My first trip after lockdown was in Chatakpur. It was an amazing experience to view such awesome hill beauty after so long time caged in home. In this writeup I will tell you how madly I was looking for this trip to get some fresh air.
The person beside the other side of the phone was very clear about his question ‘….but you should have some choice right? Please tell me where would you like to go?’
I screamed impatiently, ‘I don’t know, I just don’t want to be confined anymore.’
‘Oh come on! At least you must have some places in mind. You want birding right?’ he asked affectionately.
Yes definitely, you know me. Plan something that will amaze me.
That was the initial conversation between me and the person who arranges my tours very often. I knew that he would make it a success. I couldn’t tell this plan to my tour companion husband and son, because It supposed to be a surprise gift for them.
A hungry person can hardly afford the freedom of choosing his/her food. I was feeling like a starved person in lockdown. I was obeying the sanitization rules and distance rules. I locked myself in my home for more than 8 months. The phase was horrible because I couldn’t imagine myself without watching birds for so long time. After a long period, I planned something for myself and my family. I realized how deeply and madly I had missed my travel days.
I called Dipankar da, who arranged my trips usually, and asked him to plan something. After a couple of alterations and modifications, I finalized three places. I was not fussy about the dates, I only wanted to start on a weekend.
I got my train ticket in Darjeeling mail. It was a rush when I bought those. I was wondering why it is a rush because the pandemic is not still over. Two of my childhood friends told me to plan something for them. I asked them to join me on my trip. Still, the places were not finalized. After a couple of long telephonic conversations with Dipankar Da and my friends, we finalized three places. Our plan was pretty simple but had some conditions. We wanted to have birds for birders and good natural beauty for non-birders. So according to that, we finalized Chatakpur, Lamagaon, and Latpanchar.
‘Do you think, Latpanchar would be a good choice for non-birders?’ I asked Dipankar da. I was not sure whether they liked it or not, because it was recognized as a birder’s paradise for a long time. It would be my first visit but he was a regular visitor. He completely smashed my doubt. ‘Your friends will stay one night at Ahaldara, and you will go there for a day visit.’ I couldn’t wait for going out and the days in between were simply flying.
In this blog, I will tell you how we enjoyed Chatakpur. What was our initial overview. How often should I recommend it as a place to visit? I have a plan to write the whole story in an episodic format.
Darjeeling Mail was pretty clean. Our ticket was in Sleeper berth. I wanted to avoid the AC coach because of the safety issue. It was well spread knowledge that coronavirus could thrive in air conditions. Rail stopped providing bedsheets in AC coach. Maybe this is another reason that why many commuters who used to avail AC coach, currently getting their tickets done in a sleeper. The compartment was very clean and got a light smell of sanitizer everywhere. Dipankar da came to the station himself to see us off and wished us a happy journey along with the sanitization kit on behalf of NorthEastTravels.
We sanitized our seat before using. I was a bit worried about the whole process because I was traveling with my kid who is only 5 years old. He wanted to sit in front of the open window. ‘Can I look through ma?’ – My son asked me timidly.
‘Yes baby, you can, but don’t take out your mask and don’t put your fingers in your mouth by mistake.’
‘Sure ma. Another thing, can you stop calling me baby in front of others? Calling Kid or my boy should be ok with me.’
‘Ha ha,’ I laughed out loud. ‘See, I am not forcing you to wear the mask and gloves they provided in the kit, but consider it as a necessity.’
Wearing too much sanitization dress like a mask, gloves, PPE, face shield, headwear was silently snatching the happiness of the trip. I really don’t feel good to receive those kits. It was like a hospital. I memorized how I used to receive roses, goose made by towels on our arrival in hotel rooms and how could I forget the rhododendron juice as a welcome drink in the month of March April. All seems to be a dream now.
The train journey was usual and less disturbed. No hawker, no regular visitor board the train. Everyone in our coach brought dinner from home and the pantry was not bothered, though they asked once if anyone wished to avail their service. Co travelers were good. They didn’t hear the name Chatakpur before. They were all Darjeeling goers. We talked with each other wearing masks and didn’t jump on each other when we got a glimpse of a clear view of Kanchenjunga from the train window.
The train was 30 minutes late which seems to be pretty unusual. Now with lesser number of trains and fewer traffic trains were moving before time if not on the right time.
It was a nice nostalgic feeling when I dragged my trolley bag over the bridge of New Jalpaiguri Station. I already had goosebumps with the clear Kanchenjunga view from my train window. I have never seen this quite clear. It was always a cloudy foggy story for me in my past trips. Dipankar da arranged the car for us. Our driver Darshan was a helpful guy and he proved himself quite was a good choice in the trip. He was waiting with his well-conditioned Xylo in the parking area. We waited for my friends to come. They have followed us in Padatik express which was at the right time.
It was a being a long article but I can’t stop writing verbatim. Let me tell you a few about how I tagged a usual driver good or bad.
1) Of course a good driver should rule the road. I appreciate how a good chauffeur managed to drive on tougher roads.
2) I don’t like the driver to talk too much and interfere in passengers’ discussions. The driver may be a pool of knowledge but he should speak out if was asked. Being a creative person and a calm blogger, I like to spend my time with nature silently. Many of my trips were spoil because of the talkative chauffeur.
