A guided walk in a Rabha forest village

The Rabha are an indigenous community of the Dooars and western Assam, with their own language and customs. Around Chilapata and Kodalbasti, Rabha forest villages were set up as settlements of forest workers in the colonial era, and people still depend on the forest for fuel and fodder. Eco-tourism projects run with the forest department aim to give them income from visitors instead.

A walk takes you past homes of bamboo, mud and tin, kitchen gardens of betel, banana and vegetables, and community spaces. Your guide can explain how families protect crops and homes from elephants with watch platforms, fences and noise at night, and how the forest is used and protected. If invited for tea, accept; it is the polite thing to do.

Go only with a guide from the community, arranged through your lodge or the forest eco-tourism office, and pay the agreed fee. Ask before photographing anyone, do not hand out sweets or money to children, and do not enter homes unless invited. Keep the group small.