Browsing: Sundarban Tour Package

Sundarban Life style Culture

by mercury on August 12, 2019

Lifestyle and Culture in Sundarban

sundarban tour from kolkata

Sundarban location

Sundarbans charms the tourists in many ways. It not only amazes the tourists because of the Sundarban lifestyle culture and its flora and fauna but the wild fascinates the most. It’s diversified flora and fauna attracts tourists round the year. This unique tourist spot is situated in the delta region of Bay of Bengal where Ganges, Hooghly, Padma, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers meet. It is the world’s largest delta known as the Ganga – Brahmaputra Delta.

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Sundarban Beliefs and Rituals

The Sundarbans’ forest dwellers have certain beliefs over time, have bit by bit embraced a culture of their own. There are certain rituals as well as religious festival observed in Sundarban. For instance, the annual festival within Dubla Island (Bangladesh) that takes place on Raash Purnima is celebrated throughout the month of November. The Hindu community from India and different states usually visit the forest throughout this period and take a holy dip within the waters and build offerings for a fulfillment want. Bonbibi is another Superpower who is popularly worshipped in the Sundarbans as the savior of the natives. Bonbibi, who is considered as the omnipotent power who looks after the welfare of the dwellers of the forest. Bonbibi is very popular among both the communities, the Hindus as well as the Muslims.

Among all the Gods and Deities are Manik Pirs, Olabibi, Manasa, Gazi Saheb, Sa Janguli etc. But among these, Dakshin Rai holds a special place. Worshipping Dakshin Rai is a must for the people before they enter the forest. Dakshin Rai could be a legend and is adored by all, irrespective of their caste and creed and is considered as the God of the Tigers.

Any forest going woodcutter or honey collector first prays the deities of Bonbibi and Dokhhinrai, which are usually placed at the edge of forests. Importantly in spite of quick depletion and lesser dependence on forest manufacture for living in conjunction with gradual rigidifying of religions, the syncretic essence of Bonbibi has not receded in the remote areas of Sundarbans. For the previous few years, the individuals of the kalitala village in north twenty-four parganas are encapturing the whole life history of Bonbibi by displaying a panel of clay pictures that is quite 250 in ranges. The residents of the Sundarbans refers to Bonbibi as a Musalmani Hindu deity, the practice approach is completely different within the 2 communities residing therein space. Bonbibi is originally known by the Hindus as an immortal with monotheism backgrounds all individuals.

The Culture

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It is copied in varied Bengali folks songs and dances centering the people heroes, many deities and goddesses are a  specific to the Sunderbans (Bonbibi and Dakshin Rai) and to the lower Gangetic Delta (Maa Manasa and Chand Sadagar). Manasamangal, a Bengali folk epic includes couple of passages set in the Sunderbans when the heroine Behula’s quests to bring Lakhindar, her husband, back to life.

Sunderbans has been the subject of multiple non-fiction books, such as The Man-Eating Tigers of Sundarbans by Sy Montegomery. This book was additionally shortlisted for the Dorothy solitaire Fisher Children’s Book Award. Emily Eden discusses her travels through the Sunderbans in her book “Up the Country”. Apart from these, numerous documentary films have been shot with Sunderbans as the subject. 2003 IMAX production “Shining Bright” that centered on the Royal tiger is one in all those. The popular BBC TV series “Ganges” that documented the lives of Sundarbans’ villagers, honey collectors is additionally worth-mentioning. Apart from these the forest dwellers also worships snakes, tigers, trees to overcome any difficulty.

Maybe Sundarban is a god gifted place to the locals with some beautiful and ferocious species but it also serves as a great tourist destination for making an adventurous tour. So if you have not taken the adventurous tour yet, then join as soon as possible to the Land of the Tigers.

