Sundarbans Tiger Reserve is a unique natural wonder of South Asia and the globe. The delta is spread over India ( 2584.89 sq km- with a core area of 1699.62 sq km and a buffer area of 885.27 sq km) and Bangladesh with an area of approximately 10,000 square kilometres and is enjoying the status of being the largest halophytic mangrove forest in the world. It is a delta of the two great Indian Rivers The Ganga and The Brahmaputra which converge on the Bengal basin. The whole area is the kingdom of the famous Royal Bengal Tigers.
The Sunderbans National Park is a Tiger and biosphere reserve located in the Sunderbans Delta in West Bengal (India). The Sunderbans is named after the Sundari trees which are found here in abundance. The Sundarbans, meaning beautiful forests, are shared between India and Bangladesh and have been declared a UNESCO heritage site. This area has a silent charm that amazes one with the simplicity and naturalness of its ecological balance despite offering habitat to some of the most dynamic and awe-inspiring flora and fauna. They are the last remaining stands of the mighty jungles which once covered the Gangetic plain and the sustainability of this natural structure is pretty majestic.
Endangered species in the bio reserve other than the elusive swamp Tiger are, king crabs, and olive ridley turtles. You can also find the jungle fowl, giant lizards, spotted deer, wild boar and crocodiles in these forests. The Siberian ducks are another famous attraction here. Besides this, there are over 64 varieties of mangroves such as Goran, Genwa, Dhundal, Garjan, Kankra, Sundari and Passur.
The forest is also rich in birdlife, with 286 species including the endemic brown-winged kingfishers and the globally threatened lesser adjutants and masked finfoots and birds of prey such as the ospreys, white-bellied sea eagles and grey-headed fish eagles. Some more popular birds found in this region are open-billed storks, black-headed ibis, water hens, coots, pheasant-tailed jacanas, pariah kites, brahminy kites, marsh harriers, swamp partridges, red junglefowls, spotted doves, common mynahs, jungle crows, jungle babblers, cotton teals, herring gulls, Caspian terns, grey herons, brahminy ducks, spot-billed pelicans, great egrets, night herons, common snipes, wood sandpipers, green pigeons, rose-ringed parakeets, paradise flycatchers, cormorants, white-bellied sea eagles, seagulls, many varieties of kingfishers, peregrine falcons, woodpeckers, whimbrels, black-tailed godwits, little stints, eastern knots, curlews, golden plovers, pintails, white-eyed pochards and lesser whistling ducks.
Safaris at Sundarbans Tiger Reserve
The only way to explore this beautiful mangrove forest is through a private hired boat cruising through the narrow creeks of this remote land. One has to board a boat from Godkhali which is the nearest Jetty- about 3 hours from Kolkata airport.
