Only one who loves the Adventure, can advance into the kernel of the Sunderbans.
The Sundarbans (Sundar mean beautiful and bans means forests) is the largest mangrove forest of the earth. It stands in a deeply laid estuarial and inundated area of four large rivers, that take away precipitations of the southern slopes of the Himalaya as well as seasonally contingent large water quantities of the monsoon zone into the sea. Around 6000 km² large species-rich ecosystem is widely ramified and not easily accessible. Especially the Delta areas of Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna pass over here in each other.
Large parts of the Sundarbans belong today to a national park, that extends at the common boundary of India and Bangladesh. Around 2585 km² large area belong to the Sunderbans Tiger Reserve. They were explained in 1987 to the UNESCO world nature heritage. The Bengal tiger threatened by the extinction and the endemic Sundari tree are native here.
The Sundarbans are in a constant scenic change. Especially the southern areas subject to the turn of the tide, in which the animals and plants have acclimatized themselves to the brackish water. Typical for the mangrove forests the root spurs high up to 40 cm, that drives the roots towards the top of several tree types, lying in the oxygen-deficient mud ground. They form a thick "Grass" that is to be found at the ground of almost all groves and impedes the locomotion. During the inundation, they lie often just under the surface and hinder the movement of boats.
The Sundarbans form a natural protective barrier for the inland against the tropical cyclones gathering regularly from south. There are numerous birds, fishes, crocodiles, Pythons, deers and wild pigs domiciled. Just as one finds there many rare plants. In the inundation zones dominates mangroves dominate, further in the north bamboo forests thrive.
Larger animal species such as rhinos, Asian wise duck and various other hoofed animals were hunted into extinction already in the colonial time. Today the hunt is strictly regimented, but poaching is spread. The mangrove forests count also as a retreat of the bengal tiger that became a symbol for that general species extinction in this region. Also climate variations, the increased sea level, increasing salination of the fresh water zones, oil pollution from the nearly laid harbor Mongla as well as illegal deforestation endanger the existence of the Sundarbans.
Based on the climatic conditions and constant changing landscape, the Sundarbans are very inhospitable for the human settlement and the threat through tropical illnesses and parasites is high. Nevertheless, there are numerous local settlements and villages, whose inhabitants nourish themselves predominantly by fish capture and shrimp capture as well as by honey collection. The honey collection is limited seasonally to some months. The fish and shrimp capture can be operated all-year and takes place by means of hand nets. In their search activity and sport activity in the shallow water, they frequently encounter their own eat enemies such as Krodile and snakes.
Activities in Sunderbans: If you want to explore the park of sunderbans, the best and only way is to hire a boat and float down the various lanes formed by the many flowing rivers. Tousim Department of Sunderbans also operate local boats or luxury launches namely M.V. Chitrarekha and M.V. Madhukar, for the park lovers.
Apart from viewing the wildlife from the boat safaris, you can also visit the following places in Sundarbans which are Bhagatpur Crocodile Project which is a crocodile breeding farm (access from Namkhana), Sagar Island, Jambudweep, Sudhanyakali watchtower, Buriidabri Tiger Project, Netidhopani Watchtower, Haliday Island (famous for Barking Deer), Kanak (nesting place of Olive Ridley Turtle), Sajankhali Bird Sanctuary (famous for avian fauna).
Lodging in Sunderbans: Forest lodge and forest rest-houses are available for accommodation at Sajnekhali, Bakkhali and Piyali. The cruise launches MV Chitralekha and MV Sarbajaya also have lodging facility.
Approach:
Nearest airport: Dum Dum airport at Kolkata is 112 km away.
Nearest railhead: Canning is 48 km away from the Park.
Nearest Road: Road transportation is available from Kolkata for Namkhana (105 km), Sonakhali (100 km), Raidighi (76
km), Canning (64 km), and Najat (92 km), which are all near the Sunderbans and have access to the riverine waterways.
Nearest town: Gosaba is 50 km away.
Nearest city: Kolkata which is 112 km away.
Best Trip Time: Sunderbans Tiger Reserve is opened throughout the year, but the best time for a visit is from November to February.
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