3 ) Knowing the possibilities of birds and willing to stop anywhere asked midway, is a plus point for them. I always appreciate those drivers who were frequently deal with birdwatchers. Darshan ji didn’t handle birders before but he was very prompt when we suddenly tell him to stop midway. This is very important in en route birding.
4) Being a good and helpful guy, he helped us with our bags and trolleys.
5) I hate those who picked up their calls while driving.
6) I like the overall smoothness of driving. Too much rush speed and sudden break made the journey awful
So, back to the point. After a quick breakfast in a small roadside restaurant, We reached Chatakpur via Kurseong. We were stuck in some traffic jam due to the political rally. Otherwise, it was a pleasant journey. Chatakpur is situated in the Senchal wildlife sanctuary. We needed to buy the tickets for entering the WLS. It was only Rs. 120/per day per head. The road became unbearable from this point. It was just like a trek route and our driver was pushing the car hardly onto it. I sometimes thought of going there by trekking. In my opinion, trekking proved to be a good choice than a car, though the road is pretty long.
Chatakpur is a small hamlet with nineteen families only. All the people here were running homestay though their primary occupations were farming and grazing. With the help of tourism, they are trying to grow. Their children are now able to get admission to the Catholic schools of Sonada. Chatakpur homestay owner Barsha Rai has a clear view of sustainable tourism.
Things to do in Chatakpur
1) Kanchenjunga view
Chatakpur has a beautiful Kanchenjunga view. If the weather is clear, one can have a magnificent Kanchenjunga view.
2) Sunrise point of Chatakpur
Chatakpur has a sunrise point. It is the highest area of Chatakpur. There is a watchtower. From this place, one can view the beautiful sunrise and how Kanchenjunga looks in different shades. The 360-degree view of the hills can make one spellbound.
3) Village beauty
Chatakpur is a beautiful village. The little houses with lots of greenery can attract the mind of a tourist. One can stroll around the village and talk with villagers, experience their simple daily lives, and get enriched.
4 ) Pukhuri of Chatakpur
There is a small water body in the jungle. Locals call it Pukhuri. The water source is natural. Local people thought that this area is pious. They worship God here. They believed that the God of the forest doesn’t like too much crowd there. It is a good thought for nature too. Many wild animals including boar, bear, deer, etc. come here to have water.
5) Birdwatching in Chatakpur
Chatakpur has a good scope for birdwatching. Here we found many Himalayan birds. The whole area is good for birds. The bird activity depends on different conditions like sunlight, fog, etc.
We got many birds near the homestay, on the way to Pukhuri, near Govt. tourist lodge. I have described all the possible locations along with the bird list.
Black Bulbul 
Rufous Sibia 
Blue Fronted Redstart (F) 
Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher 
Oriental Turtle Dove 
Red Crossbill
| Species | Count |
| Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis) | 8 |
| Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis) | 8 |
| Crested Serpent-Eagle (Spilornis cheela) | 1 |
| Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis) | 1 |
| Rufous-necked Hornbill (Aceros nipalensis) | 4 |
| Great Barbet (Psilopogon virens) | 2 |
| Lesser Yellownape (Picus chlorolophus) | 1 |
| Long-tailed Broadbill (Psarisomus dalhousiae) | 2 |
| Scarlet Minivet (Pericrocotus speciosus) | 8 |
| Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus) | 2 |
| Ashy Drongo (Dicrurus leucophaeus) | 1 |
| Bronzed Drongo (Dicrurus aeneus) | 1 |
| Common Green-Magpie (Cissa chinensis) | 1 |
| Sultan Tit (Melanochlora sultanea) | 2 |
| Himalayan Black-lored Tit (Machlolophus xanthogenys) | 1 |
| Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius) | 2 |
| Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) | 5 |
| Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) | 2 |
| Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) | 4 |
| Himalayan Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucogenys) | 2 |
| Lemon-rumped Warbler (Phylloscopus chloronotus) | 1 |
| Greenish Warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides) | 1 |
| Gray-hooded Warbler (Phylloscopus xanthoschistos) | 1 |
| Whiskered Yuhina (Yuhina flavicollis) | 3 |
| Indian White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosus) | 4 |
| White-browed Scimitar-Babbler (Pomatorhinus schisticeps) | 1 |
| Red-billed Leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea) | 1 |
| Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch (Sitta cinnamoventris) | 1 |
| Velvet-fronted Nuthatch (Sitta frontalis) | 1 |
| Common Hill Myna (Gracula religiosa) | 8 |
| Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) | 5 |
| Verditer Flycatcher (Eumyias thalassinus) | 1 |
| Blue Whistling-Thrush (Myophonus caeruleus) | 2 |
| Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher (Ficedula strophiata) | 1 |
| Taiga Flycatcher (Ficedula albicilla) | 1 |
| Chestnut-bellied Rock-Thrush (Monticola rufiventris) | 2 |
| Fire-breasted Flowerpecker (Dicaeum ignipectus) | 1 |
6) Other places around Chatakpur
Apart from Chatakpur, one can visit Darjeeling, Lamahatta, Takdah, Tinchuley, etc. All the places are very beautiful.
I have made two videos on this in Hindi and Bengali.
I am providing the links here. You can watch to get a glimpse of the tour
Trip to Chatakpur in Bengali
Trip to Chatakpur in Hindi
Birds of Chatakpur in Bengali
Birds of Chatakpur in Hindi
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