The 58 gate lock
The reason the place exists: a long barrage across the Damodar with the wide river on the other side. Walk along it in the morning before the crowd arrives.
travel guide
Garchumuk: the 58 gate, a deer park and a picnic ground
Garchumuk, in Howrah district, is where the Damodar joins the Hooghly, and the 58 gate lock sits across the water. For Kolkata it is the picnic ground: open fields, a small deer and animal park, snack stalls in season and room to park a bus. It is 55 km from the city, 68 km from Barrackpore, and from mid December to the end of January it is full every Sunday.
travel guide
The short version
- Road distance from Kolkata
- 55 km
- From Barrackpore side
- 68 km
- Usual drive time
- 2 to 2.5 hours from Kolkata, 2.5 to 3 hours from Barrackpore
- Best time to go
- Mid December to February. Weekdays if you want it empty
- Suits
- Office and club picnics, school groups, big families, anyone bringing their own food
travel guide
What you actually see there
The deer park
A small enclosure with deer and a few other animals, mostly for the children. Small entry fee, and the timings are shorter than you expect in winter.
The picnic grounds
Open ground under trees where groups cook and spend the day. Come by 9am on a January Sunday or you will be at the far end.
How to reach
Kona Expressway, then the Uluberia road towards Shyampur, 55 km from central Kolkata and 68 km from Barrackpore. In picnic season the last few kilometres crawl, so leave the city by 7am. We take mini buses and Tempo Travellers there regularly, and the parking near the gate takes them.
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What we tell people before they go
Small things that decide whether the day is good or tiring.
Carry drinking water for the whole group and a big bag for your rubbish.
Cooking rules and the use of loudspeakers change from season to season. Ask us before you carry a cylinder or a sound box.
For twenty people or more, book the bus at least a week ahead in December and January.
Road distances and drive times here are checked on road routing data and then widened for real traffic. Timings, ferry hours and entry rules change with the season, so ask us the day before you go and we will tell you what the road is like that week.
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Cars for this trip
These are the trips on our list that match this guide. Pickup is from your gate.
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We pick up from these areas
A day trip works best when the car reaches you early, from your own side of town.
questions
Questions about Garchumuk: the 58 gate, a deer park and a picnic ground
How far is Garchumuk from Kolkata?
About 55 km by road from central Kolkata, two to two and a half hours in picnic season. From Barrackpore it is about 68 km.
Do you give a bus with pickup from several points?
Yes. Two or three pickups on the way out is normal, for example Barrackpore, Sodepur and Dunlop, and the bus stays with you all day.
not sure yet? send the date anyway. If we cannot do it, we will say so.
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