To Know more
Please Call +91-8902495917, 8910339424, 9163424988

Mercury Tour Operator

207/171, B.T Road,Baranagar, Kolkata 700036

Sundarban Tour Package

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Sundarban Birds

by mercury on August 12, 2019

Birds of Sundarban

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Sundarban Birds at a glance 

Where the land meets the ocean at the southern tip of the state of West Bengal lies the Sundarbans, a stretch of impenetrable flowering tree forest of nice size and bio-diversity. Sundarban may be a huge space covering 4262 sq. km in India. Sundarban Tourism has a lot to offer. There are about 248 bird species found in Sunderban national park including a large number of migratory birds of Sundarban from higher latitudes that visit the park in winter months like Herons, Egrets, Cormorants, Storks, Green Pigeons, and Sand Pipers.

The main species of Sundarban birds in Sunderban national park are Small Minivet, Common Flameback, Black-hooded Oriole, Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker, Mangrove Whistler, White ibis, Osprey, Yellow Wagtail.

Small Minivet

The Small Minivet is a small bird, are popular Sundarban birds measuring 15 to 16 cm in length and weighing 6 to 12 grams. There is much plumage variance among the subspecies. The male small minivet has grey upperparts and orange underparts. The lower forehead is dark grey. The face, ear coverts, lore, chin, and upper throat are blackish-grey. The belly and under tail are yellowish. The rump and outer tail feathers are orange. There is an orange wing patch. The female is gray on the upperparts and has whitish or pale creamy yellow underparts. It has a dark grey lore. The bill is strong, pointed and dark grey in colour. The irises are blackish. The legs and feet are black. The call of these minivet species is a thin, whistling sound.

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Common Flameback

The Common Flameback is a large woodpecker. Its contrasted bright plume makes this Sundarban bird a ray of daylight among branches and foliage. Adult male has bright coloured plumage. On the upperparts, hind neck and upper mantle are black. The rest of upperparts are olive, strongly washed golden. The feathers are edged yellow and that we will see generally orange or red tinge on the rear. The lower back and the rump are bright red. The blackish-brown higher tail-coverts could also be colour olive and also the tail is black. On the top, crown and crest are red, whereas forehead and upper lores are brownish-red. The crown is finely edged black. The head sides are black and white, with a black stripe from the eye to the nape, and a narrow black moustachial line extending down to the upper breast. The Common Flameback feeds primarily on invertebrates, various insects and larvae. It forages at all levels in woodlands and although it prefers the lower parts of the trees, it also forages near the treetop or at mid level.

Black-hooded Oriole

The Black-hooded Oriole maybe a bird of open timber and cultivation. Their food is insects and fruit, particularly figs, found within the tree canopies where the orioles pay a lot of their time. It is a member of the oriole family of passerine birds. The male is with the typical oriole black and yellow coloration. The plume is preponderantly yellow, with a solid black hood, and black also in the wings and tail center. The female Black-hooded Oriole may be a drabber bird with green underneath components but still has the black hood. Young birds square measure just like the feminine bird but have dark streaking on the underparts, and their hood is not solidly black, especially on the throat.

Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker

The fulvous-breasted woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker, measuring 17 to 20 cm in length and weighing about 25 to 40 gram. These fulvous-breasted woodpeckers have black upperparts with heavy white barring. The forehead, lores, face, ear-coverts, and throat are fulvous or white. The black malar stripe extends down the sides of the neck to meet the black line from the breast. It belongs to the family of piculets and woodpeckers, the Picidae. The bill of the fulvous-breasted woodpecker is slaty grey. Their food consists mainly of arboreal insects, insect larvae, grasshoppers, locust, cicadas, and crickets. These woodpeckers are mostly arboreal and forage in mid-story and canopy on tree trunks, branches, and foliage.

Mangrove Whistler

The mangrove whistler is a medium-sized whistler, measuring 15 to 27 cm in length and weighing 20 to 25 grams. The mangrove whistler belongs to the family of whistlers and shrike thrushes, the Pachycephalidae. The crown of the mangrove whistler is ashy grey. The forehead is light grey. The upperparts and wings are uniformly greyish brown. The chin and throat are whitish. The breast is pale grey. The rest of the underparts are white. The bill is black. The irises are dark brown. The feet are silvery grey. The food of Mangrove Whistler consists mainly of insect larvae, beetles, grasshoppers, locust, crickets, dragonflies, cicadas, moths, butterflies, crickets, spiders. The nesting sites are usually located on small trees 1-4 meters above the ground.

