By road
~120-130 km from Kolkata, ending in a boat journey into the delta
East India · West Bengal
Sundarbans, West Bengal
Mangrove labyrinth of the swimming tigers · ~120-130 km from Kolkata, ending in a boat journey into the delta
Getting there
By rail
Canning, ~30-48 km, reached by local train from Kolkata's Sealdah station
By air
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata, ~100-166 km
Best time to visit
November to February — dry, cool, best boat weather
Don't miss
Sajnekhali watchtower
Dobanki canopy walk
Netidhopani ruins
Things to do
Multi-day boat safaris
Watchtower stakeouts
Village walks with honey collectors
Where to eat
What to pack
Neutral clothing, binoculars, motion comfort for long boat days
A quieter corner
Dawn at a watchtower waterhole as the forest drinks
About Sundarbans
- Forest
- Coastal
Where it is
The Sundarbans is a vast mangrove forest in the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal; the Indian part lies in southern West Bengal, south-east of Kolkata, and the larger part in Bangladesh.
History
The name is usually traced to the sundari mangrove tree, and is often read as beautiful forest. Parts of the delta were cleared for settlement from the Mughal period and under the East India Company, while the remaining forest became a tiger reserve in 1973 and a national park in 1984, and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
People
The Bengali-speaking villagers of the delta islands live by fishing, catching crabs and prawns, farming rice and gathering wild honey. Before entering the forest, many pray to Bonbibi, the forest goddess worshipped by both Hindus and Muslims as a protector against tigers.
Known for
- Bengal tigers that swim between islands
- Boat safaris through tidal creeks
- The world's largest mangrove forest
- Saltwater crocodiles and river dolphins
- Wild honey gathered in the forest
Did you know?
The Sundarbans is the only mangrove forest in the world where tigers live, and they swim between its islands and across its tidal channels.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.