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Sunderbans Landscape |
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The Sunderbans National park , located in the Eastern Indian
state of West Bengal, and bordering neighbouring Bangaldesh , is a
vast area covering 4264 square kms in India alone , making it the
largest Tiger Reserve and National Park in India. . Sunderbans, is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a stretch of impenetrable mangrove
forest of great size and bio-diversity. The Sunderbans parks are
covered in mangrove forests of which there are three main zones,
classified by the level of salinity in the soil and water. Fishing,
timber extraction and honey collection are the main human activities
allowed within the Sunderbans. The four Sunderbans national parks
have been lumped together as they all share common features of the
estuarine mangrove ecosystem. The main attraction of the Sunderbans
is the Tiger, of which the delta harbours the largest single
population in the world, estimated at about 300 . The animals
inhabiting this mangrove wilderness have become adept at living a
semi-aquatic lifestyle and have also gained a reputation for
aggression, attacking the honeycollectors and fisherman entering
their domain. Despite their relatively large numbers, the Sundaban
Tigers are not easy to find and mostly nocturnal in habits resting
up during the heat of the day. The mangroves also provide cover for
large reptiles such as the Monitor Lizard, Estuarine Crocodile and
the Olive Ridley Turtle, the latter the subject of a conservation
programme in the Indian park. Tiger sightings are rare , but
tourists to the Sunderbans get to see and experience a unique and
severely threatened aquatic habitat.
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Tiger |
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Game rides in Sunderbans
Game rides in the Sunderbans delta are conducted by Boat only.
Visiting Sunderbans
The best time to visit Sunderbans is from mid November to early
March. The park remains open from September to May.
Getting to Sunderbans
Sunderbans is located almost 150 kms away from Kolkatta of which
the first 90 kms are a road journey of about 2 hours , and the
remainder, a 2.5 hour boat journey .
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Estuarine Crocodile |
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