Sunderbans 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). Towards the southern tip of the state of West Bengal, the land and the Bay of Bengal break out into a lively welcoming fandango to form a fresco of tangled mangrove swamps – the Sunderbans. Located in the Ganga delta in West Bengal, spanning the Hooghly in the west and Teulia river in the east, Sunderbans was declared a National Park in 1984 The Sunderbans are spread out over an area of 16,500sq km in the prostrate delta towards the mouth of the Ganga, and form the world’s largest estuarine forests that constitute 80% of India’s total mangrove swamps. A World Heritage Site, the Sunderbans are also amongst the richest biosphere reserves in the subcontinent.

The silt deposit islands on the Sunderbans Delta are connected to the mainland through a labyrinthine waterway system, with some islands being practically impenetrable. This has turned out to be a boon in disguise because the ecology of the area and these fecund marshlands, wired in thick foliage, are able to support an astonishing variety of plant and animal life. Twenty-six of the fifty broad mangrove types found in the world, thrive in the Sunderbans. In order to preserve this clearly unique biosphere, the area between River Hooghly and the River Teulia was declared a National Park in the year 1984. The protected reserve covers a stretch of 1,330sq km, and also constitutes the core zone of the National Park.

Compared to other reserves in the world, this park has the largest population of tigers, and also abounds in salt water crocodiles, olive Ridley turtles, Gangetic dolphins, chitals (spotted deer), fishing cats, wild boars, otters, rhesus macaques, monitor lizards, snakes, innumerable fishes, crabs, lobsters, shrimps, worms and a host of birds including kingfishers, storks, herons, Brahmin ducks, arghilahs, ibises, water fowl and egrets, to name only a few.

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.

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