If you want to explore Kolkata, more precisely it will take more than a couple of weeks. As the capital of British India, Kolkata is the city of the mansion. If you are like to be a student of history, our specialised guide will escort you to explain the story of Shahebpara, black-town, i.e. north Calcutta, Chinatown, Bow barracks and different Rajbari(palaces) etc. To know the history of Imperial Calcutta, a walking tour through the Esplanade area is most common. Apart from that, if you want to touch the history of Native Calcutta, you must experience a storytelling Kolkata tour that starts from Bentinck Street. WhistleStop is also ready to provide you some sort of different Kolkata walk-tours, like a walk along Chitpur road: longest street market, walking experience though open-air book market, i.e. College Street etc along with our paneled Specialised Guide. Kolkata city tour by public or private transports is not the end, in the evening country boat ride on the Ganges of Kolkata may make your journey unforgetable. After tht you may proceed to Bonochhaya: sundarban offbeat homestay to explore man and nature.
Bonochhaya
A unit of WhistleStop
Distance – 110 km from Kolkata
Location – Tridibnagar, Jharkhali, 24 parganas (south, Sundarban
Special interest tours like evening sunset boating with Folk performance, interaction with local craftman and purchasing utility products directly from them, archeological museum visit etc are also available.
The very common understanding is that Sundarban is the best choice to visit/travel because it is the only place where you can get Mangrove and Royal Bengal Tiger altogether. But in a broader spectrum, Sundarban is the only region where you can observe nature, i.e. a different variety of flora fauna, can feel an uncanny sensation at the time of Sundarban Jungle Safari when sailing through narrow creeks, can also experience folk cultural tradition and post-colonial history. If you are a nature lover then Sundarban is a good choice, If you want a family trip or honeymoon tour Sundarban is the best option within your budget. At the same time if you want to give a learning experience to your kids about folk cultural heritage, culm and quiet village life and nature then Sundarban will be your obvious choice.
We know it’s easy to get information about Sundarban Delta from Google, Wikipedia, or lonely planet, but there are many things left to experience. So it’s unique not only for tigers, but it’s also an experience to know the facts and stories of Sundarban: man-nature-mangrove and delta through the lens of local folk.
From Google or dictionary, one can easily find the meaning of Homestays, ie, the owner must reside within the establishment and it’s a stay where a maximum 06 number of rooms can be letting out or sharing the same kitchen with the host family and exchange of culture and handicrafts are the main features bla bla bla..
But as per our understanding, if you decide that for your next tour you will spend a couple of nights in homestays, it may be in Coorg, or Kerala, or West Bengal and Sikkim/Darjeeling, before you go, you must learn some good practices, as there is no rule book.
First of all for your homestay visit be polite, respectful, and understandable, because you may face a communication problem with the local people. When you are visiting homestays to understand local rituals and ethnicity, be patient and don’t disturb them at the time of prayers and meditations. Most importantly for your tours in homestays be careful about the culture of the region. At the time of your West Bengal visit, you will find some homestays near Kolkata in Birbhum, Nadia, Purulia, Bardhaman, and the Sundarban area. Similarly, some memorable homestays at North Bengal are Pabong, Barmik, Kolakham, Reshikhola, and in Sikkim & Dooars region. Bonochhaya is one of the best homestay in Bengle. Homestay tour is really a journey to know the cultural heritage, cuisine, handicraft, and livelihoods of a region and people in an eco-friendly and sustainable way.
Bengle is popularly mentioned as ‘the soft corner of India’, we can provide experiential tourism services to our guests. Bengalese are fond of festivals. “Baro mashe tero parbon” means Bengalese have 13 festivals in twelve months, i.e. in a year. So to explore local festivals you have enough options in West Bengal and in such an experiential tour, we have plenty of scopes to learn and explore the cultural heritage of Bengal. Aul-Baul festival, Chhou Dance performance along with a mask, Alkaf and Bhatiyali song, Raibeshey dance and Bhawaiya song and so many others are here to mention as Bengali cultural inheritance. Near Kolkata, there are some villages where every family is engaged in handloom or making boats or making clay dolls(like Natungram for Wooden Doll, Aushgram for Kantha stitch, Dariyapur for Dokra work, Charida village for Chhou mask making, Pingla and Sabong for Patochhitro painiting etc). To experience their history, culture, or life you have to just cross the border of Kolkata. ‘Bonbibi Jatra Pala’ of Sundarban is just telling the story of the political and socio-cultural evolution of this area and people. Whistle Stop: trtavel desk of Bonochhaya may help you to experience all those hidden treasure of Bengal.
Dooars is situated in the Northern part of West Bengal on the Foothills of the Himalayas, i.e. the Terai region. Tista River to Sankosh River is the boundary of popularly known Dooars in North Bengal. Dooars is well connected with every metropolitan city of India via Bagdogra Airport and New Jalpaiguri(NJP) Railway Station.
