Dima – The beautiful lonely local river of Buxa
Cool mountain breeze, green tea gardens, a picturesque hilly road, surrounded by hills covered with fresh green trees – exactly these are the things we experienced first as soon as we disembarked from Kanchan Kanya Express on Alipurduar Junction platform. We took a private car to reach Buxa Jungle Lodge, our first destination in this 7-day tour.
In two of my earlier posts, I have mentioned my experience of Suntalekhola and Chilapata forest here in Tours and Foods. Today, I am going to share my personal experience of visiting Dima River and Buxa Jungle Lodge.
Buxa Jungle Lodge
We took an auto rickshaw from Alipurduar Junction to reach Buxa Jungle Lodge. It is a resort of West Bengal Forest Development Corporation, just 16KM away from Alipurduar junction Station. The road from the station to the lodge was a visual relief for us. The weather also was pleasing; not too hot or not too cold, as that was the month of October and the shivering cold weather was yet to come. We were passing through the same hilly road that we viewed from the station. There were big trees on both sides of the road. The place was noiseless other than the sound of the moving leaves from the surrounding trees.
The entrance of the Buxa Jungle Lodge deserves a special mention. The entry road was clean and well-maintained with fresh green trees on both sides of it.
The lodge was encircled by a beautifully preserved lawn. We found many rare species of flowers and orchids there. One animal that caught my eye there was Squirrel. On a big tree on the front lawn, there was a house of Squirrels. The cute little beasts were busy carrying foods and preserving them for future use. On their way to work; they engage themselves in a little conversation with their neighbors. It was an equally engaging task for me to observe their daily activity so closely.
There was also a little park in the front garden that had a hammock and a swing to entertain the tourists of the lodge. And without any failure it attracted every young member of our team.
The accommodation of the lodge was also kept superbly. The rooms were spacious and airy. All of the rooms had attached baths with every modern amenity and a supply of hot and cold water throughout the day.
River Dima
In the afternoon, the security person of our lodge suggested us to visit the nearby Dima River. River Dima is a thin little local river, only 15 minutes’ walk from Buxa Jungle Lodge.
It was a long walk to Dima through the forests and deserted fields. It was a short walk to Dima as this expedition came to an end in only 15 minutes. We reached the banks of Dima River just at the time of Sunset.
As that was October and the local Monsoon was over, there was very little water in Dima. The banks of the river were covered by sands and stones of different shapes and sizes.
We crossed the river, the water was ankle height. Vast area of the other side of the river was cover by Kans grass (kash fool in Bengali).
Like a little child, we plucked bunch of kans grass and some stones from the bank. Till today, I keep those stones with me; those are my mementos – a special gift from River Dima.
As darkness started to cover us we saw cows of the local farmers went back to their home crossing the river. The sound of their barking and the noises of the bells around their neck added a magical charm to that place.
Dima is not a very famous river and so is free from the chaos and noise of the urban crowd. If you loved nature and loneliness then a short afternoon trip to Dima River is ideal for you.