Located at the mouth of rivers Ganga and Brahmaputra, Sundarban Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, contains the world’s largest mangrove forest. Covering an area of ~10k sq. kms, about 40% is located in India, with the rest in Bangladesh. Approx. 45% of Sundarbans is wetland, comprising rivers, waterways, creeks and estuaries. Just about half of 100+ islands on the Indian side are inhabited. The Tiger Reserve is contained within Sundarban Biosphere.
Sundarbans on the map
Sundarbans is the only mangrove forest in the world that is inhabited by tigers who have evolved to an amphibious life, capable of swimming long distances between islands, and feeding, amongst others, on fish, crab and water monitor lizards. Popularly called the Royal Bengal Tigers, they are infamous as man eaters due to the high frequency of contact with local villagers.
Pursuit of livelihood results in tiger attacks
Since activities such as fishing, collecting crabs and honey fetches decent income, locals often venture out into uninhabited islands and narrow creeks, exposing themselves to attacks from tigers. According to my guide, ~100 people are killed by tigers every year.
Locals looking for crabs, Sundarbans, West Bengal Fishing in Sundarbans, West Bengal
Not a typical tourist destination
Sundarbans is neither a typical tourist destination, nor a usual forest reserve. There are no land safaris here, only boat safaris. The forest department has created sweet water ponds with watch towers to make it easier to sight wildlife. The limited number of resorts and hotels here offer basic accommodation. Above all, hygiene is a bit of an issue, especially for vegetarians like me. The washroom facilities are below par, but manageable.
Sunderbans was not on my list of places to see and I was unsure if it was worth making the trip. Though unique in many ways, it is not spectacular. My conclusion – it not a must see destination but if you happen to be in Kolkata, it is worthwhile driving down and spending a night in Sundarbans. If you are used to plush facilities and find it difficult to adjust to below par facilities(though at much lower cost as well), better to avoid.
Age is not a constraint to visit Sundarbans.
Entry into core zone is restricted
Sundarbans can be broadly divided into buffer zone and the core zone. Entry into core zone is restricted and very limited number of permits are issued on a daily basis. This is why almost all the boat safaris stick to the buffer zone. Animals and birds congregating at the sweet water ponds represent the best chance of viewing them.
The 3 most popular watch towers are located in the buffer zone at Sajnekhali, Sudhanyakhali and Dobanki. Another popular one is a bit further away(over 2 hours from Dobanki) in the core zone at Netidhopani. The watch tower at Dobanki offers a canopy walk, a half a kilometer long secure platform extending into the mangroves. Gives a great perspective of how the forest looks from inside.
The other two watch towers, at Burir Dabri and Bonnie camp are a bit far away. The one at Jharkhali was destroyed in the cyclone Amphan in 2020.
The pond at Dobanki, Sundarbans, West Bengal Dobanki canopy walk, Sundarbans, West Bengal
What is the probability of spotting tigers?
I would have loved to walk inside the mangrove forest but tourists are not allowed to do that. Spotting the tiger becomes the primary reason for going to Sundarbans. Here is the reality check. My guide indicated that he makes 125+ trips to Sunderban Tiger Reserve every year and he is able to spot the elusive tiger 3-4 times only. That’s a hit rate of roughly 3%. On 97% of the trips, a tourist will not spot the tiger.
The mangrove trees are not tall and thick but are extremely dense in most places. Sundarbans is rich in wildlife – from mammals to retiles to birds. But from a boat, it is hard to spot wild animals or birds lurking around even though the boats travel slow to maximize the chances of spotting them. There is popular saying locally that even if you do not spot the tiger, it will always be watching you.
Eventually, I also did manage to spot not one but two tigers, behind big enclosures at the Tiger Rescue Centre!
Storks sighted from boat, Sundarbans, West Bengal Deer sighted from boat, Sundarbans, West Bengal
Where to stay?
This is the million dollar question. Adjusting to sub par facilities is not so easy at my age. I did spend a fair bit of time trying to figure out the best options. Study the google map(page bottom) in the link below very carefully. You will need to view larger map and zoom into Sundarbans.
https://www.sundarbanaffairswb.in/
The distances between islands may look small on the map but the boats are not high speed boats and travel slow.
Many of the resorts are located in Dulki, Pakhiralaya, Dayapur and so on. From here, Sajnekhali and Sudhanyakhali watch towers are close and accessible within a day but Dobanki and Netidhopani are far. Couple of resorts are in Jharkhali from where Dobanki and Netidhopani are closer.
If you are staying for 2 nights or more, there is lot of flexibility and you can cover all the major watch towers. But if you are staying for only one night, good to decide upfront which watch tower to visit.
Staying in a boat is an option but likely to be uncomfortable
There is another option that may sound exciting-staying in a boat. This gives the best flexibility to visit the areas not generally frequented by tourists. E.g Netidhopani watch tower. However, boats will be nowhere as comfortable as a land based resort. I looked at few photos of the sleeping quarters and the wash rooms and decided against staying overnight in a boat.
Boat hires come with a guide. This is mandatory.
There are bigger boats called launches but I did not see any during my trip.
