The Sundarbans, the magical and mysterious land where tigers roam through the mangroves, hidden from sight behind the impassible bushes. It is the largest mangrove forest in the world and covers a huge portion of land over both India and Bangladesh. Whilst the India portion is smaller, a whopping 4.5 million people still make these islands their home.
The Indian Forest Department protects a portion of these islands as the tiger reserve. The reserve is split into 3 parts. Firstly, an area where local fisherman and honey collectors can work (which we were informed is incredibly dangerous, but necessary, for the local people). Second is an area where tourist boats can roam but all fishing practices are banned, though due to desperation many fisherman ignore these rules at the risk of having their permits seized. Finally, an area that no one is permitted to go – this is to allow the tigers to roam in peace, vital for their future conservation. Tigers are found throughout all of these areas and it’s when they come into contact with honey collectors and fisherman that the conflicts occur – around 65 people a year are killed by tigers via this conflict. The Forest Department provides masks with faces on to the workers to wear on the backs of their heads. This is because research shows tigers only attack from behind, but they’re intelligent animals and they’re rarely fooled for long. They’ve also put up fences around the perimeter of the reserve to stop tigers swimming to the populated islands.
Backpackers Tour de Sundarbans
Brad and I found this company who offered 1-3 night stays in the Sundarbans within an eco village, this included an excursion into the reserve. We went for the 2 night option which was a good amount for our first time (especially since we are still adjusting to India time/weather). To give a very quick itinerary breakdown:
- The first day starts at 8am at their office in Kolkata (pick up can be arranged from your hotel). You take a bone-shaking bus journey to Godhkali and then a boat to reach the Eco Village for around 4pm. Upon arrival you are allocated a mud hut to stay in and then are taken on a walking tour around the village, which is no longer than 45 minutes and is a good intro to the area. For the whole trip you are living with the local people, eating with them and watching them go about their daily lives so you really understand how people survive in this remote part of India. We then had a short boat ride into the mangroves (not in the reserve) on a traditional row boat, a good opportunity to get up close and personal to some tree crabs. After, it’s dinner and then bed (or whatever you fancy but we were exhausted having slept terribly the night previous).
- The second day is an early start for 6am – this wasn’t a problem for us since the electrics stopped working in the night and without a fan we had been awake since 4am due to the heat. It could of been worse as we at least got to see the sunrise. You then head straight into the boat and head off towards the reserve, except for a short stop to get the permits. All your meals are then cooked and served on the boat by a local woman – Brad thoroughly enjoyed all the meals they provided. You get to spend all day in the reserve which is amazing! A tour guide is provided by the Forest Department who has insane knowledge of the flora and fauna! Our guide Manoranjan Mandal was faultless and we couldn’t praise him enough. You arrive back around 4pm after cruising the waterways, and stopping at the 2 watch tower areas. In the evening we listened to some traditional folk music for a while and then Brad and I took advantage of the astonishingly dark, clear skies for astrophotography – trust me the clearest skies you will ever see! We were offered a ‘night boat trip’ into the mangroves on the paddle boat but, once again, me and brad were exhausted and so we skipped this and passed out in bed.
- Up for 8am, normally you would take another village tour of some kind. For us, due to some maintenance in the village, we could not go, so we just chilled with the other villagers for a while. It’s then time to head back, arriving in Kolkata for about 4pm.
The trip as a whole was amazing, parts of it are challenging, but when you stop and look at where you are and what you’re seeing it is definitely worth it. For one, there are barely any vehicles and you can hear no beeping (sweet relief after Kolkata). Second is the sky, to look up and see the Milky Way with just the naked eye and no light pollution – it’s incredible. You are also surrounded by amazing wildlife! Tigers are literally roaming the forests a few kilometres from you. Did we see them? No. But nonetheless they are there. Plus, it feels nice to be somewhere that is a little more remote, you get a sense of getting ‘back to nature’ a little.
