekking expedition a lifetime experience.
Most popular treks of Darjeeling include the Tiger Hill Trek, the Singalila
Trek and Neora Valley National Park trek, the duration of these trek varies
from 1 Day to 7 Days. While trekking in these trek routes, you will see a
number of magnificent temples, ancient monasteries and pass small villages
where you can interact with local people.
Bicycling in Tea Gardens of
Darjeeling
Set at an altitude of 2,134 m above sea level, Darjeeling provides a
welcome respite to visitors during the hot summer months. Renowned across
the world for its big tea estates, Darjeeling offers exciting routes for
bicycling. In Darjeeling, bicycling routes are mainly centred around
Singalila ranges, which provide you superb views of the Himalayas including
Everest, Kanchenjunga and Makalu.
The bicycling routes take you from Martam to Gangtok in Sikkim, visit the
famous Rumtek monastery en-route. You will ride past the villages of Tonglu,
Sandakphu and Phalut and the tour will end in the city of Kalimpong. On the
way, you can see the Tibetan Lamas in their yellow dresses, alongwith
Sherpas, Gorkhas, Gurung farmers and the local people. Besides, lush green
vegetation, snow covered mountains and a vast assortment of plants and
wildlife add more to your bicycling experience.
Monsoon Car Rally in Kolkata
An annual feature, Monsoon Car Rally is organized in Kolkata between June
and August. During this period adventure enthusiasts from all over the
country flock the city to participate in the rally. Monsoon Car Rally starts
from Kolkata and passes through nearby cities like Jamshedpur and Kharagpur
and finally ends in Kolkata.
As Monsoon Car Rally is a monsoonal event, so getting wet is necessary to
win the points. At the same time the participants remain highly passionate
and possessive about their cars and spend a lot of money and time to keep
their cars in perfect running order in monsoon season.
Water Sports in West Bengal
Although very limited water sports opportunities are available in West
Bengal, but Sports Authority in India, Kolkata in association with the Dept.
of Tourism Sports & Youth Services, Govt of West Bengal offer regular
programmes in Kayaking, Canoeing and Rowing at Regional Head Quarters in
Kolkata. You may take training courses in water sports here which will help
you to enjoy water sports in various parts of the country. Apart from these,
there are some lakes in the state, such as the one in Sunderbans Tiger
Reserve where you can enjoy boating and angling.
