[oxyzen]

There is a real paucity of weekend getaways from Kolkata specially during the scorching summer heat. While Purulia & Midnapore are being notorious for temp upto 45C, the sea beach and river banks can suffocate you with 100% humidity. So finally it was the river bank. The place is called Geonkhali. Situated at the confluence of Rupnarayan & Hooghly. For people looking for a long trip will be disappointed. It is a mere 130 KM from Kolkata.
Development in Geonkhali is due to the establishments of water treatment tanks. It is responsible for supplying fresh water to Haldia, since water over there is saline.



The tour had an awkward start at the petrol pump where the auto cut feature did not work and that resulted in diesel spilling all over the place. With 75% of fuel tank already filled it drank 15L. I had a sense of foreboding that something's wrong. And at 17.5L the inevitable happened.
The road condition is excellent till nandakumar circle. Though the traffic didn't allow to exceed speeds of 120. Route is pretty straight forward. People traveling with a smart phone should face no problems regarding routes now a days. There are a few kms after the final point. Google maps do not have that updated.




Once you reach geonkhali you will be more than satisfied with the long road running next to the river. It is simply a wonderful place to be around. Drive down by the road if you want, walk by the river if that is what you like. Over and above this is one of the places that are not crowded. Atleast not yet. Cars are rare. Van-rickshaw and cycles are prevalent. Don't be too much amazed at the natural beauty while driving. You can land straight into the river.



The resort offers a heaven of peace & serenity away from the bustle of the city. It is the location of the resort that is great. It looks nice from the outside. Staff is good & Friendly. It is a bit low on maintenance. The room are not exactly very clean. However AC forks fine and for a stay of 1 day one has to manage. In fact it is the only resort in the area. So looking for other options is futile. There are 6 rooms. 3 on ground floor and 3 on 1st floor. There is no point coming here unless you have a reservation on 1st floor.


The back side of the resort is also excellent. Though not that properly maintained, it is still a place where you can spend hours admiring nature's beauty. There is a large pool, lots of trees around a few wretched boats. Nice.



The oil burner.


Fishing is a prime occupation. No fishes here. Prawn babies. These are so small that it is difficult to spot from a distance. Length may be 1/2 cm. Sells for 25p a piece. Then these are cultivated artificially.



Another shot at the road. Do go out for a refreshing morning walk. The lazy-bones inside of me kept me away.

[oxyzen]

The name water tank may sound boring but trust me this is one place you would not like to miss. It is not advisable to be there after sunset if you are alone. But before nightfall there is nothing to be worried about. There are several tanks that are fed with water, they are kept exposed to sunlight. Some chemicals are also added for sedimentation. Very few people will be there by the tanks. Complete solitude. Only you will find some cattle grazing.



It is water everywhere. The roads between the tanks are awesome.


I cant think of any better diving spot.



A sunset pic.



There are plenty of wretched launches/steamers by the river. Can check them out as well if you have time.


Typical west Bengal


A trip to the other side of the river. Gadiara. The 3rd side is Nurpur.

Boats are available for crossing the river.
These are diesel powered. I6 configuration.
Max speed reached 12kmph. Hence it takes around 15 min to cross the river.
It makes quite a racket. You might like to sit away from the engine.
People use this transport for regular activities.

[oxyzen]

Haldia is not very far away from Geonkhali. But the route is a bit tricky. Google maps cant guide you here. Hence you have to get detailed directions for the shortcuts from the locals to reach Haldia. There is quite a distance between villages, where there is no concrete roads. Needless to say we did not find any other cars on that route. The roads are extremely narrow at places and two cars from either side is impossible. Even cycles from the other side had a hard time passing by the car.


The route through the center of a village.


This is the Haldia Bhawan. Reservations is difficult to get unless you know someone. But the facility, the maintenance is pretty good.


This is neither a river nor the sea. Soothing wind blowing right in your face while sitting on chairs next to the bank is something that you will cherish for a long time. No annoying crowd here. Infact people are rare. This is the route for ships coming to Calcutta or even Haldia.


A small dock. This place is visible from the Hotel balcony as well. This ship was there all night with lights on. A superb nightview. Unfortunately the old Digicam failed to capture it.


You can also Visit the Haldia Docs. You will need permission though from the respective authority.

It was an interesting 2 days trip. One night at Geonkhali and one night at Haldia.
The funny thing is after the return the car still had 75% fuel remaining. That is the Fun of Diesel.
Lower running cost as well as amazing Range. On highways this car can easily do 800Km without a refill.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues Forum. Thanks for sharing!

[hvkumar]

Great getaway from Kolkata!
Does it take you 2-3 hours from Howrah?
I am sure there must be ferry crossings at this point?
Contact/ tariff details of the resort please?

[oxyzen]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Great getaway from Kolkata!
Does it take you 2-3 hours from Howrah?
I am sure there must be ferry crossings at this point?
Contact/ tariff details of the resort please?

It should take 2 hours without a break.
To reach Geonkhali you don't need any ferry crossings.
Neither do you need one to reach in Haldia.

Tarrif was somewhere around 1000 for Geonkhali and 750 for Haldia Bhawan.
I will post the complete details later. Haldia Bhawan is subsidized.
Overall budget was around 1500 for each including all meals.

