What have you heard about the Sundarbans? I’ve heard all kinds of things.
Most of the tigers are man-eaters.
People who step out hope not to see a tiger because if they do, they probably won’t come back.
Like any other water safari, you don’t really see animals because you’re in the water, and why would animals come out of the woods to see you?
Most of what I knew was like that. A rudimentary search told me nothing about how to get to the Sundarbans. Following my school text book, I even wrote it Sunderbans because I didn’t know that it got its name from the sundari tree. What are the safari timings? Where does one stay? How does one get there? Is the forest closed in the monsoon? Zilch.
Thanks to a friend who’s been there, though, we contacted a guide and got a little more clarity–eventually. We learned that the forest was open, and so, off we went to figure out how things work. Even then, it was only once we were there that we actually learned so much more.
Safari Sightings
Brilliant. No question about it. We left around 6:30 in the morning and boarded our boat. We expected nothing–except mangroves, of course. I wanted to see the mangroves, and their breathing roots. The water is beautiful, and we make our through the creeks, with mangroves on either side.
The birds were far away, but we did see collared kingfishers (hadn’t seen those before), night herons, white-throated kingfishers (state bird of West Bengal), and others. And then, we saw a deer, which I was sure was going to be the highlight of our safari.
And then, a boat raced to join another.
“No one moves like that to see a deer,” said our guide. He didn’t want to say it, but he was sure the urgency was for a tiger.
We were sceptical, and our scepticism was proved right when we didn’t see it. But we hung around there for a bit.
And then, a bit further on, there was something yellow under a tree. Binoculars out, we looked–tiger! It was gone before we knew it, but our scepticism was gone too. It really was possible to see a tiger from the boat!
We’ve experienced Gypsy races in the jungles of central India; here was our first boat chase! We went up and down, up and down. Our guide told us more about the tiger we’d spotted–it was one of two sub-adults, cubs of a tigress popularly called Bodo Ma. We heard lots of stories–and then we saw the tiger. It was at a distance, but sitting patiently under a tree! I took no photos, and in the video we took, you have to imagine the tiger, but we saw it! It sat right there until a boat went too close and it fled. Magic!
Later, we learned that boats that hung around there saw the mother swimming across the creek too, and although I would have loved to see that, we were blown away by the sighting we had. It really is possible to see a tiger from the boat!
Facts/Stories
When I talk to guides, I don’t always know what is true and what isn’t, but the stories are fascinating nonetheless!
Why, for instance, are the Sundarban tigers more likely to be man-eaters? Because, we learned, they are already used to salt. The water they drink is seawater from the creek. Our flesh contains salt too, and the tiger is already accustomed to it.
Plus, of course, fishermen continue to venture deep into the forest. They pray to Bon Bibi and then go fishing. But unlike in other parts of the country, when a tiger kills a man–or even 60 men, according to our guide–the tiger isn’t killed or captured and shipped to a zoo. It stays wild and free.
Do you remember reading about the proposed tiger corridor project connecting the forests of Madhya Pradesh to the Sundarbans? I have a very sketchy recollection of it, but what stayed with me was the fact that the tigers of the Sundarbans are far more aggressive than the other tigers, so the project was scrapped.
On our safari, we learned more about why the Sundarban tiger has the epithet ‘Royal’. While tigers in the rest of India are Bengal Tigers (confusing, yes!), the tigers in the Sundarbans are called Royal Bengal Tigers.
“Earlier, when people used to hunt,” our guide told us, “they noticed that in other parts of the country, when they shot the tiger, it would flee. In Bengal, when shot, the tiger would attack. Just like kings and princes who would die before fleeing from battle, the tigers here would never run away. And that’s why they’re called Royal Bengal Tigers!”
Safari Logistics
I think the first thing that surprised me about the Sundarbans is that there seemed to be no specific safari schedule! Our guide asked us to be ready by 6 am, and he was late. We hate getting in late … but we learned that there’s no concept of late. People staying at our hotel were planning to go post breakfast, without rushing.
A related point is the duration of the safari. We are regular jungle goers, but a daylong safari can get tiring, especially because we’re travelling the same creeks. When we have the excitement of a sighting, the monotony is broken, but otherwise, unless you’re an avid photographer, I wouldn’t recommend a daylong safari! Choose how many hours you want to be in the jungle, and make it clear to whoever is organising it!
There are two options–an exclusive safari for your group, or a seat in a group. The second can be a little difficult if, like us, you want to spend a little longer in the jungle. Our guide told us that cruise ships often have 40 tourists, and they spend all of three hours in the jungle. This might be an exaggeration, but I don’t know.
Your hotel should organise this for you based on your requirements!
Where to Stay
That’s a tough one. We didn’t have the time to research much, but we went with our guide-recommended Sonar Bangla which was expensive, though beautiful. The option we had was to stay at The Residency, but getting there was challenging. A motorboat costs ₹6,000, whether you want it for an hour or for the whole day, so if getting to the hotel requires a boat, you pay for that day, plus your safari day. I do recommend staying at least one night in the Sundarbans though simply because it would be exhausting otherwise!
Getting There
Getting to the Sundarbans is another challenge. First, we need a taxi from Kolkata to Gadkhali Ferry Ghat. We took an Uber, which was an awful experience because even though we asked the driver to slow down, he drove with a hand on the horn and a foot on the accelerator all the way. We reached 25 minutes before Google’s predicted time of arrival because we flew, nearly killing at least a dozen people.
For our return, we asked our hotel to organise the taxi, which was nearly double the cost (₹3,500 instead of ₹1,800), but I would say it was worth it!
From Gadkhali, our contact person hired a boat to cross the creek. There’s also a government-run ferry. On the other side, you take a toto (an electric autorickshaw), and if you stay at Sonar Bangla, it’ll take you all the way there. For other islands, you may need another ferry.
Other Details
You can book your safari ticket online and a guide gets assigned to you automatically. If you want to choose a guide, though, you can do that, at an extra cost. The interesting thing is that the chosen guide doesn’t get the extra fee; the group shares it! Also, if you want the guide to accompany you elsewhere, from what we understood, you continue to pay the same fee.
For our all-day safari, we got hot food on the boat, which was excellent. The ilish-maach (hilsa fish) festival was on, and though it didn’t tempt me, there were several people who were there only for the fish. A breakfast of luchi and kasa aloo, and a lunch of a range of things were more than good enough for me!
Summing Up
The Sundarbans are well worth a visit. Navigating your way there can be challenging, but even if you don’t see a tiger when you’re there, the mangroves are stunning! The people are friendly, keen on giving you the best possible experience even if you don’t speak Bangla.
Would I go again? I certainly hope so! It’s far away, though, and there are so many more places I want to visit, so I have no idea if it’ll ever happen!
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