Sundarban || Royal Bengal Tiger's Home

  

                Sundarbans National Park is situated in West Bengal, India, and is known for having the world's largest mangrove forests. Sundarban is also a Tiger Reserve declared in 1973 and a Wildlife Sanctuary declared in 1977, offering tourists a full natural circle, from 'Royal Bengal tigers' to raging rivers and lovely estuaries. Sundarbans National Park (declared in 1984) is located in the Sundarban delta and is home to the world's largest population of Bengal Tigers. Sundarbans is a UNESCO world heritage site with a diverse range of birds and reptiles, including a saltwater crocodile.

                The Sundarbans is a mangrove region in the Bay of Bengal delta created by the combination of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna Rivers. It stretches from the Hooghly River in India's West Bengal state to the Baleswar River in Bangladesh's Khulna division. It includes both closed and open mangrove forests, as well as agricultural land.

                The Sundarbans, which means "Nice/Beautiful Forest" and are shared by India and Bangladesh, have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Despite providing habitat to some of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring flora and fauna, this area has a quiet beauty that manages to amaze one with the elegance and naturalness of its natural ecosystems. They are the last remaining stands of the vast jungles that once dominated the Gangetic plain, and the natural structure's long-term viability is very impressive. Since 1966/67, the Sundarbans have been a wildlife sanctuary, with near about 400-420 Royal Bengal Tigers and almost 29,000 spotted deer reported being present.

                    The Sundari trees are the most numerous in this forest. With its disjointed rivers, springs, creeks, and estuaries, the Sundarbans epitomize wilderness. It has been designated as a Tiger Reserve, and home to the Royal Bengal Tiger. Batagur Baska, King Crabs, Olive Ridley, and Turtle are among the Bio-reserve's other vulnerable species. These forests are also home to jungle fowl, giant lizards, wild boar, and crocodiles. Another popular attraction is the Siberian ducks. There are also over sixty-four different types of mangroves, including Goran, Genwa, Dhundal, Garjan, Kankra, Sundari, and Passur. Make a point of visiting the Nilkamalor Hiron Point and Katka viewpoints, which provide spectacular views of wildlife in the wild.

                   The Sajnekhali Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, India, on the northern edge of the Sundarban delta. It's mostly made up of mangrove scrub, woodland, and swamp. In 1976, it was designated as a sanctuary. Waterfowl, herons, pelicans, wild boar, tigers, lizards, fishing cats, olive ridley turtles, spotted deer, rhesus macaques, crocodiles, batagur terrapins, and migratory birds are among the many species of wildlife that call it home.

               The Sajnekhali Watch Tower is one of the park's most well-known watchtowers. The forest department's headquarters are also located here. Only from this location may a visitor receive permission to enter the national park. At any given time, the watchtower will hold up to 20 people. Bono Bini Temple, the Mangrove Interpretation Center, and the Bengal Tourism Department's tourist lodge are the main attractions in this area. This watchtower makes it simple and enjoyable to explore the wilderness. Bird lovers will enjoy seeing Pelicans, Kingfishers, Plovers, Lap Wings, White Bellied Sea Eagles, Whimbrels, Curfews, and Sandpipers, among other avifauna species.

            Other Sundarban's tourist attractions are the Bhagabatpur Crocodile Project, the Haliday Island Wildlife Sanctuary, the Burirdabri camp (famous for its watchtower), Netidhopani (another watchtower), Sudhyankhali, and others.

How to Reach

Air : Kolkata's Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport is the closest airport. To reach to the Sundarbans, one can take a road trip and then a boat ride.

Train : Local trains to Canning run at regular intervals from Sealdah (South). From Canning to Godhkhali Jetty, shared vans are available from there.

Road : Sundarbans is easily accessible from Kolkata. Namkhana, Sonakhali, Raidighi, Canning, and Najat can all be reached by road from Kolkata.

Best Time to Visit

Throughout the year, but try to avoid the monsoon seasons.