 

White ibis

White Ibises are massive walking birds with football-shaped bodies. They have long legs and a protracted neck that they hold out straight on the wing. Their bill is long and curved. Ibis is nearly entirely white, except for the black-tipped wings and brilliant reddish-pink legs and bill. The blank skin around their blue eyes is additionally red-pink. Juveniles (fall through winter) are brown on top of and white below with a patterned brown neck. The legs and bill of juveniles are orange-pink. These long-legged waders forage in groups in shallow wetlands and other areas with standing water. They walk slowly with their heads down searching the muddy surface for insects and crustaceans. In-flight, their long necks are extended and their feet behind.

Osprey

The Osprey bird weighs around 1400 – 2000 grams and has a length of 52 – 60 centimeters. It has a 150 – 180 centimetres wingspan. The Pandion haliaetus has primarily white underneath components and head, apart from a dark mask through the eye, and fairly uniformly brown upperparts. Its short tail and long, narrow wings with four long ‘finger’ feathers (and a shorter fifth) give it a very distinctive appearance. The Ospreys diet consists mainly of fish. The Pandion haliaetus bird is commonly illustrious by different conversational names like ‘fishhawk’, ‘seahawk’ or ‘Fish Eagle’.

Yellow Wagtail

The Yellow oscine is olive-green with a yellow face and a black-and-white tail. Males are brighter than females. The similar grey oscine additionally contains a yellow belly, however, contains a grey back and black wings. It feeds on invertebrates and is mainly a migratory bird. They nest on the bottom or in long grass, exploitation plants, grasses and stems to build a cup-shape which they line with fur. They can have up to two broods, each with five or six eggs. A summer visitant, they arrive from their African wintering grounds from March forward.

Though most of the Sundarban birds in the Sundarban National Park are migratory and most are from cold African region of origin they move to tropical areas for warmth. So if we do not take up actions now against pollution then soon there will be a day coming where the bird sanctuaries will be empty.

To Know more

Please Call +91-8902495917, 8910339424, 9163424988

Mercury Tour Operator

207/171, B.T Road,Baranagar, Kolkata 700036

Sundarban Tour Package

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Sundarban festival

by mercury on August 12, 2019

Sundarban Festival

sundarban tour from kolkata

Sundarban Festival details :

The Sundarban is rich in the folk culture and Sundarban festival. Bengali folk songs and dances are basically based on mythology, folk tales, gods and goddesses. Some of these gods and goddesses include Goddess Bonbibi, Shah Jangoli, Dakshin Rai, Manasa, and Chand Sadagar. The famous ancient Bengali folk take Manasamangal is based on Netidhopani where one of the three watches towers for animal sighting is located.

sundarban tourist spot

Coming to Sundarban festivals, the goddess Bonbibi, also known as Bandevi, Bandurga or Byaghradevi is the goddess of the Sundarban forest. The goddess Banbibi s a huge part of the local people’s day to day life. Goddess Banbibi is believed to be the protector of the forest. The locals worship her for the safety and security of their lives from the dangers that the forests hide. The worship of the goddess banbibi is celebrated as an important festival in the Sundarban. The festival takes place in the month of March and the tourists are always welcome to join in the celebration in case they wish for a Sundarban tour during the spring season. Goddess Banbibi is mostly worshipped by honey collector and woodcutters before they enter the forest, praying for protection against tiger attacks.

Another festival celebrated by the people of Sundarban is the Rash Mela. It is a rural fair hat is held in the month of February in the village of Jamesport. Tourists are always welcome to join in the celebrations. In case one decides to have a Sundarban tour in the month of February, they should definitely include a visit to Jamespore in the Sundarban tour package.

