Sundarbans National Park
West Bengal
Photos
The only mangrove forest on earth with a tiger population — and these tigers swim between islands and are known to hunt people.
What you're looking at
The Indian portion of the world's largest mangrove forest, in the delta where the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna meet the Bay of Bengal. A maze of tidal creeks, mudflats and roughly a hundred low islands, half of them forested. It is explored entirely by boat — there are no roads and no walking trails.
Why it matters
Nothing else combines these things: a mangrove ecosystem of this scale, a tiger population adapted to swimming and to brackish water, and a coastline that is India's front line against cyclones. The forest absorbs storm surges that would otherwise reach Kolkata. The Bangladesh portion is separately inscribed by UNESCO; this listing is the Indian park.
Look for these
01
Tigers that swim
Sundarbans tigers cross open water between islands routinely, and hunt in the water. It is behaviour you will not see in any other tiger population.
02
Breathing roots
The pneumatophores — thousands of pencil-thin spikes pushing up out of the mud at low tide — are how mangroves get oxygen in waterlogged ground. At low tide the banks bristle with them.
03
Saltwater crocodiles
Among the largest reptiles alive, basking on mudbanks. They share the creeks with the tigers.
04
The tide changes everything
The landscape you see on the way in is not the one you see on the way out. Channels that were open become mud; mudbanks disappear.
05
Honey collectors and the goddess
Local honey gatherers enter the forest wearing masks on the backs of their heads, on the belief that a tiger will not attack a face. Bonbibi, the forest goddess, is worshipped by Hindus and Muslims alike.
Before you go
- This is a boat trip, not a jeep safari. Expect long, slow hours on the water and no guarantee of a tiger.
- Permits are required and are arranged through registered operators; foreign nationals need additional clearance.
- September to March is the season; avoid the monsoon and the height of summer.
- Godkhali, about three hours from Kolkata, is the usual embarkation point.
- Watchtowers at Sudhanyakhali and Sajnekhali are where sightings most often happen.
Visitor guide to Sundarbans National Park.
Visiting
Entry fee and daily timings weren't available from an official source — please confirm on site.
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