Sunderbans National Park
Sundarbans
National Park in India is one of the world's largest deltas and the mangrove
forest formed by the confluence of three rivers- the Ganga, the Brahmaputra
and the Meghna- covering an area of 2,585 sq km wildlife sanctuary, which extends
into Bangladesh too. The Sundarbans Wildlife Sanctuary, the world's largest
estuarine sanctuary is really worth a visit. With a series of densely forested islands and saline water channels, Sundarbans is home to 270 Royal Bengal Tigers along with the spotted deers, wild pigs, monkeys, herons, kingfishers and white-bellied eagles.
The Sundarbans is formed by an alluvial archipelago of 54 islands, made by the waters of Ganges, Brahmaputra and the Bay of Bengal. The Sundarban National Park got its name from the Sundari trees found here in abundance.
Sundarbans' also shares its boundaries with the Sajnekhali Bird Sanctuary. The most unique feature of the Sundarbans is the tigers in the park apt at swimming and are strictly amphibious! The Park is also famous for its conservation of the Ridley Sea Turtles.
The other wild animals found in the Sundarbans National Park are estuarine terrapins, Olive Ridley turtles, estuarine crocodiles, Ganges dolphins, water monitors and a wide variety of birds, fish and crustaceans. One of the major tourist attractions is the Sajnekhali Visitors' Centre, which has a crocodile enclosure, a shark pond, a turtle hatchery, and a Mangrove Interpretation Centre.
Season :
The best time to visit Sunderbans is during winters between September and March.
Access :
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. General Information
Entry Permits : The foreign tourists willing to observe the tigers and implement the Tiger Projects and visit the Sajnekhali, have to obtain the special permits for entry into the Sundarbans National Park. The tourists should contact the Secretary, West Bengal Forest Department, Writer's Blidge, Kolkata - 700001, on request.
To obtain the entry permit for other areas of the Sundarban; the tourists must visit the Field Director, Sundarbans Tiger Reserve, PO Canning, District 24 Parganas, West Bengal. A boat cruise through Sunderbans outside the sanctuary requires no entry permit.
