[saket77]

Originally Posted by shuvc

Went on a solo drive to this place. Impulsive.

Debarshi, thanks for the impeccable directions :-). There are now a couple of small direction boards pointing towards 'Deul' at the last right and left turns. It's a lovely drive. More so since I went with my good old friend, the Baleno !

Didn't stay. It was a day trip.

+1. Its a very lovely place to be. However, the fun would have been doubled if you would have stayed over and watched the beatiful sunset & sunrise at Deul resort. I was there in January coupling the trip with Shantiniketan. Posting a few pictures of my trip.

[debarshim]

Originally Posted by shuvc

Went on a solo drive to this place. Impulsive.

Debarshi, thanks for the impeccable directions :-). There are now a couple of small direction boards pointing towards 'Deul' at the last right and left turns. It's a lovely drive. More so since I went with my good old friend, the Baleno !

Didn't stay. It was a day trip.

Thanks :-) ... Yes it can surely be a day trip as well. You can plan a stay though during the mela there - the total atmosphere changes. Good that they have posted signs now. No more places to stay have come up I suppose. The last part with the 'Moramer Raasta' red colored road was just magnificent.

[shuvc]

Originally Posted by debarshim

You can plan a stay though during the mela there - the total atmosphere changes. Good that they have posted signs now. No more places to stay have come up I suppose.

Went back and stayed overnight with family a couple of weeks later. Huge picnic crowd at the park.

Right. No other places to stay. And the loos at this resort were disappointing to say the least. Overall very basic setup, but still a nice drive plus quiet low cost getaway. T-bhp meets would be fun there :-)

[mr.sinha]

Originally Posted by debarshim

...
The most important activity to my liking is that – I was able to take “Red Rackham” on a true four wheeling experience. Red Rackham is our most beloved Mitsubishi Pajero. In the morning, we took it for a spin on the riverbed of Ajoy river. While climbing a small sand dune, I came to realize why the 4LLC mode has been provided in the Pajero. See the pictures for the rest of the story.

Stumbled upon this thread today and also followed the link to Sudipto's Deul thread. Thank you Debarshi and Sudipto for the travelogues and photographs. I will be planning a weekend trip there with the family soon.

Debarshi,
ever since I bought a modest 4wd a month ago, I have been itching for some 4-wheeling action somewhere nearby. North Bengal and Ladakh need longer vacations, and I was looking for somewhere nearby to turn the knob to 4L. Your post here has given me ideas.
Any other places nearby Kolkata you know of for off-roading?

[debarshim]

Mr. Sinha,
You can consider the following options:

1. Gangani - From Kharagpur about 50 kms towards Raniganj.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbeta
You can get help from 1100D.

2. Don't try the deul or Ajoy river now. You can try that in winter.

3. We have our own track at Rajarhat - one just beyong Infospace another after the Tata Eden Housing Complex. That is a slush track in the rainy season. You can try that. But please get a back-up vehicle for towing you out :-)

Originally Posted by mr.sinha

Any other places nearby Kolkata you know of for off-roading?

[mr.sinha]

Thanks Debarshi.

I have been to Gangani before (over 25 years ago) riding pillion on my cousin's Rajdoot. There are a lot of cashew trees there, or there used to be at that time. My uncle's house is in Garbeta, and its been a while since I visited them. Maybe I should plan a trip there soon.

The Rajarhat track sounds promising. I work in Infospace anyway. If you folks plan some off-roading again there, let me know and I will join.

[debarshim]

Will surely call you when we go there - better after some heavy rain. Please PM me your phone#.

This year we have not yet started these off-roading sessions. Last year we had at least 4-5 mud-ploughing sessions and it was great fun. I am trying to plan something for 26th / 27th of this month in the afternoon.

Originally Posted by mr.sinha

Thanks Debarshi.

The Rajarhat track sounds promising. I work in Infospace anyway. If you folks plan some off-roading again there, let me know and I will join.