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Sundarbans National Park

Sundarbans National Park

wildlife park · West Bengal

State
West Bengal
Type
Wildlife Park
Best season
Winter
Things to do
2+

The Sundarbans National Park is the largest continuous mangrove forest on earth — a vast estuarine delta in West Bengal formed where the Ganges and Brahmaputra meet, cut into a maze of tidal mudflats, narrow river channels and dense island swamps. It holds the world's only population of tigers adapted to living in a mangrove habitat. There is no safari on land here; it is all done from the water, on licensed multi-deck passenger boats that work along the thick roots of the Sundari trees. The core reserve also holds saltwater crocodiles, water monitors and river dolphins.

A short history

Formed by sediment carried down the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta, the Sundarbans mangrove forest was declared a reserve forest by the British in 1878 and a tiger reserve in 1973. It remains the only mangrove forest in the world known to support a significant Bengal tiger population, adapted over generations to swimming and hunting in brackish tidal creeks.

Why Sundarbans National Park matters

The world's largest mangrove forest and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to the tiger adapted to a tidal, brackish habitat.

How many people come

2.5 lakh

national park in 2023 · WB Forest Dept (estimate)

When to go

October to March, the cool dry winter months, when being out on the boats is comfortable.

Why visit

You will almost certainly not see a tiger here, and anyone promising one is selling something. Come for the mangrove channels themselves, which can only be done by boat, and for the fact that these are the tigers that swim.

Cultural notes

The delta is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a designated Ramsar wetland, holding a fragile ecological balance. The people who live here share one syncretic tradition: Hindu and Muslim honey-gatherers alike worship Bonbibi, the guardian goddess of the forest.

How to reach

The main airport is Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, 110 km north. The nearest railhead is Canning station (48 km away), from where local shared taxis and buses run to the entry ferry ghats at Godkhali or Sonakhali.

Sundarbans National Park guide & itineraries

Popular attractions

The places in Sundarbans National Park most people come for.

Sudhanyakhali Watch Tower

Sudhanyakhali Watch Tower

Viewpoint

Do Banki Canopy Walkway

Do Banki Canopy Walkway

Experience

See all attractions

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