The Bengal forest department has identified 23 new trekking routes in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar to be opened ahead of the tourist season starting next month.

The move can help increase the flow of foreign visitors and follows chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s calls to boost tourism in north Bengal.

Adventure enthusiasts travelling to the region will have a number of new options to explore. At present, only a few trekking routes, like Maneybhyanjyan-Sandakphu-Phalut in Darjeeling and the Santalabari-Buxa Fort in Alipurduar, were known to tourists.

“We have decided to open the new routes to provide more and better options to trekkers. While some routes are meant for day visits, others require trekkers to spend a night or two in homestays or lodges of our department,” said M.R. Baloch, additional principal chief conservator of forests (north Bengal).

The new routes include Santalabari-Rupam Valley and Lepchakha-Pamse, close to the Bhutan hills in Alipurduar, and Chamurchi-Mahakal in Jalpaiguri.

In Darjeeling, some of the routes identified include Chowrasta-Rangaroon, Dilaram-Chatakpur, Sonada-Chatakpur and Maneybhanjan-Tonglu-Dhotrey.

In Kalimpong, the new options will be Lava-Rachela, Lava-Kolakham, Lava-Rishop and Todey-Tangta to Rachela.

“Most of these routes pass through reserve forests, including national parks like Singalila and sanctuaries like Senchal,” said Bhaskar Das, a mountaineer in Jalpaiguri.

Bookings for the new routes can be made online or manually at the office of divisional forest officers. “We will provide guides and guards. A group of five to 25 people can book a trek,” said a department source.