So now you know we didn’t see the Bengal Tiger, but we were still incredibly lucky with what we did spot. For starters, due to the river being flat and glossy, we were somehow lucky enough to spot the rare Irrawaddy Dolphin! A whole pod perhaps less than 1 kilometre away from us. This sighting is just as rare as the tiger in this region so we were absolutely buzzing. Other than this we spotted; the estuarine crocodile (a small 2 metre one – they can reach 7.5 metres!), several monitor lizards, kingfishers (black-capped, brown-winged, white-throated, pied and common) and bee-eaters (blue-tailed and green), a brahimny kite, a painted stalk and spotted deer, as well as a host of other birds. The rest of the group did see a green pit viper – which we were gutted we missed. However, we did see a (non-venomous) checkered keelback snake back at the eco village!
I think time of arrival, and weather, has a huge part to play in what you spot within the reserve. The mangroves are tidal and can fluctuate around 6 metres. Low tide is the best time to spot the animals as they venture out to the mud banks to feed. Also trying to time your visit up to 7 days from the full moon will benefit you due to the low tide being at the beginning of the day, when animals are more active and it’s cooler. We were seriously lucky that we had a clear day with no rain, but this is a forest and it does rain a lot. Obviously this is luck, but a clear day will help to spot the animals.
Issues we Had
- We were warned about the mosquitos in the area and they are very abundant! We were so careful taking all the correct precautions; wearing full length clothes, sleeping with mosquito nets and wearing strong DEET repellant. However, we were still both bitten A LOT. I don’t know what to say about this other than, chances are, it will happen no matter how hard you try to avoid it.
- If you’re squeamish about insects, you will hate it. During the day it’s bliss and peaceful. As soon as night comes, all the creepy insects come out to play. A huge (palm of hand size) big scary spider literally fell on Brad’s shoulder whilst he was showering. A few minutes later a dragonfly flew into our hut and before you knew it I was crying freaking out over the infestation of insects.
- As with every place we’ve visited so far in India, the village suffers with frequent power cuts. The huts do have a fan to keep you cool at night, which is great, until the power fails. This can lead to a very hot and uncomfortable night with not a lot you can do about it.
- If you’re going just to see the Bengal tiger, I’m 99% sure you’ll be disappointed. They are a rare treat when visiting the Sundarbans and you should not rest all your hopes on seeing one. Instead try to enjoy everything else this unique experience has to offer.
For our 3 day trip we spent only 1100 rupees for the both of us. This is incredible value for what you receive! The hospitality we received from the 3 brothers that operate the business is second to none. Even once we arrived back in Kolkata they helped us to try and fix an issue with Brad’s phone, taking time out of their evening and asking nothing in return. They let us rest in their office and offered us the use of their shower. We couldn’t have been more grateful!
I’m sure Bradley and myself will head back to the Sundarbans in the future. Perhaps next time we’ll stay for longer and time the trip to give us a better chance of spotting that elusive tiger!
Next we take a quick pit stop in Bodh Gaya, then on to Varanasi…
Lar
Great detail Lara. I’m impressed with your knowledge!
Thank you! We try to listen and take in as much of the information as we can!
Any shooting stars in that clear night sky?
Funnily enough, we didn’t see one! Not even a satellite.
Really good Lara!!
Sounds like an amazing adventure, not sure about the creepy crawlers though. Photos are great and I look forward to the next update. Xx
Thankfully I haven’t seen anything quite as scary as that since! Thanks so much Lisa x
Wow! Sounds incredible. Your descriptions make it come alive! Not sure I’d be that happy with a spider in the shower!!! Look forward to your next instalment, enjoy the next leg of you journey. Sharon
Great read again Lara and I was about to book my flight before I read about the creepy insects, crocodiles and vipers! Thankfully your writing is very descriptive so I can visualise it without actually going. Just show me the photos! Fab one of the Milky Way. X
Haha, definitely not for the faint hearted! All photos should be available in a slideshow at the top of the post which you can click on to scroll through 🙂 Brad’s definitely in his element out here, so much photogenic scenery! x
Looks & Sounds like you are having a wonderful time, keep it up.
Hi Auntie June! We are having a wonderful time! You’ll have to try and show Grandad some of my photos so that he can see what I’m up too. Love you lots!x