VISIT SUNDARBAN

Introduction Sundarbans is the name given to a beautiful forest or a forest in which the Sundari tree (Heritiera fomes) grows. At the early stages of the history of the area, the entire Bengal basin was submerged under the sea and sedimentation from the Ganges-Brahmaputra river systems created a landmass, which is today’s Bengal Delta. The first Sundari trees presumably first took root below the Rajmahal Hills, establishing the northern extent of the Sundarbans in history. Early History The Sundarbans, as we know it today, has a fairly recent history. Much of the present tidal delta only stabilized as late as 5th – 7th century AD. When India collided and penetrated into the Eurasian plate in the middle Eocene, all of what later became the largest delta in the world, covering 65,000 km2, lay below sea level. The formation of the lower delta plain started during the middle Holocene and most of the presently occupied area of 10,017 km2 in India and Banglade...

Key to birding the Sundarbans is overcoming the geographic and physical hurdles. Though only a 100 odd kms from Kolkata city, Sajnekhali, an established tourist/visitor destination takes 5 - 6 hours to reach through a combination of road and water transport. In a landscape dominated by great tidal creeks and waterways, the only way to access and enjoy the area is on motorized boats which come in various sizes and shapes. Sundarbans is the home of swimming man eating tigers, estuarine crocodiles, sharks, poisonous snakes and pirates. Man fights for survival in great numbers by living off nature's bounty by accepting and fighting against these odds. The visitor has no choice but to stay within limits and out of trouble. This means that there is very little conventional bird-watching, more observations from water. But the dark and foreboding attractiveness of the mangroves also hides some of the most sought after birds in the world and a chance encounter with a Brown-winged Kingfisher...

Where the land meets the sea at the southern tip of West Bengal lies the Indian Sundarbans, a stretch of impenetrable mangrove forest of great size and bio-diversity. A UNESCO World Heritage Site (awarded in ’97) , Sundarban is a vast area covering 4262 square kms in India alone, with a larger portion in Bangladesh. 2585 sq. kms of the Indian Sundarban forms the largest Tiger Reserve and National Park in India. The total area of the Indian part of the Sundarban forest, lying within the latitude between 21°13’-22°40’ North and longitude 88°05’-89°06’ East, is about 4,262 sq km, of which 2,125 sq km is occupied by mangrove forest across 56 islands and the balance is under water. The Sundarbans are a part of the world's largest delta formed by the rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna. Situated on the lower end of the Gangetic West Bengal, 21°13’-22°40’ North and longitude 88°05’-89°06’ East, it is also the world’s largest estuarine forest. The Sundarbans is inhospitable, dangerous a...

Sajnekhali: Sajnekhali has a bird sanctuary and is the only place to have a hotel in this area - the Sundar Cheetal Tourist Lodge. There is a Mangrove Interpretation Centre here. There are watchtowers at Sajnekhali, Sudhanyakhali, Netidhopan, Haldi and a number of other places. Gosaba Sir David Hamilton’s settlement. Tiger Reserve Project Tiger was implemented in 1973 and later the Sundarban Tiger Reserve was demarcated over 2,585-sq. km. The core area of 1,330 sq.km has been declared a National park and has been chosen as a world heritage site. The reserve has a tiger population of 287(1984 census). The only mangrove species, the tiger here has adapted well to its habitat. Bhagbatpur Crocodile Project: This is a crocodile breeding farm. Tours are organized by the WBTDC. This place is accessible through Namkhana. Both the West Bengal Tourism Department and the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation organize conducted tours to the Sundarbans by their launches. Bhagabatput is a hat...

Sundarbans, formerly SUNDERBUNDS, vast tract of forest and saltwater swamp forming the lower part of the Ganges Delta, extending about 160 miles (260 km) along the Bay of Bengal from the Hooghly River Estuary (India) to the Meghna River Estuary in Bangladesh. Sundarbans The Sundarbans are a part of the world's largest delta formed by the rivers Ganges,Brahmaputra and Meghna. The whole tract reaches inland for 60-80 miles (100-130 km). Sundarban View A network of estuaries, tidal rivers, and creeks intersected by numerous channels, it encloses flat, marshy islands covered with dense forests. Tiger The name Sundarbans is perhaps derived from the term meaning "forest of sundari, a reference to the large mangrove tree that provides valuable fuel. Along the coast the forest passes into a mangrove swamp; the southern region, with numerous wild animals and Crocodile- infested estuaries, is virtually uninhabited. It is one of the last preserves of the Bengal tiger and ...