Rest of Bengal

Sundarbans is the most intriguing wilderness of the world. A paradise of nature lovers this mangrove forest covers an area of 4264 sq. km and is located in one of the largest deltaic region of the world. Sunderbans was declared a National Park in 1984 and as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO way back in 1997.

As you enter the adventurous wild land of the Sundarbans, you'll be thrilled to see the Crocodiles, Spotted Deer, Gigantic Dolphin, Wild Bear, Fishing Cat, Water Monitor, Marine Turtle, Red Hermit Crab, Egrets, Kingfishers, Open Billed Stork, Heron, Tiger Prawn, Marine & estuarine Fish and many more. A very lucky visitor might see a Royal Bengal Tiger, the prime attraction of the delta forest. Sundarbans, which owes its name to 'Sundari' trees, is home to 70 percent of all species of mangrove in the world. Around 84 species of flora are found in the mangrove forest, including Ganrjan, Genwa, Dhundal, Passur and Kankra.

The Ganges and the Brahmaputra form this alluvial archipelago of 54 islands watered by the Bay of Bengal. The Gosaba, Sandeshkali and Basanti islands form the northern boundary of the Sundarbans with the sea in the South. The western boundary is formed by the Matla and Bidya Rivers and to the East is the international boundary of Bangladesh. The entire delta is criss-crossed by innumerable rivers and water channels all emptying into the Bay of Bengal. Tides wash in and out of these dense forests and vast saline mud flats cover the area. The major rivers flowing through Indian Sundarbans are Matla, Bidyadhari, Saptamukhi, Guasabha, Thakuran, Raimongal and Ichamati.

Sunderbans is the home of man-eating tigers, estuarine crocodiles, sharks, and poisonous snakes Man fights for survival in great numbers by living off nature's bounty by accepting and fighting against these odds. These evergreen mangrove forests pulsate with myriad forms of life, Honey collectors, fisherman, woodcutters and other folks will be the added attraction to the tourists.

Places of Interest

The Sajnakhali Sanctuary
The Sajnakhali sanctuary, famous for its rich avian population, is regarded as a part of the Sunderbans National Park. The kingdom of birds at Sajnekhati will enchant your eyes. The most sought after sights by a bird watcher are seven colourful species of Kingfisher, white bellied Sea Eagle, Plovers, Lap-Wings, Curfews, Whimbrels, Sandpipers and occasional Pelican. The Nature Interpretation Centre at Sajnekhali is an added attraction for the visitors.

Netidhopani
Netidhopani is situated at the extreme southeastern part of the tourism zone of the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve. South of Netidophani is the core zone where tourists are not allowed.The place has a watchtower and ruins of an old brick temple. Traces of an old road, lined on both sides with Bakul trees can also be seen here. The temple is believd to be of Neta, the usher woman who saved the life of Laxminder at the earnest prayer of his wife Behula, according to legends.

Bhagabatpur Crocodile Breading Centre
Bhagabatpur is famous for having a hatchery of the largest estuarine crocodiles in the world. These crocodiles are artificially hatched and reared at Bhagatpur and then released in the project area.

Haliday Island
Haliday island is famous as last retrest of Barking Dear in India. Haliday Island Wildlife sanctuary with an area of 5.95 square kilometers was established in 1976. It is situated in the middle of Matla river. The sanctuary has mangrove vegetation and wildlife typical to Sundarbans.

Things To Do

Village Walk Tours
A walk tour across the villages of Sundarbans through the muddy roads is an exciting experience. One can visit the houses of local villagers to observe and learn about the culture, life and livelihood

The River Cruise
Sundarbans has got a remote and difficult terrain where visitors hardly have any opportunity to walk on the forested lands or mud flats. The rivers are the lifeline of the entire delta area and the only way to observe myriad forms of life across the region. The river cruise is one of prime attraction of the safari which traces the magical web of lash green forests, diverse wildlife and the culture of the local people.

Country Boat Ride
A manually oared country boat ride through the creaks and canals is also a unique experience to enjoy in Sundarbans.

Bird Watching
Sundarbans is a bird watchers paradise but there is very little conventional bird watching, more observations from water. But the dark and foreboding attractiveness of the mangroves also hides some of the most sought after birds in the world and a chance encounter with a Swamp Partridge, a Brown-winged Kingfisher, a Grey Headed Lapwing, a Pallas's Fish Eagle, a Lesser Adjutant or maybe a Mangrove Whistler is always a possibility.

Watch Towers
Visiting the watch towers of the Sundarbans National Park are the added attractions of the safari where a lucky visitor might see the wild animals roaming in their natural habitat.

Raimangal View Point
The mud walk and mangrove cage trail are a 200 metre-long protected walk through mangrove forest. On both sides of the trail, you can see numerous tiger pug marks.

From Raimongal View Point, you can see Raimongal River, which is the international boundary between India and Bangladesh.

Dobanki Canopy Walk
Dobanki is in the southwestern part of Sajnekhali sanctuary and can be approached via Sanjnekhali sanctuary. You can have a canopy walk of about 150 metres leading to a watchtower. A walk on this elevated Canopy Walk gives the feeling of walking at a height on a canopy of mangrove vegetation. The forest harbours tiger spotted deer and wild boar. There is Deer Acclimatisation Centre where spotted deer are kept for treatment, multiplication and acclimatisation to mangrove conditions.

Attraction

Royal Bengal Tiger
Sundarbans is the home of Royal Bengal Tiger; more than 400 Tigers have adapted themselves very well to the saline and aqua environs. As you begin your exciting journey in Sundarbans, chances are you may come across a pugmark of a real Royal Bengal Tiger on a mud flat and if you are lucky enough, you might see one. The Royal Bengal Tigers were once ruled the special ambience of Sunderbans, and this tiger country was popular as the Big Game Hunters Mecca. But after facing a drastic fall in the Tiger population, Project Tiger was implemented in 1973 and later Sundarban Tiger Reserve was demarcated over 2,585-sq-kms. The core area of 1330-sq-kms has been declared a National Park and has been chosen as a World Heritage Site.

Banbibi
In ancient days tiger used to be worshipped. This is corroborated from the discoveries made from Mohenjodaro and Harrapa. In the past, in lower Bengal 'Tiger God' was known as 'Dakshin Roy', in north 'Sona Ray.' However, the cult of god of tigers appeared to have originated from Sundarbans. Bauli (the wood cutters of the Sundarbans) and Moule (honey collectors) and fishermen worship various gods like Dakshin Ray, Banbibi, Kalu Khan, Gazi Saheb with the belief that they will not encounter tiger attack. People of Sundarbans have high regard for tiger and it is intimately associated with their lifestyles.

Travel Information

By Air : Nearest airport is Calcutta- 131 kms which is connected with all major cities in India.

By Rail : From Calcutta there are suburban train to Canning and buses to Namkhana, Raidighi, Sonakhali and Najat from where Motor launch services are available for Sundarbans.

By Road : Namkhana- 105 kms, Sonakhali- 100 kms, Raidighi- 76 kms, Canning- 64 kms, Najat- 92 kms.

Altitude and Climate
Area : 2608 sq. kms.
Altitude : Sea Level.
Temperature (deg C) : Summer- Max. 42, Min. 37.
Winter- Max. 29, Min. 9.2.
Clothing : Summer- Tropical/Cotton,
Winter- Woolens.
Languages spoken : Bengali, Hindi, English.
Best season : September to March. July to September for Sajnekhali Bird Sanctuary