My boat in Sundarbans, West Bengal Boats in Sundarbans, West Bengal
If you wish to stay in a boat, check these links. This is not complete list and I would only advise you to re-confirm details provided.
https://www.visitsunderbans.com/sundarbans-luxury-tour-packages.html
https://www.sundarbans.net/sundarbans-boat-rental
https://www.triptosundarbans.com/sundarban-boat-package-tour/
How did I choose my resort?
After rejecting boat stay, I narrowed down my choice to 3 resorts – Sundarbans Tiger Camp Wildlife Resort(Waxpol Hotels), Sonar Bangla, and Royal Sundarban Wild Resort and eventually chose Royal Sundarban Wild Resort for two reasons:
- I could drive all the way to the resort located in Jharkhali, thereby saving time.
- Tiger rescue centre is near Jharkhali jetty(there are 2 tigers, crocodiles and deer. Its like a zoo.)
- Dobanki watch tower and canopy walk is close by.
The resorts may or may not have a bar. Though liquor may still be available in village shops(not openly though), if you wish to enjoy a drink, best to carry from Kolkata.
Royal Sundarban Wild Resort, West Bengal
Itinerary – my recommendation
For one night, my suggestion is to pick Sudhanyakhali and Sajnekhali or Dobanki with or without Netidhopani. Watch towers are interesting but the real fun is going around the islands, hoping to spot tigers and crocodiles lazing around. Since the boats travel slow, stick to one or two watch towers and spend more time going around islands.
My boat only went around the island where Dobanki watch tower is located, and it took over five hours, excluding about an hour at the watch tower. I was told it takes over 2 hours to reach Netodhopani watch tower from Dobanti. I had no choice but to skip Netidhopani as our start from Jharkhali was delayed. A 8am start is good but it was almost 9.30am when my boat departed from Jharkhali jetty.
Breakfast and lunch was served on the boat. Thankfully, most of the preparation was done at the resort itself as the boat did not have a full fledged kitchen. I did not like the look of the kitchen area in the boat.
Mangrove forest, Sundarbans, West Bengal Sundarbans, West Bengal Narrow creeks in Sundarbans, West Bengal Sunset in Sundarbans, West Bengal Sundarbans, West Bengal Sundarbans, West Bengal
Organised tour or DIY or combination?
I booked a package with the chosen resort but negotiated for private pick up from and drop to Kolkata and private boat. On organized tours, with group size of 10-20 people, the total cost per adult will range between 4k to 8k per night, all inclusive-from shared pick up and drop to all meals and boat ride. Private car and private boat can cost ~INR 10k each, though you can negotiate for lower rates with the hotel/resort. I found making all bookings through the chosen resort more convenient than trying to do everything individually. That way, the resort will also take care of food on the boat.
How many days?
Most websites say you must stay for 2 nights or more to fully enjoy the area. My personal experience is that the scenery does not change much, from island to island. After some time, once the initial excitement wears off, it does tend to get a bit monotonous. And considering the probability of sighting tigers and salt water crocodiles is slim, I think one night gives a good perspective of this unique eco-system. But there is another very important reason for not staying beyond one night. The hygiene levels are not what I am used to.
However, if you eat fish or non-vegetarian food, and are keen to try your luck at spotting wildlife, 2 nights should be good. Most 2 nights stay include visit to a local village or cultural performance by locals.
It is also possible to a day trip out of Kolkata but it would be very hectic.
How to get to Sundarbans
From Kolkata , the best option is private car as travel by public transport is laborious and requires change at more than one location. The two entry points are Godkhali(there is parking available here) from where you need to take a boat to Gosaba and beyond and Jharkhali which is accessible by road.
Many of the resorts are accessible only by boat. Godkhali can be reached in about 3-3.5 hours but the boat ride from there to the resort can take upto 2 hours depending on the location. My car took 3.5 hours from Kolkata to Jharkhali and 4 hours on the return(distance of about 100kms).
The road between Canning and Jharkhali was terrible though parts of it was being re-laid. The cyclone Amphan cause lot of destruction in 2020 and the infrastructure is being slowly re-built.
Overall, the drive from Kolkata is not exactly scenic.
When to visit?
I visited in the second half of March and it was hot. Gets worse in summer(April, May, part of June). There is heavy rain during monsoon with the added threat of cyclones. The best time is winter months of November to February. March and October are ok but days would be hot.
Weekends and holidays are generally fully booked. On weekdays, the costs can be higher if the number of visitors is low. When I visited on Sunday and Monday, my wife and I were the only visitors in the resort.
Other tips
Carry cash to pay for local purchases and tipping. There are no ATMs here.
Pick up water bottles from the resort/hotel instead of buying from local shops. Avoid buying eatables from local shops if you are a bit sensitive. Instead try tender coconut or hot tea served in disposable glasses.
Avoid getting off the boat at uninhabited islands or forcing the boat captain to go into narrow creeks. It is very risky and illegal as well.
I did not find any decent restaurants or rest rooms during the journey between Sundarbans and Kolkata.
Photo ID proof is required to obtain permits for boat safari.
Binoculars will be helpful, as also a camera with good zoom lens.