Visit Bangladesh The Sundarbans (Home of the Royal Bengal Tigers)

Visit Bangladesh

The Sundarbans

 Home of the Royal Bengal Tigers

The Sundarbans delta, at the mouth of the Ganges river, is the largest mangrove forest in the world, spreading across parts of Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. The Sundarbans features a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests. The area is known for its wide range of fauna, with the Royal Bengal tiger being the most famous, but also including many birds, spotted deer, crocodiles and snakes.

In the south western part of Bangladesh, in the district of greater Khulna, lies the Sundarbans, "the beautiful forest." It is a virgin forest which until recently owed nothing to human endeavour and yet nature has laid it out with as much care as a planned pleasure ground. For miles and miles, the lofty treetops form an unbroken canopy, while nearer the ground, works of high and ebb-tide marked on the soil and tree trunks and the many varieties of the natural mangrove forest have much to offer to an inquisitive visitor.

Here land and water meet in many novel fashions. Wild life presents many a spectacle. No wonder, you may come across a Royal Bengal Tiger swimming across the streams or the crocodiles basking on the river banks. With the approach of the evening herds of deer make for the darking gladeswhere boisterous monkeys shower Keora leaves from above for sumptuous meal for the former. For the botanist, the lover of nature, the poet and the painter this land provides a variety of wonders for which they all crave.

The Sundarbans is a cluster of islands with an approximate area of 3600 sq. km. forming the largest block of littoral forests. It's beauty lies in its unique natural surrounding. Thousands of meandering streams, creeks, rivers and estuaries have enhanced its charm. Sundarbans meaning beautiful forest is the natural habitat of the world famous Royal Bengal Tiger, spotted deer, crocodiles, jungle fowl, wild boar, lizards, rhesus monkey and an innumerable variety of beautiful birds. Migratory flock of siberian ducks flying over thousands of sail boats loaded with timber, gopatta (round-leaf), fuel wood, honey, shell and fish further add to the serene natural beauty of the Sundarbans. 

This is indeed a land for the sportsmen. the anglersand the photographer with its abundance of game. big and small, crocodile. wild b ar. deer, pythons. wild birds and above all the Royal Bengal iger, cunning, ruthless and yet majestic and graceful. For the less adventurou5ly inclined, there are ducks and snipes. heron and coots. yellow-lags and sandpipers. It is also the land for t e ordinary holiday makers who desire to rest or wander.

Major Attractive Spots

The Sundarbans is an abundant natural resource for a number of leisure, travel and research activities. These include wild life photography including photography of the famous Royal Bengal Tiger, wild life viewing, boating inside the forest, wild call recordings, nature study, meeting fishermen, wood- cutters and honey-collectors. Peace and tranquility in the wilderness, seeing the world's largest mangrove forest and the riverine beauty are a few of the treasures that greet the visitors.
Below is a list of famous places to be kept in mind for the wildlife spotter :

• Hiron Point (Nilkamal) for tiger, deer, monkey, crocodiles, birds and natural beauty.
• Katka for deer, tiger, crocodiles, varieties of birds and monkey, morning and evening symphony of wild fowls. Vast expanse of grassy meadows running from Katka to Kachikhali (Tiger Point) provide opporunities for wild tracking.
• Tin Kona Island for tiger and deer.
• DubJar Char (Island) for fishermen. It is a beautiful island where herds of spotted deer are often seen to graze.