Sometimes, I find people grumbling not having too many weekend destinations nearby the city Kolkata. However, I feel this type of presumption comes to play in mind when one remains unaware about the surroundings and its suburbs. This has made me come up with an exciting, interesting and peaceful weekend destination locating close to Kolkata, West Bengal. The Piyali Island lures people to come, enjoy and spent some time in peace in the sphere of nature. It is also the one of the many entrances to the Sundarban mangrove forest. Therefore, often, people travelling to the Sundarban do not mind relaxing here for some time in the midst of their journey. The Sudhanyakhali, the Netidhopani and the Sajnekhali connects with the Piyali through the waterways. Piyali, a small river, mixes with the Matla river at the Piyali Island.
How to get there
It locates only 78 kilometres away from the metropolitan city, Kolkata, in the West Bengal state. It takes around two and a half hours by road from Kolkata to get there. There are many roads route to reach there, (depending on the place where one starts from Kolkata). The most common way would be via the Baruipur, Gocharan and the Dhosa. Alternatively, one board the Lakhikantapur Local from the Sealdah Station (South Section) and get down at the Barasat Station. One needs to journey another 24 kilometres in a trekker from the station.
Attractions and activities
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| View of the Piyali river at dusk |
One could enjoy a boat ride at the vast expanse of the river viewing the surrounding greenery on both the sides. The vast expanse of green paddy fields share the pleasure of calmness and tranquillity with the visitors. The beautiful surrounding gears up the inner spirit to relax in the rural ambiance far away from the boredom of city life. Though one may trip the place at any time of the year, but the best time to trip is between October to March. During winter, different types of migratory birds flock in the region. The beautiful charisma of the Piyali river at the dawn touches the soul.
Moreover, during the high tide of the moon lit night, the view of the shinning waters of the river could stay in one's sweet memory for a long time. Furthermore, one may also plan to visit the nearby places like Kaikhali (around 17 kilometres from here) and the Jharkhali. Learn more about the Kaikhali, its attractions/activities and how to get there from the website.
Lodging
For a cosy stay at the Piyali, the Piyali Island Tourist Lodge available for the visitors. The lodge has the plenty of double bedrooms with suitable infrastructure to suffice the needs of the visitors (around 19 double bedrooms). The rent per room is RS 850 and the cost of food is RS 350 per day.