Dooars, ie Garumara National Park, Jaldapara National Park and Buxa Tiger Reserve, is the paradise of more or less 70 species of mammals, 400 species of birds, 40 species of reptiles, and 100 species of butterflies. To the animal lovers not only the Assam, but Dooars tour is also famous for One Horn Rhinoceros sighting. In your Dooars tour schedule must reserve one or two slots for Jeep Safari or Elephant Ride which are also known as Jungle Safari or watchtower visit. Though Tea Tourism in Dooars is a new keyword, it’s very interesting to observe plantations and stay at a luxurious British Colonial Tea Bungalow. Another dimension of Dooars tours is to experience the cultural heritage and handicrafts of the indigenous community and spends your nights in homestays at different tribal villages, like Toto para, Chhoto Salkumar, Kodal basti, Raimatang etc.
By the mid-nineteenth century, the British were looking for a region for tea plantations. They had chosen Darjeeling or old Gorkha station and with immediate effect, they managed to build 170 tea gardens over there. Gorkha, Lepcha, Limbus etc. were the indigenous people of this region.
For these reasons in the Darjeeling tour, you may experience colonial heritage history and some tea tourism bungalows not less than 150 years old. For your tour in Darjeeling tea garden visit and tea plantation observation is a necessary value-added component. But as the main segment of the population is tribal, so in different parts of Darjeeling district, you may find tribal homestays at Shitong, Rishop, Kaliz valley, Batasia loop, Kharsong, Latpanchar, Mongpu, and many other places. In homestays, you may experience not only their culture, heritage, and cuisines, but also as they are located in some exotic locations, you may enjoy the cynic beauty and loneliness of pine jungle and snow-capped mountain Kanchenzangha. So as a destination in your tour at Darjeeling it’s a unique blend of luxury and simplicity of homestays, the sunset behind the snow-capped mountain and colonial lifestyle of heritage stays. If you club Kalimpong and Sikkim or Jungle belt of North Bengal (Garumara, Chapramari, Jaldapara, and Buxa forest area) with your Darjeeling visit itinerary, then nothing like it. It will be an unique tour to Darjeeling for you and your family.
To the British, Gangtok was a stopover point for trade to Tibet and China. But for the ethnicity and beauty of Sikkim, the total region was gradually emerged as a tourist destination. When and how the “Top of the Hill”, i.e. Gangtok well known for an administrative city, transformed into a tourist destination the only god knows. From some parts of Sikkim, like Ravangla, Gazzing, Kaluk, Rinchenpong, and Legship Kanchenzonga is clearly visible, so keep these destinations in your Sikkim Gangtok tour schedule. Two additional days along with your tour to Gangtok, may give you a heritage stay experience if you add Takda in your next tour to Sikkim. From Padamchen, Nathang and Zuluk, actually in the entire Silk route tour you will just enjoy the cynic beauty and hospitality of local folk at the time of stay at homestays. To experience height and snow or adventure we can offer much more at the time of your visit to Sikkim. If you want to listen, from every nook and corner of Sikkim, you can find the story of monks and the history of Buddhist inheritance.
Close your eyes and imagine a world where only you and your family are pitching a tent and cooking your stuff. It’s only possible if you avail an individual trek or trail. For adventure when you are along with us, it is quite possible that you may spend two nights in Nayachar and give an experience to your kids that how to make a tent house. You will get a separate kitchen to explore Bengali cuisine, not only that as a value-added experience you may enjoy sky watching or dolphin and fox tracking within wildness. In Bangle we have many places for soft adventurs.
We believe trekking from Buxa to Adma or white water rafting on Tista or trekking in Himachal or Nepal will help to build the perception of togetherness within the family members.
You may explore Bangladesh with us in a different way. If you can manage to give us some clues about your ancestral house in Bangladesh, we will definitely find it out for your Bangladesh Tour and it helps you to experience the awesome feeling to return to your ‘Desher Bari’, and I promise your parents will love to remember the past.
To experience Royal inheritance, Bhutan and Nepal tours will be the best choice for everyone. For an experience, you may explore Candy of Sri Lanka as a mountain city. Tribal tour for Indonesia or for corporate segment Singapore and Malaysia Tour is unforgettable. Isn’t it? No doubt Andaman is just paradise for water sports lovers.
Bonochhaya is an offbeat eco-homestay in the heart of Sundarbans, offering authentic village life experiences, guided mangrove safaris, and soulful hospitality. Just a few hours from Kolkata, we connect travelers with nature, culture, and the unique charm of the world’s largest mangrove forest. Stay with us for sustainable tourism, local food, and unforgettable Sundarban memories.
Address
Jharkhali, Tridipnagar,
Basanti, Lot No 126,
West Bengal 743312
