Sunderban,West Bengal,india

The Wildlife Sanctuary, which is the world"��s largest estuarine sanctuary, has some

of India"��s most interesting wildlife, and is worth a visit. Spreading over a series of densely forested islands and saline water channels, Sunderbans is home to spotted deer, wild pigs, monkeys, herons, kingfishers, white bellied eagles and almost 270 Royal Bengal tigers. You can also spot aquatic wildlife such as Olive Ridley turtles, estuarine crocodiles, river terrapins, Gangetic dolphins, black finless porpoises, catfish, mudskippers, crabs, shrimps and lobsters in the Sunderbans

Night Out
There are no stand-alone restaurants in Sunderbans. The only available options are the restaurants attached to the various hotels and resorts in the Park.

Activities
The activities that can be taken advantage of at the Sunderbans are game viewing, boat cruise, royal Bengal Tiger spotting, wildlife photography.

Sights
The tigers of Sunderbans are known to be mostly man eaters- mainly because of the lack of other suitable prey in the area- and the entire estuary have become, over the past decades, a place where you have to be on the alert all the time. Hunters, honey-collectors and fishermen from the neighbouring

areas wander through the sanctuary throughout the year, and there are an average of 40 maulings a year. This is an improvement on past figures, however, as the forest department has introduced a number of measures- including masks and electric dummies to scare off maneaters. According to local folk culture, it is still believed that Bonbibi, the goddess of the forest, protects the villagers on their hazardous missions. A possé of armed policemen accompanies all visitors who venture into these ''beautiful forests"��. Sunderbans"�� other creatures include estuarine terrapins, Olive Ridley turtles, estuarine crocodiles, Ganges dolphins, water monitors and a wide variety of birds, fish and crustaceans. Also part of Sunderbans is the Sajnekhali Bird Sanctuary. Besides a heronry, the Sajnekhali Visitors"�� Centre has a crocodile enclosure, a shark pond, a turtle hatchery and a Mangrove Interpretation Centre.


How to get there by Air
The capital of West Bengal, Kolkata, is just 131 km from Sunderbans, and is well connected to the rest of India (and to a number of destinations abroad, too), so you shouldn"��t have much trouble getting to the estuary.

How to get there by Rail
The railhead and road head closest to Sunderbans Tiger Reserve is Port Canning, which is connected to Kolkata by train.

How to get there by Bus
From Port Canning, regular buses go to Sonakhali, Raidighi, Najat and Namkhana, from all of which launches can be hired to tour the waterways of the reserve.

Best time to Visit
Sunderbans is open to visitors from October to March. Winter is anyway the time when the area isn"��t as hot and humid as the rest of the year, so it"��s best to time your visit for between December and February.

Where to Stay
Within the Sunderbans reserve, the only accommodation available is at Sajnekhali, where there"��s a tourist lodge. The lodge stands atop pillars- to keep away hungry tigers- and has rooms as well as dormitories. Meals are available at the dining hall, but don"��t expect anything fancy- in the way of

either boarding or lodging. Outside the park, especially at Piyali and Bakkhali, are tourist lodges and hotels which can be an alternative for anyone looking for a place to stay. Rates vary considerably, depending upon what level of comfort you"��re looking for.


Nearby Places
Sajnekhali Bird Sanctuary, Bhagabatpur Crocodile Park, Jambudwip, Sagar, Lothian, Kailash and Holiday Island are some of the places worth visiting.

For more information for this Destination please check india Travel Guide

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