Sunderbans National Park

Location : West Bengal
Major Attractions : Bengal Tiger
Best time to Visit : September to March

About Sunderbans National Park

Situated in the exotic locales of West Bengal in north east India, Sunderbans National Park is a unique ecosystem which harbors numerous rare and beautiful animals and birds. Dominated by vast stretches of mangrove forests, Sunderbans is spread over an archipelago of 54 islands that spans two countries namely India and Bangladesh. The region is famed for being home to the largest number of wild tigers in the world, a prominent reason which prompted the United Nations to designate it as a world heritage site.

Sunderbans National Park was brought under project tiger in 1973 and since the tiger population in the area has been on constant rise. A recent survey put the tiger population at Sunderbans at a staggering 287 which is even more fascinating considering the climatic conditions here are not very ideally suited for these striped predators.

Wildlife Attractions at Sunderbans National Park

The royal Bengal Tiger is the most talked about denizen at Sunderbans, The mangrove forests, of which there are plenty at Sunderbans provide shelter to over 400 Bengal tigers as well as other animals including the rhesus monkey and chital deer. Plenty of reptiles can be seen basking in the sun along the river, prominent amongst them being the rock python, water monitor and king cobra.

The marshy lands of the Sajnakheli area are known to provide shelter to a wealth of birds which include the black necked stork, white ibis, white collared kingfisher, brown winged kingfisher, Asian openbill stork, greater adjutant stork, swamp francolin and black capped kingfisher. The riverine waterways spread across the entire area provide an excellent way of spotting the wildlife while relishing a boat safari. The vessels can be booked from any of the nearby cities including canning, basanti and gosaba.

Stay At

There are not many accommodation options in and around Sunderbans National Park, however, there are a couple of resorts which provide its guests with the best in food and accommodation. The Government run Sunder Chital Tourist Lodge situated just outside Sunderbans National Park offers 60 beds and all the necessary amenities while the Sunderbans Jungle Camp is another resort which offers six ethnic style cottages that can accommodate a total of 12 people at a time.

Getting There

By Air : Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (Dum Dum Airport) located at Calcutta (112 Km) is the nearest airport which is connected to other

Indian cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore through regular Indian Airlines flights.

By Rail : Port Canning, situated at a distance of 48 Km, is the nearest railhead. The city is connected to Calcutta through trains which operate several times in a day. It is recommended that the tourists travel by road instead of trains as the rail journey is not all that smooth.

By Road : Sunderbans National Park is accessible only through a network of riverine waterways. The best option is to travel by road to any of the nearby cities leading to these waterways and complete the journey from there. Some of the distances from nearby cities are Namkhana (105 Km), Raidighi (76 Km), Najat (92 Km) and Sonakhali (100 Km).

Important Information for Visitors

• Foreign tourists need to get a permit from the West Bengal Tourism Department before entry into the park.

• Entry fee to the park is Rs. 15 for Indians and Rs. 150 for foreigners, which is to be paid at the forest station.

• The park remains open from 7 AM to 5 PM everyday.

• It is recommended to carry bottled drinking water along as well as basic medication.

• A local guide can prove to be of much help.