The Sundarbans is a natural region in southern Bangladesh and the extreme southern part of the Indian state of West Bengal in the vast river delta on the Bay of Bengal. It is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world. The Sundarbans covers approximately 10,000 square kilometers, most of which is in Bangladesh with the remainder in India. The Sundarbans is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. [Source: Wikipedia]

This was my 5th visit to the Sundarban National Park but I was as excited as the first time (or maybe more!).

Although I haven’t yet seen a tiger here, the surreal beauty of this place draws me back again and again.

I booked the 1N/2D package with a local named Hafizul. We had travelled with him in all our past Sundarban trips and he takes care of the entire stay perfectly.

So with hope in our hearts, we (me along with my parents and brother) set out for our little adventure.

We reached Canning early morning by train and an auto was already waiting to take us to Sonakhali, from where our boat ride was supposed to begin.

The best part of this trip is that we don’t have to share the boat with other tourists, which means we can plan our own schedule and also stop for photographs whenever we want. Also, since we have to spend most part of the trip in the boat, privacy is quite important.

We started off with delicious breakfast and sat in the front of the boat to get a clear view of the horizon. After cruising for about 3 hours, our boat entered the forest. There is a rope fencing in this part of the forest till Sajnekhali, because there are villages on the other side of the river and sometimes tigers used to cross the river and enter the villages. Our plan was to cruise around this part of the forest and enjoy the scenic beauty on the first day.

It was lunch time and the boat was anchored in the middle of the river. We had delicious Bengali lunch while enjoying the unexpected cool breeze in the otherwise hot month of May.

After lunch, we proceeded towards Pakhir Jongol in search of a rare wolf-like animal which had been sighted here previously but hasn’t yet been identified. Hafizul told us that the forest authorities had set up camera traps in order to identify the animal but there has been no confirmation yet.

Suddenly the sky started getting dark and we decided to head to our hotel in Pakhiralaya. Two cottage rooms of Hotel Mainak were booked for us. Just as we entered our rooms it started raining heavily. Since it was during the off-season, we were the only tourists there!

The rain had stopped by late evening and we sat in the open enjoying coffee and pakoras. Later that night we had delicious Chinese dinner and went off to sleep. There was heavy storm the entire night.

We started off early the next morning and were greeted by a huge snake, blocking the path just outside our cottage!

After the snake cleared our path, we boarded the boat and went to Sajnekhali (which is just opposite Pakhiralaya) to get the permission issued. There is a Mangrove Interpretation Centre here, which exhibits interesting photographs and information. Breeding of river terrapin and monitor lizard is also taken up here. There is a Crocodile Pond for breeding of crocodiles. There is also a watch tower overlooking the forest. A variety of birds can be spotted from here, especially in the winter. Herds of deer can be seen occasionally, who come to drink water from the sweet water pond. Monkeys roam about this place and often terrorize people (I was attacked once! :p).

A guide is allocated to each boat from here on. A good and knowledgeable guide is crucial for a memorable wildlife experience. We were fortunate enough to get an excellent guide. He was our guide in one of our previous trip as well and knew about my interest in birds. He not only helped us spot birds but also provided valuable information about them.

Our next stop was Sudhyanakhali Watch Tower. We had our breakfast on the way. As we were descending from the boat to enter Sudhyanakhali, we spotted this monkey sitting on the tree and looking at us.

He looked at us for sometime, yawned and went off to sleep! His expressions made us break out into laughter.

We saw many interesting varieties of crabs and our guide pointed out some rare ones.

There was just one other boat except ours. They also left within minutes of our arrival. Watchtowers are usually filled with people during the peak season. So this time it felt great to enjoy the tranquility of the forest all by ourselves.

Sudhyanakhali boasts of the maximum number of tiger sighting from any watchtower in Sundarbans. There is a sweet water pond dug out here. Deer sighting is very common here.

We saw a couple of monitor lizards roaming about.

