Dooars & Terai · Eastern Himalaya & Brahmaputra Belt
Terrain and eco-zones
Subtropical and very wet. Between 3,000 and 4,000 mm falls in most of the belt, almost all of it from June to September, and the foothills wring an extra share out of every system that reaches them. Winters are dry and misty with nights around 8–10 °C; April and May are hot, humid and prone to violent pre-monsoon squalls off the hills.
Landforms
Bhabar — the upper gravel apron where rivers sink into their own coarse bed and run undergroundTerai — the lower zone where that water resurfaces as springs, marsh and swamp forestBraided river fans with wide shingle beds that shift channel in a single flood seasonRiverine tall-grass savanna, the habitat that made the rhino population possibleSal and mixed moist deciduous forest, and the Buxa hills rising abruptly at the eastern endTea gardens laid out on the fan surfaces between forest blocks, with drainage channels cut across the slope
Rivers and waters
Teesta — the largest, emerging from the hills at Sevoke and immediately braiding across its own fanTorsa, Jaldhaka, Raidak and Sankosh — the Bhutan-fed rivers that give the eastern Dooars its shapeMahananda, Balason and Mechi in the TeraiMurti, Diana, Neora and Jayanti as forest streams, mostly dry shingle in winterKaljani and Dima around Alipurduar
Through the year
| Season | Months | Typical | What it is like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | November–February | 8–25 °C | The dry season, the best wildlife viewing and the season of the haats, Poush Sankranti pithe and Tusu immersion. Grass is burned in patches in the reserves to bring on new growth. |
| Pre-monsoon | March–May | 20–35 °C | Hot and close, with squalls. The first tea flush is plucked and the gardens go into their heaviest labour cycle; Sarhul is observed as the sal comes into flower. |
| Monsoon | June–September | 25–33 °C | Rivers change channel, roads and rail wash out, and the forests close to visitors. It is also the growing season that makes the region's tea volume, and the season of Karam. |
| Post-monsoon | October | 20–31 °C | Clear air, the hills visible from the plain for the first time in months, and Durga Puja and Dasain in the same weeks. |
Best time to visitMid-October to March. The forest divisions close to tourism through the monsoon and part of the breeding season, so confirm dates with the forest department before planning around a safari.
The climate, landforms, rivers and seasons of Dooars & Terai, and the best time of year to visit. (4)