|
Sundarbans National Park in India is
one of the world's largest deltas and the mangrove forest
formed by the confluence of three rivers- the Ganga, the
Brahmaputra and the Meghna- covering an area of 2,585 sq
km wildlife sanctuary, which extends into Bangladesh too.
The Sundarbans Wildlife Sanctuary, the world's largest
estuarine sanctuary is really worth a visit. With a series
of densely forested islands and saline water channels,
Sundarbans is home to 270 Royal Bengal Tigers along with
the spotted deers, wild pigs, monkeys, herons, kingfishers
and white-bellied eagles.
The Sundarbans is formed by an alluvial archipelago of 54
islands, made by the waters of Ganges, Brahmaputra and the
Bay of Bengal. The Sundarban National Park got its name
from the Sundari trees found here in abundance. Sundarbans'
also shares its boundaries with the Sajnekhali Bird
Sanctuary.
The most unique feature of the Sundarbans is the tigers in
the park apt at swimming and are strictly amphibious! The
Park is also famous for its conservation of the Ridley Sea
Turtles. The other wild animals found in the Sundarbans
National Park are estuarine terrapins, Olive Ridley
turtles, estuarine crocodiles, Ganges dolphins, water
monitors and a wide variety of birds, fish and
crustaceans. One of the major tourist attractions is the
Sajnekhali Visitors' Centre, which has a crocodile
enclosure, a shark pond, a turtle hatchery, and a Mangrove
Interpretation Centre.
Season :
The best time to visit Sunderbans is during winters
between September and March.
Access :
The Sunderbans are not easily accessible. To get to the
Sunderbans national park in India the nearest airport is
Calcutta, the nearest railway station is Canning, and the
nearest town is Gosaba. From the park headquarters at
Canning take the country motor launch (5 hours) to
Sajnekhali.
There are regular bus services from Kolkata (Calcutta) to
this place. But the main areas of the sanctuary can only
be accessed by riverine waterways. The best and the safest
way to visit Sunderbans is on conducted tours. One can
also avail the services of the private vessels from
Canning, Gosaba or Basanti.
General Information
Entry Permits : The foreign tourists willing to observe
the tigers and implement the Tiger Projects and visit the
Sajnekhali, have to obtain the special permits for entry
into the Sundarbans National Park. The tourists should
contact the Secretary, West Bengal Forest Department,
Writer's Blidge, Kolkata - 700001, on request. To obtain
the entry permit for other areas of the Sundarban; the
tourists must visit the Field Director, Sundarbans Tiger
Reserve, PO Canning, District 24 Parganas, West Bengal. A
boat cruise through Sunderbans outside the sanctuary
requires no entry permit.
|