But there was no sign of any other animals. Our guide inspected the area and told us that chances were minimal of animal sighting here. So we decided to leave for the next spot i.e., Dobanki Watch Tower.

It takes around 3 hours to reach Dobanki from Sudhyanakhali and this journey is the most exciting one. We heard tiger tales from our guide and Hafizul on the way.

As we were passing through a narrow canal our guide pointed out fresh pug marks of a tiger in an even narrower canal on the right!

Boats are not allowed to enter such small canals so we had to move ahead with our journey. We saw many birds on the way.

Our guide pointed out many Lesser Adjutant Storks flying high in the sky. They are claimed by many as the largest birds of Sundarbans. He said that there is a sweet water pond nearby and we might spot some birds there. As we reached the pond, the sight was mesmerizing.

Half a dozen of these huge birds were sitting right in front of us!

After clicking a handful of pictures we decided to continue our journey. We travelled through long portions of the Hetal Bon, the Sundarban tiger’s favourite resting spot as told by our guide.

Usually crocodiles are also seen during this journey, but we weren’t so fortunate this time.

We reached Dobanki in the afternoon. Ours was the only boat that went to Dobanki that day. There is a Canopy Walk which is about half a kilometer long and provides an unique experience of witnessing wildlife. There is a watch tower overlooking the forest. The man-made sweet water pond attracts animals.

There were many beautiful birds and our guide helped us spot some uncommon ones as well.

The scorching heat of the sun was becoming unbearable and there was no sign of any animals. We were sweating profusely and my parents wanted to leave. I begged them to stay for another 10 minutes. I had a very strong feeling that we will get to see some animals within this time.

Just then a deer came out of the forest, followed by another!

They drank water and went to another side. There were long grasses and we couldn’t see them anymore. Just then another deer came out followed by another, drank water and went to the other side. The cycle continued for quite some time.

We saw a few wild boars in the distance, followed by more deer.

It was time for us to leave as we had to travel back a long way. We were pretty happy with the sightings since we visited during the off-season and weren’t expecting much. We had late lunch and then sat on the deck, taking in the last bits of the trip.

Who knows, maybe a tiger came out after we had left! The glorious setting sun marked the end of our trip. But we will definitely return to the Sundarbans again and maybe we will catch a glimpse of the royalty some day.

Some pointers to help you plan for your Sundarban trip:

• Kolkata is the nearest major city to the Sundarban National Park and is well connected to other parts of the world. You can take a local train from Sealdah to Canning and hop on an auto to reach Sonakhali/Godkhali or ride all the way from Kolkata in a car or bike.
• You have to board the boat from either Sonakhali or Godkhali.
• If it is your first visit to the Sundarbans, make sure you book the entire trip through a travel agent and don’t depend on a DIY plan, otherwise things can get messy and you might end up ruining your trip.
• Confirm beforehand what all is included in the package and definitely bargain.
• The 1N/2D package costed us around Rs. 3000 per head for 4 people (all inclusive). As head count increases, the per head cost decreases. Cost varies based on amenities provided.
• Tourism is not permitted across majority of the core area of the Indian side of the forest. The part where tourism is permitted is huge in itself. The main spots are Sajnekhali, Sudhyanakhali, Dobanki, Netidhopani, Jhingekhali, Burirdabri, Bonnie Camp, Kalash Camp. Consult with your travel agent and decide on the places you want to cover.
• Check the tide timings beforehand and decide on the travel date accordingly. Try to visit during the Neap Tide (A tide in which the difference between high and low tide is the least).
• Accommodation:

1. Hotels and resorts across different price ranges are available in Pakhiralaya.
2. Accommodation facility is also available in Bali Island, although options are not as much.
3. The only government run option is the WBTDC Sajnekhali Tourist Lodge.
4. Tourists can also stay the night in their respective boats.
5. Accomodation facilities are available in Bonnie Camp and Kalash Camp.

Hope you all find the blog useful and interesting. 🙂

Also, don’t forget to check out the YouTube video I made on this trip to Sundarbans!

Happy Travelling!