Sundarbans

The world's largest mangrove forest in the Ganges Delta: cruise tidal channels where Bengal tigers roam, stay overnight at eco-camps, and watch birds, crocodiles and everyday fishing-village life.

The Sundarbans lie in the delta formed by the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers and make up the largest mangrove forest on Earth, straddling India and Bangladesh. The Indian part belongs to South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal, and its core is Sundarbans National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and tiger reserve. It is a maze of tidal channels and scattered islands, home to Bengal tigers adapted to brackish water, as well as saltwater crocodiles, chital deer, Ganges river dolphins and hundreds of bird species. Exploring is done mainly by boat: visitors may not go ashore at will and can only disembark at fenced watchtower camps such as Sajnekhali, Sudhanyakhali, Dobanki and Netidhopani, and spotting a tiger is purely a matter of luck. The usual route is a roughly 3-hour drive from Kolkata to the Godkhali or Jharkhali jetty, then onward by boat. Typical packages run 2 days/1 night or 3 days/2 nights (including meals on board and an eco-camp or homestay around Pakhiralay village), with forest permits arranged by licensed operators. The best season is Nov–Feb, when it is cool and dry and migratory birds abound; Mar–May is hot and humid, while during the Jun–Sep monsoon the waters are rough, some services are suspended and cyclones are frequent. Bring mosquito repellent and sun protection, follow your guide's instructions on board, and never venture into the forest alone.

Top sights

• Sundarbans National Park Boat Safari – Sail the tidal waterways of the world's largest mangrove forest in search of Bengal tigers, estuarine crocodiles and kingfishers. It is the…
• Sajnekhali Watch Tower – The visitor center of the Sundarbans, with a watch tower, mangrove interpretive center and crocodile pond. Entry permits are issued here.
• Sudhanyakhali Watch Tower – Considered the most likely place on the Indian side to spot a Bengal tiger. A freshwater pond in front of the tower draws animals to drink.
• Dobanki Watch Tower & Canopy Walk – Features a netted, roughly half-kilometer elevated canopy walk that lets you move safely above the mangroves to watch wildlife.
• Netidhopani Watch Tower – A watch tower deep in the core zone, with the remains of a roughly 400-year-old temple nearby and the folk legend of the goddess Manasa.
• Burirdabri Watch Tower – A camp near the Bangladesh border on the Raimangal River, with mud trails, caged walkways and views across the frontier.
• Bonnie Camp – One of the tallest watch towers in the southern Sundarbans, with wide views over the mangrove forest and the river mouths.
• Jharkhali Tiger Rescue Centre – An eco-park in Jharkhali, the northwestern gateway town of the Sundarbans, where you can see rescued Bengal tigers behind enclosures.
• Gosaba & Hamilton Bungalow – The island gateway town of Gosaba, with the timber bungalow of Scotsman Hamilton, who set up a cooperative there, and Tagore's former retre…
• Bhagabatpur Crocodile Project – A saltwater crocodile breeding centre in the southwestern Sundarbans, where you can see crocodiles of all ages and river terrapins up close.