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Sunderbans, the world’s largest delta and
mangrove swamp, is formed by the merging
of three rivers- the Ganga, the
Brahmaputra and the Meghna- and has a
2,585 sq km wildlife sanctuary that
extends into Bangladesh. The Wildlife
Sanctuary, which is the world’s largest
estuarine sanctuary, has some of India’s
most interesting wildlife, and is worth a
visit.
Spreading over a series of densely
forested islands and saline water
channels, Sunderbans is Home to spotted
deer, wild pigs, monkeys, herons,
kingfishers, white bellied eagles and
almost 270 Royal Bengal tigers.
The tigers of Sunderbans are known to be
mostly man eaters- mainly because of the
lack of other suitable prey in the area-
and the entire estuary has become, over
the past decades, a place where you have
to be on the alert all the time. Hunters,
honey-collectors and fishermen from the
neighbouring areas wander through the
sanctuary throughout the year, and there
are an average of 40 maulings a year. This
is an improvement on past figures,
however, as the forest department has
introduced a number of measures- including
masks and electric dummies to scare off
maneaters. According to local folk
culture, it is still believed that Bonbibi,
the goddess of the forest, protects the
villagers on their hazardous missions. A
possé of armed policemen accompanies all
visitors who venture into these 'beautiful
forests’.
Sunderbans’ other creatures include
estuarine terrapins, Olive Ridley turtles,
estuarine crocodiles, Ganges dolphins,
water monitors and a wide variety of
birds, fish and crustaceans. Also part of
Sunderbans is the Sajnekhali Bird
Sanctuary. Besides a heronry, the
Sajnekhali Visitors’ Centre has a
crocodile enclosure, a shark pond, a
turtle hatchery and a Mangrove
Interpretation Centre.
Access
The capital of West Bengal, Kolkata, is
just 131 km from Sunderbans, and is well
connected to the rest of India (and to a
number of destinations abroad, too), so
you shouldn’t have much trouble getting to
the estuary.
The railhead and roadhead closest to
Sunderbans Tiger Reserve is Port Canning,
which is connected to Kolkata by train.
From Port Canning, regular buses go to
Sonakhali, Raidighi, Najat and Namkhana,
from all of which launches can be hired to
tour the waterways of the reserve.
The WBTDC organizes guided tours- mostly
of a duration of two or three days,
starting and ending at Kolkata. They’re a
good way of visiting Sunderbans without
some of the adventure which accompanies
making your own arrangements, and cost
between Rs 1,000 and 3,000.
Within Sunderbans, the only way to get
around is by boat; you can take a boat
ride, along with an official from the
Project Tiger office. There are, in
addition, watchtowers at a few places-
such as Netidhopan, Sajnekhali,
Sudhanyakhali and Haldi- from where you
can keep a look out for passing wildlife.
Best Time to visit
Sunderbans is open to visitors from
October to March. Winter is anyway the
time when the area isn’t as hot and humid
as the rest of the year, so it’s best to
time your visit for between December and
February.
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