New Jalpaiguri is a sister city of the city of Siliguri in India?s state of West Bengal. Jalpaiguri, the divisional headquarter of north Bengal has its special importance in repsect of tourism, forest, hills, tea gardens, scenic beauty and a wide variety of tribes. Jalpaiguri is derived from the word "jalpai" means "olive" in Bengali which grew in the town and were seen even in 1900. The suffix "guri" means a place. The name is also associated with Jalpesh, the presiding deity (Shiva) of the entire region. The district situated in the northern part of West Bengal has international borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh in the North and South respectively and borders with Assam and Darjeeling hills in the East, West and Northwest. The town is popularly known by its acronym NJP. It is located at a distance of 16 kms from Siliguri. The city is also a major junction for supplies and goods for the state of Sikkim.It is said when Huien Tsang visited Assam, a major portion of today?s Jalpaiguri was a part of the kingdom of Kamrupa which then apparently extended up to river Karatoya in the west. From time immemorial this land remaimed a pristine creation. Covered with dense forest and riverine grassland, Jalpaiguri was the harbour of one of the richest bounties of Wild Life. It had seen the arrival of various Indo-Mongoloid tribes who came in to settle in this fertile land. Most of them continue to live here even today. The Languages Spoken here are Hindi, Bengali, English & Nepali.

Best For:

The toy Train which runs from New Jalpaiguri/Silguri to Darjeeling is the best feature of this place. Apart from this, the products made of Cane are also very good buys here.

The weather here is pleasant throughout. April – mid June and mid September-November are the best times to visit. Recommended Clothing for the place is light cottons in summers & light woollens in winters. (Umbrellas and raincoats are always useful.)

Passport valid for a minimum of six months and a valid Indian visa is required  for foreign tourists.

There are but few attractions to see in New Jalpaiguri. The toy train coming from Siliguri is some thing which is liked by the elders and the children equally. This train passes through the Forests, waterfalls, over deep valleys & through the mountains & tunnels. It is one of the most famous of the little trains that links New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling. The 86km line with a two feet gauge, makes the Darjeeling Hill Railway the narrowest of the narrow gauges. The New Jalpaiguri - Siliguri Town - Siliguri Junction stops, at the lower end of the famous Darjeeling Himalayan Railway has arguably the world?s most complex history of changing gauges and routes. The wild life sanctuary of Jaldhapara is also interesting. The best season to visit this park is between October and May. During this time the new grass comes up and animals are out in the open. The sanctuary has elephants, deers, tigers and other animals but the main attraction are the Rhinos which are threatened by the poachers. The interesting colorful markets at New Jalpaiguri are again good places to see, where one can get a feel of the local culture.

Nearby Places:

Some of the nearby places to New Jalpaiguri are all well known tourist destinations such as:  Siliguri -4 km , Gangtok-114 km , Pelling -137km, Kalimpong -74 km , Mirik -56 km & Kurseong-55 kms.

New Jalpaiguri is well connected by Air, Rail and Road from any part of the country. Air travel is available upto Bagdogra ( Siliguri ) and from there it is well connected by a 58 km. road to NJP. The airport is 12km west of Siliguri. Trains can be availed upto Jalpaiguri / Jalpaiguri Road  or New Jalpaiguri Stn. Siliguri Junction railway station and New Jalpaiguri railway station are 8km apart with Siliguri town railway station between them. One can get the toy train from any of these stations.

The towns of Siliguri and New Jalpaiguri are connected by one long north–south road called Tenzing Norgay Road. By road the city is well connected with rest of the country.

By Air:

The Bagadogra Airport is 12kms West of Silguri. It is well connected with Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati; which in turn are well connected to the rest of the country.

By Rail:

The main railway station is located in New Jalpaiguri which is 8km south of Siliguri. New Jalpaiguri is a major railway junction linking north eastern India to the rest of the country. The station has all three gauges — broad gauge — linking regular rail traffic between Assam and other parts of India, narrow gauge — The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway — a World Heritage Site connecting it with the hill station of Darjeeling and the metre gauge which connects parts of Assam and used as local rail services.

By Road:

New Jalpaiguri is well connected by Roads with all the cities in India. Jeeps, Mini Buses & Land rovers are available on hire for the nearby tourist destinations and are popular modes of transport. The state transports run buses from Kolkata and other nearby places. The private operators also have their buses.

Local Transport:

Taxis, auto-rickshaws, bike rickshaws are the common modes of local transport apart from the Vans, Jeeps, Sumos in New Jalpaiguri. There are a few buses between Siliguri and New Jalpaiguri too. One can get a shared jeep outside the Tenzing Norgay bus station and at the taxi stand on Sevoke Road. Shared jeeps go to Darjeeling , Mirik, Kalimpong & to Gangtok .

New Jalpaiguri has a number of good places for tourists to stay. Some of them are, Siliguri Lodge, Rajasthan Guest House, Hotel Mount View, Hotel Chancellor, Hotel Baidanath, Hotel Vinayak, Hotel Sinclairs, Hotel Skylark & Hotel Conclave.

New Jalpaiguri is mostly an overnight transit point where tourists stay to proceed to the other eastern tourist destinations of India. It provides a good stopover, good meals, great shopping & a glimpse of the snowy peaks of the Himalayas too.