Review : Hello everyone, This has been one of the most informative websites that has helped me plan my vacations and hence I feel obligated to share my experiences and aid someone else’s travel plans. This is my first review for mouthshut.com and I would like the regular writers to kindly review the article and offer constructive criticism.
Place : Sunderbans wildlife sanctuary - Its speciality Sunderbans, boy, where do I begin about this unique region. Sunderbans is the only mangrove floating forest in the world. It occupies a delta region and extends from 100 km off kolkota, well into bangladesh. Geography aside, what sets this place apart from the rest of the wildlife sanctuaries is that this is essentially a floating forest. It consists of about 150 islands, each of which is filled with forests so dense that u cannot look beyond a few feet into the forest.
Almost all of these islands are uninhabited. The only method of transportation through these set of islands is by boat, through the numerous creeks and canals. The travel through boat is intriguing because of the tide factor. These islands, being so close to the sea, they have regular low and high tides. The staggering point is that the difference in the water level between a high tide and a low tide could be close to 20 feet. Hence this makes navigation through the small creeks very critical, because if one does not have a thorough idea of the local conditions, the boat could be stuck for close to six hours in deep tiger land.
Coming to the flora and the fauna, Sunderbans is the home to the royal bengal tiger. The forests in this area are so dense, that often, a tiger finds it impossible to hunt for its prey. And this is the reason , why it has turned on man as prey. It is commonly believed that almost all the tigers in this region are man eaters. This is the chilling truth of the Sunderbans. One more intriguing aspect of the tigers here is that they are expert swimmers and can swim distances of more than 80 km a day. They swim right across the water bodies and move from one island to the other. These saline water drinking, extremely intelligent royal bengal tigers are what add an element of fear and mystique to these great forests.
If you thought that man eating tigers on land were danger enough, there are large salt water crocodiles inhabiting the waters. These large opportunistic predators, some as long as 20 feet, occupy the sandy shores and upon some disturbance, simply slide into the water and go underwater. You can see them no more, but they can see you. One slip into the water and you are history. Then we have the river sharks that are real dangerous too. They just slice through anything in the water. The local people say that out of every 10 casualties, (casualties are almost entirely the fishermen and the honeycollectors who venture into the forest. tourists , u are safe .. ) 5 are caused by the tiger, 3 by the crocodile and 2 by the sharks. The spine chilling truth about the sunderbans is that a human being can see none of the three predators , but the predators are always watching and waiting for one wrong step. As the saying in this region goes - ’’The tiger is always watching you ’’ .
Important Information for the Tourists : Even though the region is filled with danger, most of them are relevant to the local people who venture out into the water and the forests on their dinghies in search of fish and honey. The boats that are used for the tourists are very robust and big. And also there is no danger because a tiger never attacks people in a boat. That danger does not exist. So, sit back , relax , follow the instructions of your guide in the boat, and have the ride of your lifetime, taking in the beauty of this place, which has no parallel in this world.
Sunderbans - How to reach : From Kolkata, you need to travel for about two hours through the Bengal countryside, to Basanti. This is the place where the road ends and you get on to the water. From Basanti, the Sunderbans is about a two hour boat ride. The route is via Goshaba.
Sunderbans - Where to stay and how to go around There are three options to stay.
- the west bengal tourism hotel in sajnekheli - We get an eerie feeling once we see this. It is pretty isolated, run down and built on pillars to keep you out of reach of hungry tigers. It is well within tiger land . It is deep inside the Sunderbans. The west bengal tourism operates three sight seeing points within the premises of the hotel. There is a crocodile pond, watch tower and a museum. However, be warned, that the hotel runs on solar power and hence once it is dark, there is no electricity. pros : unmatched excitement, akin to camping in the forest filled with man eating tigers.
cons : run down hotel, no electricity and very bad service ( its a government hotel).
- Stay on a boat of the tourism department - There are two boats operated by the tourism department. Its a two day one night cruise on these boats.
pros : cruise in these forests is enchanting
cons : living in a boat can get routine and boring, mosquitoes, sharing bathroom with all the people on board, eating the food cooked in boat.
- project tiger camp : This is located on an island facing the sunderbans, across the river from the great forests. Located near a village, close to humanity, yet close to nature. Excellent food, wonderful service ( better than any of the five stars I have been to), safe boats and electricity. This is like one of those theme hotels. They offer a three day two night package from kolkata, which is wonderful, so you will not have to bother about the other transportation conditions. just sit back and enjoy.
pros : excellent hotel, nice food, great service, safe boats, package offered from kolkata so no hassles in transportation
cons : across the river from the forests.
What to see : If in the tiger camp, there are three cruises in the package.
day 1- in the evening, cruise to the sajnekheli tourism hotel. we can see the watch tower, the crocodile pond and the museum.
day 2- full day cruise through the narrow creeks and channels day
3- half day cruise to the sudhanyakheli watch tower.
In a normal zoo in the city, the animals are inside the cages and we watch them. However in the Sunderbans , as we alight the boats at the watchtowers, we are led through a cage like walkway to the watch tower. We are walking in a cage to avoid the man eaters! We can sit at the watch towers hoping to have a view of the royal bengal tigers or cruise through the creeks in the prime tiger land of these forests. Also on day two, the cruise takes us to the point from where we can see the river meeting the Bay of bengal . Actually five rivers meet at a point and go ahead and meet the sea. This point is one of the highlights of the tour. The scenic beauty has no peers. It is just a scene which is a pinnacle of serenity.
When to visit : winter is the most comfortable time to stay, weatherwise. If beauty of the place is of importance, try the monsoons. If catching sight of the tiger is a priority, go after summer and before the monsoons begin, so that the tigers can be caught on the shores.
How much does it cost : 3500 per person from kolkata ( project tiger package) for a three day two night tour, which includes transportation, food, cruises and unparalleled service. Once they pick you up from priya cinema in kolkata till u are dropped back, u dont need to touch your wallet. No hidden expenses, wonderful service.
Recommended way of travel : Project tiger camp