Boating, Birding in West Bengal’s Sundarbans

The Sundarbans is the largest single mangrove ecosystem in the world, and lies within both India and Bangladesh. About 45 percent of the total area of the Indian Sundarbans is under mangrove forests, which is protected and consists of the Sundarban Tiger Reserve and the Reserve Forest West of Tatla and Bidya Rivers. The remaining area consists of 54 islands inhabited by about 4 million people facing limited development opportunities.

Adventurous travelers will love this area if they hook up with Help Tourism’s Asit Biswas and guide Tuhin – who have been leading tours in the area for over a decade.

We suggest a four-day itinerary, departing from Kolkata. On your daily voyages by boat through the forest you’ll be delighted by the nutty bright green parakeets, black-capped kingfishers and herons. On Gosaba, try some snacks in the chaotic market, and hook a ride with one of the bicycle carts to visit a women’s cooperative where they make detailed batik in vibrant colors.

The banks of the Sundarbans’ islands are dense with mangrove trees that grow out of the mud – these incredibly resilient trees are able to survive inundation by salt water twice a day and grow in “soil” which is unstable and poor in oxygen. Try walking through the thick, gluey clay mud yourself – villagers use to build their homes, but be warned it will suck even the fittest of you up to your knees!

Help Tourism is also very active in other nature parks in NE India, see their website for more details.