[Joy]

Nice getaway from Kolkata. Heard of it before but never seen it's picture. Thanks for posting your experience.

Can you give us more details on how to book the facilities from Kolkata?

Thanks in advance.

[souravdebiswas]

Not to hijack this thread, but Haldia is an amazing place to visit from Kolkata. I had visited in 2006 and stayed at Haldia Bhavan. Thanks to my father-in-law who was an advocate and representing the local MP on some matter. The location of Haldia Bhavan was superb. I remember there wasnt any other hotel around. But close by there are some hotels next to the river, but not as isolated as Haldia Bhavan. Loved the river bank. Havent seen a better river bank. The rooms were huge with king size beds. And they served us special food with freshly caught hilsa, prawns, pomfret and some other fish which I have no idea about. It was so quiet, peaceful, especially in the morning. Hardly any people around. Here are some picture. And yes, that ship next to the riverbank was transferring crude oil.

[rahul4640]

Please let me know the name of the resort in Geonkhali. Is it possible to send money in advance to get a reservation in Haldia Bhawan? Did you visit Mahishadal too?
Rahul

[oxyzen]

Originally Posted by souravdebiswas

Not to hijack this thread, but Haldia is an amazing place to visit from Kolkata. I had visited in 2006 and stayed at Haldia Bhavan. Thanks to my father-in-law who was an advocate and representing the local MP on some matter. The location of Haldia Bhavan was superb. I remember there wasnt any other hotel around. But close by there are some hotels next to the river, but not as isolated as Haldia Bhavan. Loved the river bank. Havent seen a better river bank. The rooms were huge with king size beds. And they served us special food with freshly caught hilsa, prawns, pomfret and some other fish which I have no idea about. It was so quiet, peaceful, especially in the morning. Hardly any people around. Here are some picture. And yes, that ship next to the riverbank was transferring crude oil.

Feel free to post pictures and share your experinces and make this thread more interesting. It is not just my trip. It is anybody's trip to Haldia and Geonkhali. All are welcome. Specially the one with photos are excellent to have.
The river bank is definately the best I have seen so far. So is the Haldia bhawan. We also had prawns. Freshly caught! This place is worth visiting again.

Originally Posted by rahul4640

Please let me know the name of the resort in Geonkhali. Is it possible to send money in advance to get a reservation in Haldia Bhawan? Did you visit Mahishadal too?
Rahul

Originally Posted by Joy

Can you give us more details on how to book the facilities from Kolkata?
Thanks in advance.

Right now I am out of town. But surely I will post the phone nos. for the resort (triveni sangam tourist complex) once I get home.
Regarding Haldia bhawan you need some official document or Jugaad.

I did visit Mahishadal. Nothing much to see though. An old Rajbari. Nothing fancy.

[oxyzen]

Here comes the details you all have been waiting for.

Accomodation at Geonkhali
Triveni sangam tourist complex
Rudkumar Bhoumik: 9732805781.
Can book on phone. No advance hassle or stuffs.

[rahul4640]

Thanks Oxygen and Souravdebiswas,
Both of you had inspired me to have a weekend trip to Haldia. The accommodation is indeed great at Haldia Bhawan. I shall also mention that the quality of food served there was good yet inexpensive.
The view from the balcony was itself great! The bottom picture is a view of the river taken from the balcony.
However Oxygen, I could not locate the narrow road you mentioned, connecting Geonkhali with Haldia. I instead drove to a place called Kapashberia, as instructed by the locals, which connects Mahishadal to NH 41. NH 41 is in pretty decent shape, so driving was a pleasure. Thanks for mentioning about these two places, enjoyed both days of my staying.
Regards,
Rahul Biswas
Calcutta.

[oxyzen]

Originally Posted by rahul4640

However Oxygen, I could not locate the narrow road you mentioned, connecting Geonkhali with Haldia. I instead drove to a place called Kapashberia, as instructed by the locals, which connects Mahishadal to NH 41. NH 41 is in pretty decent shape, so driving was a pleasure.

Have you visited Geonkhali? Did you stay there for a day?
The narrow road is a shortcut to NH41 from geonkhali. The details was provided by the people in Geonkhali resort.

We also took the same road via kabaseria to visit mahishadal. ANd yes the NH41 was a pleasure to drive on.

Do post some more pictures.

[rahul4640]

Originally Posted by oxyzen

Have you visited Geonkhali? Did you stay there for a day? The narrow road is a shortcut to NH41 from geonkhali. The details was provided by the people in Geonkhali resort.
Do post some more pictures.

Yes, I visited Geonkhali. But when I contacted at the phone number given by you, I was told that all rooms at the upper floor were having reservations. So I decided to stay at Haldia Bhawan and come back and see both Mahishadal and Geonkhali on the second day.
Excellent view from the balcony:-


A view of the small jetty on river Haldi at dusk:-

One of the two lions guarding the stairs of entrance at Mahishadal palace, one at each side. Only if they were properly painted, polished and cleaned!
A view of the "Oil jetty No.-3" of Haldia port, as seen from the riverbank.

The resort at Geonkhali. We did not go inside, as we went straight to the nearby bungalow of PHE (Public Health Engineering) department.
Thanks a lot once again. At least two of my friends have already shown interest to visit these places, when I told them about my small weekend trip.
Regards,
Rahul Biswas