SUNDARBANS - TIGERS & MANGROVES
SUNDARBAN NATIONAL PARK, the world’s largest mangrove forests, tiger reserve and biosphere area with Unesco World Heritage tag is a popular wildlife tour destination in south Bengal.
The mangrove is in the delta formed at the confluence of rivers Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna spread over India and Bangla Desh borders. Only 40% of Sundarbans along with 102 islands lie on Indian side, out of which 54 are meant for human habitation. The rest is forest land and prohibited for public entry.
Located 110 km from Kolkata on the south-eastern tip of West Bengal, Sundarbans is famous for Royal Bengal tigers. Moreover, moving around through numerous creeks, tributaries, waterways and islands make it an inimitable holidaying experience.
Sundarban tourism is a unique riverine journey amidst the wild and forests, where most part of the tour is done on large mechanized boats that move around the vast stretches of water with mangrove forests all around, and where you see deer and occasionally the big cat if you are lucky enough.
Unlike all other destinations, the scope of Individual tourists traveling own their own is very limited as the entire journey is riverine and hiring these boats is expensive. Moreover, it is impossible to understand the topography of Sundarbans for outsiders to move from one island to another using local ferry services like the local population. Here tour operators conduct all the tours in groups of 15-20 and more in large vessels, and tourists enjoy the rivers and jungle in the sailing boat from early morning till it turns dark for two days or three days. People have the option of staying at night in the boats, thereby enjoying a houseboat experience or staying at hotels.
The tour also takes you to different island villages. There one can do local sightseeing like a crocodile project at Bhagabatpur or Hamilton Bunglow at Gosaba or turtle farms, wildlife museums, water towers and more. Cruising through Phikkali and Gajkhali once you reach Dobanki, you would see Panchmukhi or the great confluence of 5 rivers – Padma, Meghna, Bhairab, Madhumti and Hoogly that flow into Bay of Bengal.
HOW TO REACH
Sundarbans can be reached only through riverine waterways. One has to cross rivers Matla and Bidhyadhari to reach different islands of Sundarbans via motorized boats. The entry point to Sundarbans is either Sonakhali via Canning or Bagna via Dhamakhali. The other embarkation points include Namkhana, Raidighi and Najat.
Canning can be reached from Kolkata by train and road. The most convenient option for tourists is to take frequently available local trains to Canning from Sealdah Railway station. This 48 km journey takes 1 hour 15 minutes.
While tourists can reach Canning or other entry zones by road as well, public bus services are not very reliable and is much more time consuming. Hence, one should opt for trains. On the other hand, tour operators usually arrange their own chartered buses from different points of Kolkata during winters, i.e. the peak season for Sundarban tourism. This service, if available, is also a convenient option.
Number of Days - Two Nights Best Time - September To March
PLACES TO VISIT