Sundarban Travel Guide
India is blessed with rich flora and fauna. There are various examples of rich natural diversities in the country in which the forests of Sundar bans have a special mention. Sundarban is a perfect example of natural beauty. Sundarban national park is located at the south western tip of West Bengal. Sundarban is packed with shrubs and small trees due to which it is the world’s largest continuous mangrove area. It covers about 10000 square kilometers which is divided between Bangladesh and India.
Sundarban is a part of world’s largest delta formed by Ganges and Brahmaputra. This place is considered a paradise for bird watchers. It is also a UNESCO world heritage site. Sundarban is an ideal destination for nature lovers from all over the world. One of the prolific facts about Sundarban is that it is home to the wild and beautiful royal Bengal tigers. This reserve is known to have largest numbers of tigers in the world. Your mind will be refreshed by seeing all the different animal species available here.
These forests are an excellent example of man and wild co-existence as it is one of the biggest habitats for tigers in the world where they share place with human beings. This beautiful co-existence of man and wild has made this place more attractive for tourists. Beside royal Bengal tigers it is also home to many other animals like estuarine crocodile, water monitor lizard, fishing cat and many others. It is a great place for bird lovers as many migratory birds intrude here in different seasons all over the year. It is a great place to visit for achieving rejoices in our minds and hearts.
Sundarban is a beautiful place to visit. Being one of the top habitats for various species these forests have a lot to offer for tourists visiting here from worldwide. Its diverse flora and fauna is exquisite to watch. In Sunder bans tourists can capture avifauna, flora, aqua fauna and other natural forms.
How to Reach Sundarban
By Air – You can go to Kolkata by flight which will land you to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose airport. It is the nearest airport to Sundarban located at a distance of 112 kilometers. You can take a three hour journey by road or a two hour journey by boat to reach there.
By Rail – Nearest railway station to Sundarban is canning which is 48 kilometers away. You can reach the mainland by means if a hired taxi or a boat.
By Road – Sundarban is well connected by road to Kolkata which enables an easy journey for the tourists. You can hire a taxi or public transport to reach there. Although private taxis is a convenient mode.
Waterways – It is the most popular mode to reach Sundarban. You can hire motor boats from your location to reach there. It would also help you catch some of the scenic beauties leading towards Sundarban.
Distance of Sundarban from Below Places:
| Place | Distance (KM) |
|---|---|
|
Kolkata |
99 |
|
Canning |
42 |
Weather
Sundarban Temperature:
- Summer (Apr to Jun) — Temperatures are high and range between (24°C) to (36°C)
- Monsoon (Jul to Sep) — Regular rainfall happens. This is not a good season for tourists
- Winter (Oct to Mar) — Temperatures are low and range between (7°C) to (22°C)
- Best Season to Visit — Oct to Feb is the best season for tourism
What to See in Sundarban
Sajnekhali watch tower is one of the most popular watch towers in the park. The reason behind its popularity is its proximity to a number of resorts in Sunderban area. This place also serves as the head office of the forest department. A tourist can obtain the permission to enter the national park from this spot only. Watch tower can accommodate 20 people at one time. It is one of the prime tourist attractions in Sunderbans.
Sudhanyakhali watch tower is the best place to watch the ferocious royal Bengal tiger. It has pond of sweet water behind it where animals come. It can accommodate 25 people at one time. Wildlife lovers can not only watch tigers from here but other species as well such as crocodiles, wild boars and axis deer’s. There is vast grassland behind the watch tower which attracts lot of animals there thus making it a perfect spot to enjoy wildlife.
Do Banki watch tower – This watch tower provides canopy walk that is used by tourists to enjoy the riveting view of flora and fauna. This canopy walk is at an elevation of 20 feet’s from the ground and is half a kilometers in length. It has a capacity to accommodate 20 people. Apart from tigers tourists may also encounter Bahmini kites and chital deer.
