Sunderbans Jungle Camp, West Bengal

Don't Miss

Where the land meets the sea at the southern tip of West Bengal lies the Indian Sunderbans, a stretch of impenetrable mangrove forest of great size and bio-diversity. A UNESCO World Heritage Site (awarded in ’97) , the Sunderbans is a vast area covering 4264 square kms in India alone, with a larger portion in Bangladesh. 2585 sq. kms of the Indian Sunderbans forms the largest Tiger Reserve and National Park in India.

The Sunderbans are a part of the world's largest delta formed by the rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna. Situated on the lower end of the Gangetic West Bengal, 22.00° N – 89.00° E, it is also the world’s largest estuarine forest. 70% of the area is under saline water and the area is criss-crossed by hundreds of creeks and tributaries. It is difficult to approach and even more difficult to spend time in. But for those who dare, it must be one of the most attractive and alluring places remaining on earth.

In a landscape dominated by great tidal creeks and waterways, the only way to access and enjoy the area is on motorized boats, which come in various sizes and shapes.

Sunderbans is the home of man-eating tigers, estuarine crocodiles, sharks and snakes. Man fights for survival in great numbers by living off nature's bounty by accepting and fighting against these odds. The visitor has no choice but to stay within limits and out of trouble. This means that there is very little conventional bird or game watching, more observations from water. But the dark and foreboding attractiveness of the mangroves also hides some of the most sought after birds and animals in the world and a chance encounter with a Swamp Partridge, a Brown-winged Kingfisher, a Grey Headed Lapwing, a Pallas's Fish Eagle, a Lesser Adjutant or maybe a Mangrove Whistler is always a possibility ~ as is the unforgettable sight of the most secretive great cat in the world.

Tiger sighting is difficult not just because of the terrain but also because the density is not evident from the limited view one gets from a boat. The fringes of Sunderbans play host to many local endemics and the visitor is well advised to spend time on land outside the core area before venturing into the heart of the National Park. Once inside the Park, the only access to land is at the various Watchtowers you can visit. Remember that the watchtowers are inside wire cages and do not allow you to stroll in tiger-land.

Getting there

Bali Island, Bali village number 9, National Park West Range, 24 Paragans Distrcit, West Bengal, India.

• By Road Kolkata-Sonakhali Jetty is connected by good all weather road(approx 100 kms)and a 2 hours interesting drive. Sonakhali to Sunderbans Jungle Camp is a 2.5 hours cruise
• By Rail
• By Air You can find flights to Calcuttsa in the get there section of this site.
• By Sea Kolkata-Sonakhali Jetty is connected by good all weather road(approx 100 kms)and a 2 hours interesting drive. Sonakhali to Sunderbans Jungle Camp is a 2.5 hours cruise

Other Insider Info.

Sunderbans Jungle Camp on Bali island is a participatory Community Tourism demonstration Project for the rehabilitation of the poachers-turned-conservationists, sustainable development of the local community and conservation of the wildlife and flora of this unique eco system.

Ours is a small low-impact Jungle Camp which is environmentally-sensitive and liked by those who have interest to explore the infinite bio-diversity and uniqueness of the ecosystem of Sunderbans through a participatory, authentic, knowledgeable, meaningful, intimate, mutually-educative, responsible encounters with the local people and their culture and livelihood. Your visits are our support and contribute to a great extent to our small initiative to support the sustainable development of the local community and the conservation of the forest and the great cats.

Why do we like them?

Help Tourism have been at the vanguard of sustainable tourism initiatives in India for well over a decade. They have developed some incredible adventure and activity programs, including trekking in the Himalayas, tiger, rhino and bird spotting in the National Parks and Reserves networks, elephant safaris and heritage and cultural tours in a fascinating and diverse region of India. Uniquely, all these programs are designed with specific sustainable development and conservation goals in mind. Their engagement with the local communities is a model to be admired - the organization has single-handedly implemented 26 Community Tourism projects in the remote forest and mountain villages of this region.

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