Covering an area of 1330.10 sq km between river Hooghly and river Teulia, Sundarban National Park is an archipelago of 54 islands covered with dense forests. It is situated on the lower end of the Gangetic West Bengal with a larger portion falling in Bangladesh. Sunderbans is the world's largest delta and Mangrove Swamp formed by the intermingling of three rivers - the Brahmaputra, the Ganges, and the Meghna. The Park constitutes 80% of India's total mangrove swamps. It is also the world's largest estuarine and Tiger reserves housing around 270 Royal Bengal Tigers

The park owes its name to the "Sundari trees" which are unique to this area. The park was declared a national park in the year 1984, and in the year 1997, it was awarded the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site..


Wild life Attractions
Flora - The landscape of the park is dominated by great tidal creeks and rivulets. Crab like red flowers of the Kankara and the yellow blooms of khasi flowers blossoms in the deep forest. The Tall Goran trees cover the entire region. In April the red leaves of the Genwa lightens up the island. Dhundal, Passur, Garjan adds to the mystic beauty of the Park.

Fauna - The Tigers are fiercely dangerous and are known to be Man -Eaters. Chittals or spotted Deers, Fishing Cats, Wild boars, Otters, Rhesus Monkey, etc. are found in the park. The aqua fauna includes the Red fiddle Crabs, Ridley Sea Turtle and Estuarine Terrapins. Reptiles including the King Cobra, Rock python and Water Monitor are seen abundantly.The Sajnekhali visitor's center has a crocodile enclosure, a Shark Pond and a Turtle Hatchery.

Birds - The sight of the Brown-winged kingfisher, a grey headed Lapwing, White Bellied Eagle, Herons, the Palash Fish Eagle or a Mangrove Whistler add to the excitement of tourists visiting the park. The Sajnekhali Bird Sanctuary also falls in the territory of the Park.


Park Trips
Armed policemen accompany the visitors around the park as it is thick and densely populated. Special permits to visit the park is essential and can be obtained from the forest department of West Bengal. The best way to visit Sunderbans is through conducted tours with carrier vessels available from Canning, Gosaba or Basanti. Boat views of the Park is also available along with watch points at selected sites to spot the wilds.


Best Time
The best time to visit Sunderbans is in winters, between the month of September and March. In the winters The mighty Royal Bengal can be seen sun-bathing and swimming on the bank of the riverside. Due to its proximity to the Bay of Bengal, Sunderbans experiences very high humidity. Maximum temperature in summers is 42°C and minimum temperature in winters falls to about 9.2°C.


Accomodation
Basic accomodation are available at the Sajnekhali Tourist Lodge, resorts at Gosaba and Bali Island. The lodges are built on pillartops to keep away the Man-Eaters. Double rooms as well as dormitories are available. Besides, resorts are also available near Piyali and Bakkhali. Visitors often arrange their own accomodation to make their visit more adventuresome. The Chital Lodge at Sajnekhali provides an accomodation of 60 beds along with dining facilities enhancing the taste buds.


How to Reach Sundarbans National Park
By Air - Kolkata is the nearest airport at a distance of 112-kms from the Sundarbans National Park and well connected to the rest of India.
By Rail - The nearest railway station is in Port Canning, Which is 48-kms away from the Sunderbans National Park. From Port Canning, regular buses ply to Sonakhali, Raidighi, Najat and Namkhana from where launches are available to the Park.
By Road - The excellent road network of buses connects Namkhana to Kolkata, Sonakhali (100-kms), Raidighi (76-kms), Canning (64-kms), and Najat (92-kms), all lying nearby the Sunderbans.