Sunderban

Sunderban Tiger Camp welcomes you to our exquisite resort with its picturesque beauty amidst the lush green scenery and vast stretches of rivers all around, is a treat to eyes. An ideal leisure for sight seeing from our motorised boat is indeed a real luxury & refreshing to our invaluable guests.












Quickfacts: Area : 2608 sq. kms.
Altitude : Sea Level.
Temperature
Summer:
Max: 42C, Min. 37C;
Winter:
Max: 29, Min. 9.2.
Best season : September to March. July to September for Sajnekhali Bird Sanctuary.

The dense forest of the Sunderbans is one of the largest mangroves in the world and the only kind with tiger habitat. The forest covers an area of about 10,000 sq.km. of mangrove forest and water (40% of which lies in West Bengal, India and the rest in Bangladesh). The Sunderbans are a part of the world's largest delta formed by the rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna. An intricate network of inter-connecting waterways characterizes this area. One third of the Sunderbans is water logged and the face of the forest is in perpetual flux. At high tide (with tide rising to a height up to 7.5 m) the jungle is afloat, and when the water recedes, the forest floor unveils its myriad facets of precious biosphere. It houses an amazing aqua-terrestrial Eco-system where land and water both play an equal role. Sunderban got its name from the predominance of the tree species, locally known as Sundari, because of its elegant look.

The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO inscribed the Sundarbans in the world Heritage list by a decision taken in its 21st session in December 6, 1997. Tigers reign in the land and Crocodile over the waters along with Sharks. The Tiger Reserve holding more tigers than any other tiger reserve and as per latest census the tiger population is 287. These tigers have adopted themselves to the saline and watery environment and are practically amphibious and good swimmers.

The Journey from Kolkata to Sunderban

Our bus departs from Priya Cinema at Deshapriya Park, Kolkata at 7:00 A.M.in the morning .The tourists board the bus and reaches Godhkhali.. The luggages are off-loaded and made to board the 50 seater boat and cruise through the river till Sunderban Tiger Camp. The river cruise is a real pleasure. We have two such boats and our staff will constantly attend on you and look after your comforts. The river Hogol and numerous other Estuarine Rivers form 102 Delta islands in the Sunderbans, in which there are human dwellings in 52 islands only, the rest are dense forest, practically impregnable with their rich variety of flora and fauna. The boat cruises through the rivers Hogol, Korotal and Gosaba touching the places like PathorKhali, Chandipur, Mosjid Bari, Aadarsh Vidya Mandir in Durgaduani canal and joining the Gomdi River a branch of Bidda Shakha. Finally we reach the Sunderban Tiger Camp via Shojnekhali, Peechkhali.

Gosaba is the four-river junction area where Karatal, Bidya, Durgaduani and a branch of river Bidya meet. Gosaba is the last rural human habitat after which human habitat is rarity.

Point Of Tourist Interest

Sajnekhali Tiger Project Area: Cruise down the Matla river and reach Sajnekhali Tiger Reserve at the junction of Peechkhali and Gomti River. You will witness Mangrove Interpretation Center a Museum, the WatchTower, Deer Feeding and Monkeys. The pond for Crocodile project is also worth watching . The temple of Bon Bibi, the goddess of the forest is prayed to protect the honey collectors, wood cutters, and fisher men. It is strictly recommended that one should return back to the boat before dark because free roaming in these area might invite danger though the place is well protected.

About Sunderban National Park:

Some believe that the name Sunderbans is derived from 'Sundri' - a plant found in the local mangroves - and 'bans'meaning forest. Others believe the name means 'beautiful forest' ('sunder' = beautiful, and 'bans' = forest). The Sunderbans, extending over an area of 1,000,000 hectares, is the world's largest delta, formed by the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghana rivers. The region has extensive mangrove forests and the contours are in a constant state of flux, caused by the monsoon flooding each year. Roughly a third of the delta is water, consisting of rivers, channels and tidal creeks up to 5 kilometers wide. The Sunderbans falls both within the India and Bangladesh, the latter having the larger share of the delta. On the Indian side there is a national park overlooking the Bay of Bengal.

The Sunderbans West, South and East wildlife sanctuaries in Bangladesh are also at the southern extremities of the delta. The Sunderbans parks are covered in mangrove forests of which there are 3 main zones, depending on the level of salt in the soil and water a freshwater zone, a moderately saline zone, and a saline zone. Fishing, timber extraction and honey collection are the main human activities allowed within the Sunderbans. The four Sunderbans national parks have been lumped together as they all share common features of the estuarine mangrove ecosystem. The main attractions of the Sunderbans are the Tiger, of which the delta harbor large reptiles like the Monitor Lizard, Estuarine Crocodile and the Olive Ridley Turtle, for which there is a conservation programme in the Indian park. The Leopard, Indian Rhinoceros, Javan Rhinoceros, Swamp Deer, Hog Deer and Water Buffalo have all become locally extinct from the delta in recent decades.

Best Season (Sunderban National Park):

The best time to visit Sunderbans is during winters between September and March.

Access(Sunderban National Park) :

The Sunderbans are not easily accessible. To get to the Sunderbans national park in India the nearest airport is Calcutta, the nearest railway station is Canning, and the nearest town is Gosaba. From the park headquarters at Canning take the country motor launch (5 hours) to Sajnekhali.

There are regular bus services from Kolkata (Calcutta) to this place. But the main areas of the sanctuary can only be accessed by riverine waterways. The best and the safest way to visit Sunderbans is on conducted tours. One can also avail the services of the private vessels from Canning, Gosaba or Basanti.

CONNECTIONS:

Sunderban is only accessible by waterways. Nearest railhead is Port Canning from where organized group trips start. there are several other entry points but Port Canning is most popular.

The other route is through Basanti which is connected by bus service to Calcutta. From here one can take boats to Sajnekhali. One can also come via Port Canning and Gosaba or from Sonakhali to Sajnekhali.

For Bhagabatpur, Namkhana is an access point.

By Air: Dum Dum (166kms), is the nearest airport at Calcutta.

By rail: The nearest railhead is at Canning, 48 kms away.The nearest town is Gosaba, 50 kms away.

Sundarbans is accessible only by riverine waterways. 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.

Road: Above mentioned embarkation points from Calcutta are: Namkhana (105 km), Sonakhali (100 km), Raidighi (76 km), Canning (64 km), Najat (92 km).

Waterways: Approximate time taken between various points are :
1. From Namkhana - Bhagabatpur Crocodile Project (2.5 hours) Sagar Island (2.5 hours) Jambudwip (3.5 hours)
2. From Sajnekhali - Sudhanyakhali (40 minutes) Buridabri (Tiger Project Area) (5 hours) Netidhopari (3.5 hours) Holiday Island (3 hours)
3. From Sonakhali - Gosaba (1 hour)
4. From Raidighi - Kalas (5 hours)

For Private Launches Contact: West Bengal Launch Owners' Syndicate, Calcutta.

LODGING:Forest lodge and forest rest-houses are available for accommodation at Sajnakhali.

When to visit
September to May

Contact

Field Director
Sundarbans Tiger Reserve
P.O Canning,
District 24 Parganas (South),
West Bengal