Sundarbans, the land of infinite natural wonders and Royal Bengal tigers

Sundarbans, the name in itself is beautiful and magical. The place is every nature and wildlife lover’s dream, and why not? Being the largest delta in the world, Sundarbans has been attracting the attention of researchers, naturalists and explorers alike. Back in 1987, India's Sundarbans National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This mangrove region is created by the confluence of the three rivers namely, Padma, Brahmaputra and Meghna in the Bay of Bengal.
Let’s find out more about this incredible place on earth.

Location
The Sundarbans region extends to Khulna Division, Bangladesh Presidency division and West Bengal in India.

Interesting facts


1) Sundarbans is spread across 4000 sq km and is home to 102 islands but only 54 are inhabited. Other islands are covered in deep forests.

2) India owns 40% of Sundarbans, while 60% of the area is owned by Bangladesh.

3) The story behind the name of the place is rather fascinating as it’s actually named after a mangrove tree called Sundari, meaning pretty. The place is in fact quite beautiful and a natural wonder.

4) Another interesting fact about the Sundarbans is that the place experiences high and low tides two times in a day. When the tides are high, the level of water goes up by nearly 6 to 10 ft and during low tides, there’s nothing but a huge pile of mud left by receding water.

5) Sundarbans is a natural habitat to endangered species including the Royal Bengal Tiger and Ganges and Irawaddy Dolphins.

6) Gosaba here is the biggest and last inhabited island (India). The island has its own panchayat, schools and hospitals.

How to reach?


By Air : Netaji Subhash International Airport at Dumdum in Kolkata is the nearest airport to the Sundarbans, which is about 112 km. One can easily hire a cab or taxi from outside the airport to reach Sundarbans.

By Rail: Canning Railway Station (a Kolkata Suburban Railway Station) is the closest railhead to Sundarbans. It is around 48 km away from the Sundarban National Park. From Sealdah (Kolkata), a number of local trains are available for Canning.

By Road: The region of Sundarbans is well-connected via road. Kolkata to Sunderbans is some 110 kms and public transport is very easily available from the city.

By Waterways: Sundarbans is best explored by riverine transportation. Motorboats can be hired from various places including Namkhana, Sagar Island, Sajnekhali, Sonakhali and Raidighi.