The Most Famous Tiger Zone in the World's Largest Mangrove Forest in India.
The Sunderbans ecosystem is a unique natural wonder of south Asia and the globe. The delta is spread over India and Bangladesh with an area of approximately 10,000 square kilometres and is enjoying the status of being largest halophytic mangrove forest in the world. It is a delta of the two great Indian River The Ganga and The Brahamputra which converges on the Bengal basin. The whole area is kingdom of the famous Royal Bengal Tigers.
The Sunderbans National Park is a tiger and biosphere reserve located in the Sunderbans delta in the state of West Bengal (India). The Sunderbans is named after the Sundari trees which are found in bulk in this area. The park was established as a national park on 4th May 1984 as earlier it was created as wildlife sanctuary in 1977, designated as the core area of Sunderbans Tiger Reserve.
Welcome to the land of tigers called "The Sunderbans National Park" extends in an area of approximately 1,355 Kms. The most preferable time to visit this park is in the month of September and May. If you visit in winter months you could see the sun-bathing on the river banks of amazing and powerful Royal Bengal Tigers. Apart from Bengal Tiger other chief wild life species present in this park are Macaques, Indian Grey Mongoose, Leopard Cats, Ridley Sea Turtle, Wild Boar, Jungle Cat, Fox, Flying Fox, Fishing Cats, Chital, Pangolin and a lot others.
Travelling to Sunderbans which is a place of incredible natural beauty and mangrove habitat, surely it will bring you close to the nature. Ample of things are there to make your trip memorable. Gliding crosswise the river in the boats takes you to the nature walk as you see varied cultural adventures and close encounter with the tigers has enough to make your eye-catching memories. The serene ambiance and relaxed halo equips you with new energy, zeal and enthusiasm to your entire body parts. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city your mind and soul rests here in the lap of natural beauty. Encounter with the vibrant bees and chirping of birds will take you the unique natural wonder of the earth.
The unique and amazing Sundarbans National Park is known for being the largest Mangrove forest and natural home to the most dangerous and endangered predator in the wilderness of the dense forest, the Royal Bengal Tigers along with a large array of wild species of various flora and fauna. The estuarine of the Sundarbans makes it a unique and a must visit wildlife destination in India for the wildlife lovers as well as Nature lovers. Visiting the Sundarbans National Park is as easy as visiting any other tourism destination in India.
If you are traveling by train then there are trains to Canning from Sealdah at regular intervals and the train covers this distance in one and a half hour. The private taxi or the shared vans are also available at Canning and takes you Godhkhali Jetty, the initial point of the boat cruise to the Sundabans.
The tourism department of West Bengal has well maintained the roadways and waterways connecting the Sundarbans National park to the nearest towns. Visitors to the Sundarbans National Park can use either the airways or railways or roadways to visit the starting point of the Sundarbans tour which is the Godkhali port. The Sundarbans forest can be explored only through the medium of water transport so from the Godkhali port you can use the small or the big boat to further explore the wildlife of Sundarbans.
The park is well connected to the nearby cities with the roadways, railways and waterways which further connected to the world with the airways as well. Tourists from all over the world visit this forest not only to enjoy the sighting of the wild animals, but also the gorgeous scenic view of the tranquil delta land. The forest can be explored through the water transports that sail in various river channels that divide the land into the deltas. However, the park is open throughout the year for the Safari, but if you know the best time to visit Sundarbans National Park then you can plan your tour accordingly to make your visit more enjoyable and interesting.
The days in between the months of October and March are considered as the best time to visit the Sundarbans National Park as the weather during these days are more pleasant than any other time of the year. The winter season is the best time not only for a comfortable day trip in the dense forest but also for the better wildlife animals sighting as they come out from the dense forest and bask in the sun on the river banks. You can enjoy the boat safari in this pleasant weather and can also enjoy the various local foods that you will get while on the boat during your day safari. Apart from the winter season, visiting during the other seasons are considerably less comfortable for the Safari in Sundarbans due to one or another reason.
The summer season is very uncomfortable due to the very hot weather as the temperature is very high and unbearable during the daytime. If you will hire the non-AC boat during the summer season then it will be the worst trip for you as you cannot enjoy the beautiful surroundings and amazing wildlife due to the unbearable heat waves you will face on the deck. The monsoon season in Sundarbans used to witness the generous rains and the water levels of the rivers flowing through the forest get high due to which the safari in the monsoon season is a bit risky in the small boats.
Visiting Sundarbans During Summer (April to June):
From April to June, the weather is extremely hot in the Sundarbans and the humidity is on top with the high temperature that ranges from 30 to 42 degrees Celsius. The hot weather is very uncomfortable for tourists, thus it is not an ideal time to visit Sundarbans.
Visiting Sundarbans During Monsoon (July to September):
From July to September, the monsoon season brings heavy rains in the Sundarbans making the water level reaches beyond the normal level which makes the boat safari a risky affair. Though the monsoon season brings much-needed relief for the wild flora and fauna after the summer this season is also not an ideal time to visit Sundarbans.
Visiting Sundarbans During Winter (October to March):
It is the best time to visit the Sundarbans due to the pleasant weather from October to March. Except for a few days of very cold weather, the entire duration of the above time interval is having a lovely weather with moderate temperature which ranges from 10 to 30 degrees Celsius. You will enjoy the flora and fauna of the Sundarbans and the beauty of the raw forest without any hassle.How to Reach Sunderban
By Air
The nearest airport from the Sunderbans National Park is the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, which located in Kolkata, the capital of the state of West Bengal. The airport is located at the distance of 120 km from the starting point of the Sunderbans safari at Godkhali Port. Further, you can hire the taxi or cab to reach the Godkhali from the Kolkata airport, which will take around 3 hours by road.
By Train
The nearest major railway station is the Sealdah Railway Station and the nearest local railway station is Canning Railway Station. The Sealdah Railway Station is one of the prime Railway Junction in West Bengal and located on the main route of the northeast railway zone and connected to the various cities of India by the regular trains. So, you can visit the Sealdah railway junction from other corners of India and then reach the Canning railway station by using the local trains from Sealdah which will take around one and a half hour of the train ride. Further, you can take the private taxi or shared public transport at the Canning to reach the entry point of Sunderbans at Godkhali to board the boat for the safari.
By Road
The Sunderbans visitors, who want to travel by road, can either take the public transport from Kolkata to Canning and further Canning to Godkhali or hire the private taxi or cab to reach directly to Godkhali from Kolkata. It is better to hire a cab or a taxi as public transport is very crowded. The road distance from Kolkata to Godkhali and Canning are around 120 km and 64 km respectively. At Godkhali, you can get into the boat to further explore the forest.
