Puja and long-weekend cars go early. Book your date now.
travel guide
A two day trip is a different thing from a day trip. You can go 120 to 180 km out, sleep one night, and see the place properly in the morning light instead of at noon. All eight of these work as a Saturday morning to Sunday night trip by road, with no train tickets and no flight.
travel guide
travel guide
Distances are road distances from central Kolkata, checked on road routing data.
The road part is short, the boat part is the trip. Car to Godkhali jetty, then a launch for two days through the creeks. Tiger sightings are luck, but the birds, the crabs and the silence are not.
Tent stays on a sandy island, no concrete hotels, and the sea on one side with a river on the other. The last stretch is a small crossing, so keep your luggage light. Not for people who need an air conditioner.
The nearest sea beach where you can actually walk for a kilometre without a shop. Henry Island, 14 km away, has the watchtower and the mangrove walk that most day visitors miss.
Easiest weekend for a family with grandparents. Clean rooms inside the campus, food arranged, the temple at both the morning and evening arati, and the Ganga in front. Nabadwip is a ferry ride across.
Terracotta temples from the Malla kings, all within a few kilometres of each other, plus Baluchari saris and the Dalmadal cannon. Take a local guide at the Rasmancha, otherwise the carvings are just brick to you.
Best on a Saturday, because of the Sonajhuri khoai mela in the afternoon. Add Kankalitala and the Kopai river, and Tarapith is 60 km further if you want the temple too.
Mandarmani if you want hotels on the sand and a crowd, Tajpur 20 km away if you want the same sea with fewer people. Do not drive on the beach at high tide, whatever the hotel boy says.
Sal forest, the Jhargram Rajbari, Chilkigarh Kanak Durga temple and the Dulung river. From here Belpahari and Kankrajhor are another 40 km if you want the hills the next morning.
For a normal weekend, four or five days ahead is enough. For a long weekend, Christmas week, 31 December, Holi or the Puja days, the beaches and Sundarban launches go three to four weeks earlier, and whatever is left is priced badly. If you want a specific tent camp at Mousuni or a launch with attached bathrooms in the Sundarban, tell us early and we hold it.
Ask for the whole thing in one line: car for two days, driver staying with you, all tolls and parking, and the hotel if you want us to arrange it. That way nobody argues on Sunday evening about a night halt charge. We put the full amount in writing on WhatsApp before you leave, and it does not change afterwards.
travel guide
Small things that decide whether the day is good or tiring.
Leave Kolkata before 6.30am on Saturday. After 8am the Kona Expressway and the Basanti Road both add an hour.
For Sundarban and Mousuni, keep one soft bag per person. Both involve a boat and a short walk with your luggage.
Book the return with a buffer. Sunday evening traffic back into the city is worse than the whole outward drive.
Road distances and drive times here are checked on road routing data and then widened for real traffic. Timings, ferry hours and entry rules change with the season, so ask us the day before you go and we will tell you what the road is like that week.
travel guide
These are the trips on our list that match this guide. Pickup is from your gate.
travel guide
A day trip works best when the car reaches you early, from your own side of town.
questions
Sundarban and Shantiniketan. In the Sundarban the creeks are calm from November and the birds are at their best, and Shantiniketan has the Sonajhuri mela and Poush Mela weather. The beaches are also pleasant, but that is when they are most crowded.
For two people it is usually not. For four or more it usually is, once you add the return tickets, the autos at both ends and the sightseeing car you would hire there anyway. Send us the number of people and we will tell you honestly which way works out better for your group.
Yes. On a two day trip the same driver and car stay with you, so the car is there for the sunrise and for a change of plan. His stay and food are counted in the amount we quote, not asked for later.
not sure yet? send the date anyway. If we cannot do it, we will say so.
Travel guides
want a car for it
Send the date and how many people are going. We tell you which car fits, when the car should start, and the full price in writing before you decide.