Netidhopani Watch Tower
Netidhopani watch tower – This watch tower is linked with the famous tale of Lakhindari and behula. It can accommodate 20 people at one time and has a sweet lake in close proximity. One can view wildlife at ease from this watch tower
Piyali Island
Piyali Island – If you want to experience the beauty of nature to the fullest you must visit Piyali islands. You can reach there by crossing a bridge over river Piyali. There are many things to do on Piyali Island such as nature walk, boat ride, bird watching and enjoying village life. It has one tourist lodge only loaded with good infrastructural facilities. You can visit Piyali anytime but winters are the best season to be here. It is an extremely scenic place.
Halliday Island
Halliday Island – Halliday Island is one of the three wildlife sanctuary in Sunderbans. It is situated on the river matla very close to the Bay of Bengal. It gives a complete view of the most talked about wildlife of Sunderban to the tourists. Important of them are spotted deer, wild boar, barking deer and Rhesus macaque. Royal Bengal tigers are occasional visitors here. Many species of birds is an attraction to bird watchers from all over the world.
Kanak
Kanak – It is one of the sanctuary breaches to olive ridley turtles in Sunderbans. The turtles move to the shallow coastal waters from a long distance to breed. It attracts a large number of tourists as they want to see the rare olive ridley turtles.
Bhagatpur Crocodile Project
Bhagatpur crocodile project – This area is home to the largest estuarine crocodiles. It is a well liked tourist charm as it embraces a famous sanctuary and hatchery. It is the only crocodile project in west bengal and is located adjacent to Lothian island and on the bank of saptmukhi estuary. This hatchery of estuarine crocodile and batagur baska species of tortoise in the project has crocodile of varying ages.
Other Details
What to Do
- Spot tigers in Sunderban – Being home to the ferocious royal Bengal tiger Sunderban is the best place for watching them closely. You can enjoy scenic beauty along with watching tigers. It is a wonderful experience to witness this animal in their original habitats unlike the zoos.
- Bird watching – You can witness different species of birds in Sajnekhali bird sanctuary of Sunderban. It is a paradise for birders as they get to witness over 200 species of birds such as Sandpiper, whimbrels, plovers and kingfishers.
- Experience nature from Netidhopani – Netidhopani is a watch tower from where you can see the ruins of Shiva temple. This temple is 400 years old and many pilgrims visit here to register its site. You can also register rich flora and fauna in the region from the tower.
- Enjoy walking with turtles at kanak – Kanak Island is the nesting site for olive ridley turtles. They travel about 100 kilometers to lay their eggs here. Nesting season ranges from December to March and you can see a large number of turtles during this time period.
Top Destinations - West Bengal
– Bakkhali
– Bindu
– Bishnupur
– Buxa Tiger Reserve
– Chapramari
– Chilapata
– Darjeeling
– Digha
– Jhalong
– Lataguri
– Jairambati
– Jaldapara
– Jayanti
– Kalimpong
– Kamarpukur
– Lava
– Lolegaon
– Mandarmani
– Murti
– Murshidabad
– Rishop
– Samsing-Suntalekhola
– Santiniketan
– Sundarban
– Tajpur
– Tarapith
Popular Tour Plans - West Bengal
1-3 Days
1. Murshidabad (2N/3D)
2. Digha (2N/3D)
3. Tajpur (2N/3D)
4. Bakkhali (2N/3D)
5. Sundarbans (2N/3D)
6. Kamarpukur-Jairambati-Bishnupur (3N/4D)
4-6 Days
1. Bakreshwar-Tarapith-Santiniketan (4N/5D)
2. Mandarmani-Digha (4N/5D)
3. Jaldapara-Chilapata-Buxa Tiger Reserve-Jayanti (5N/6D)
4. Lava-Lolegaon-Rishop (6N/7D)
5. Darjeeling-Gangtok (6N/7D)
7-10 Days
1. Jaldapara-Lataguri-Murti-Chapramari-Jhalong-Bindu-Suntanekhola (8N/9D)
2. Darjeeling-Kalimpong-Pelling-Gangtok (9N/10D)
3. Darjeeling-Gangtok-Lachen-Lachung (9N/10D)
4. Darjeeling-Pelling-Gangtok (8N/9D)
>10 Days
1. Darjeeling-Gangtok-Lachen-Lachung-Pelling (11N/12D)