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Sundarbans National Park

If you are a hunter, love to read the story of forests and jungles, or have an interests to visits in natural wildlife area – then you should feel free to know or make a tour in the Worlds most beautiful and most dangerous tropical areas, which are known as the Kingdom of the Royal Bengal Tiger, the Sundarbans.

The Sundarbans is a wonderful gift of the idiosyncratic nature. It is wild as much as dangerous, time to time it changes its looks, color and beauty, no one can neglect these wild characters and should enjoy the beauty with an open eyes.

Area Covered

After the division of India, just 40% of this forests are in India and 60% in Bangladesh (before 1971, East Pakistan). The Sundarbans are situated to the south in west Bengal (under district North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas) and also to the south in Bangladesh. Sundarbans is surrounded with 102 islands, where people are lives in 32 islands. A huge numbers of rivers and canal make the Sundarbans marvelous.

sundarbans national park

(A view of Sundarbans National Park)

Note
Area 1,330 km2 (Park)
2,585 km2 (Reserve)
Altitude 0 to 10 m
Rainfall Around 110 cm yearly
Temperature Max. 42°C (Summer)
Min. 9°C (Winter)
Location Coastal south of district North and South 24 Parganas, West Bengal in India
Languages Common language Bengali, Hindi well-known, English
Nearest Town Diamond Harbour, Jaynagar
Nearest City Kolkata
Distance Sajnekhali is about 130 km from Kolkata
Best Season October to March
Currency Indian Rupee(indian rupee)

In 1984, the Sundarbans was enlisted as World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. After one year on 1989, it was declared as Biosphere Reserve Area. In India, the Sundarbans are mainly divided with 54 deltas of different sizes. And it is covered an area of 4,262 km2 of which nearly 2,320 km2 is forest and the rest is water.

Rivers and Creeks

The Sundarbans is a part of the world’s largest Ganges delta formed by the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna rivers, situated on the far south of this delta and boundary by the Bay of Bengal to the south. More than 70% of the areas are under saline water and the area are criss-crossed by a large numbers of rivers, canals and creeks with a width varying from a few meter to kilometers. Some famous rivers and creeks are Matla, Bidya, Gomor, Raymongol, Panchamukhari, Chora Gajikhali, Pirkhali, Deulbharani, Kusumkhali, Bagna, Gabboni, Ajmalmari, Dhulibhasori, Jhingerbali, etc. At the time of tide, rivers are overflowed and flooded the forests with salted-water. All rivers are going to the south and finally ended with the Bay of Bengal.

Flora and fauna

The Sundarbans is the most beautiful and the largest halophytic mangrove forests in the world. The name Sundarbans comes from two Bengali words – Sundar means beauty and Bons means forests or jungle. Other hand, availability of a huge numbers of Sundari tree (Heritiera fomes), may be the catalyst for this name. But in present, you can see a minimum number of Sundari trees. Illegal wood thief rackets are very active there. It is a big problem of the Sundarbans. Except Sundari, a big numbers of green Keora (Caraway plant), marvelous Golpata, Garan, Bain, Gemo, Hental and Octopus forests are also available. Hental forests are the ideal area to hunting with hide for the famous Royal Bengal Tiger.

The Sundarbans is the kingdom of nearly 400 Royal Bengal Tigers and more than 30,000 chital (spotted deer). Except the big cat and deer, there have a large numbers of Wild pigs, bat, sajaru (Hedgehog), wild-cock, fox, monkey, marine turtle, sharks, snake, crocodile, Gangetic River Dolphin (Platanista gangeticus) and a large numbers of aquatic and other animals. A thousands of hundreds tourists are coming in the Sundarbans for the attraction of the Royal Bengal Tiger. But there has a controversy about the exact number of the tiger. If your luck favor with you, it is possible to meet with the dangerous beautiful living animal in the World. More than 260 species of birds are also available there – shamuk-khol, kingfisher, pankouri, bak(Egret), tiya(parakeet) are populous among them.

Attraction in the Sundarbans

The Sundarbans is famous for its natural beauty and unique eco-system, mainly for the home-land of Royal Bengal tiger. You have no permit to entrance inside the forests or even landing on the river bank or beach except the tourist camp area. But you may hire a boat to visit the various tourist spots of the Sundarbans and also enjoy the marvelous looks of the jungle on the way. To get detail about the transportation and tour map on the Sundarbans, visit on: How to Reach at Sundarbans.

Some well-known tour-spots on the Sundarbans, for whom visiting from India,

Sajnekhali is the most famous tourist spots in the Sundarbans due to the Sajnekhali bird sanctuary and Sajnekhali tiger reserve. Tiger and many others wildlife may be sighted from the watch tower. A museum, a crocodile park, a turtle farm and a pond inhabited by sharks are adjourning to the premises. Night stay is available here.

Sudhanyakhali watch tower is the maximum probable area to sighted tiger. Some other wildlife like chital deer, wild boars and crocodiles may also be seen from this watch tower.

Do-banki Watch Tower gives you a unique experience for its canopy walk about half a kilometer, at a height of 20 feet from the ground to watch tiger and other wildlife.

Netidhopani has another watch tower, but it is famous for the mythological story of Manasamangal. A 400 years old Lord Shiva temple is available here.

Buridabri watch tower famous for its mud walk leading to a viewpoint Raimongal.

Bhagabatpur Crocodile Project is another important tourist destination of the Sundarbans. It is easy accessible from the Sajnekhali.

Holiday Island is famous for the Barking Deer.

Kanak is ideal for viewing the Olive Ridley Turtles

Some other watch tower and camp in the Sundarbans are Kalash Camp, Bonie Camp, Jhingekhali watch tower, Kumirmari, Jharkhali, Marichjhapi, Dutta forest, Chulkati camp (yet to open, but may be the highest watch-tower in the Sundarbans) and Jhirgamari.