To Know more

Please Call +91-8902495917, 8910339424, 9163424988

Mercury Tour Operator

207/171, B.T Road, Baranagar, Kolkata 700036

Sundarban Tour Package

 

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Sundarban Food

by mercury on August 12, 2019

Sundarban: food and festival

sundarban hilsa festival

Food

Sundarban foods are famous for its sea and river fish. There are so many fisheries on the way to Sundarban from Kolkata. Bengali  special type of  Sundarban Food cuisine during a Sundarban tour like tiger prawn curry, crab curry, Hilsa fish curry is a popular dish in Sundarban. Sundarban is rich in the Bengali culture and one always has the option to go to resorts and hotels in Sundarban that serve various types of cuisines made by fish. If you hire a launch or Motorized boat for the Sundarban tour, there is always a chef present in the launch or boat. They allow tourists to have a different type of Bengali dishes in the boat itself. One special item that everyone must add in a Sundarban tour package is the Hilsa fish or as the Bengalis say “Ilish Maach”. One can try fishes, crabs and other seafood directly and freshly caught from the sea. Though they do not have any special cuisine, the various types of food items that tourists from round the globe must absolutely try are as follows:

  1. Hilsa Fish or Ilish Maach: The Hilsa fish is a famous Sundarban food is one of the signature dishes of the Bengalis. It can be prepared as a curry or fried Bhapa Ilish is something that is exceptionally delicious and requires effortless cooking. It is prepared by steaming the hilsa fish in mustard oil, turmeric, green chili, and salt. The spicy flavor of the Bengalis is mouth-watering and the freshwater fishes make the dish even more delicious. Hilsa is considered one of the traditional Bengali dishes and one should definitely try to include a dish prepared with hilsa during a Sundarban tour package.
  2. Chingri maacher malaikari: Another of Bengals special dishes ids chingri maacher malaikari. It is also a non-veg dish that Bengalis truly love to have. “Chingri maach” or prawn can easily be found in the freshwater rivers of Sundarban. This dish is easily available in the resorts of Sundarban tourism department. The prawn is prepared with a creamy, coconut, delicious gravy, flavored with cinnamon and green cardamoms or Chota elichi. Both Golda chingri (giant freshwater prawn) and bagda chingri (tiger prawn) can be used for the preparation of this dish and are easily available.
  3. Kosha mangsho: The Bengali Mutton or Chicken Kasha or curry is another of the signature dishes of the Bengalis. This dish originated from a restaurant in Kolkata names Golbari and has been famous ever since. The dish is also available in Sundarban as the boats get their grocery for preparation of all the food items beforehand. Kosha Mangsho is a dry, slow-cooked, dark brown chicken/mutton curry served with chapattis or rice,

There are several other dishes that are available in the Sundarban like Bhetki Paturi, Katla curry, etc. Tourists can also enjoy sweets like langcha, rossogolla, sitabhog, joyenogorer moya, etc.

To Know more

Please Call +91-8902495917, 8910339424, 9163424988

Mercury Tour Operator

207/171, B.T Road,Baranagar, Kolkata 700036

Sundarban Tour Package

 

Sundarban Tour Package

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Sundarban Tour

by mercury on August 9, 2019

A Trip to Sundarban

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Sundarban is the largest mangrove forest in the world is a river-riddled swamp region of shifting tides, man-eating tigers and the adventure tourism spot in West Bengal.  Sundarban Tour is very popular among adventure lovers tourist like me. This tourist spot shares with two densely populated countries (India and Bangladesh), yet it is mostly inhospitable and uninhabited by people. The wild terrain, ferocious yet beautiful animals drive tourists all over the world around the year and I being one of them.

To get to the heart of the swamps you would have to take a three-day Sundarban tour to dive into the majestic marshy land. The land gets its name from the abundance of “Sundari” trees or Mangrove trees. So, to get an overwhelming feeling of this aesthetic forest I took a three-day leave from my hectic schedule.

sundarban tour from kolkata

Day 1

I booked Sundarban tour through Mercury Tour Operator (www.mercurytouroperator.com) under “Sundarban tour package” for “Sundarban Tour for 2 nights and 3 days”, and they organized it from the EM Bypass and Maa flyover connector, Kolkata. On February 16, so as per the journey starting time I reached there around 08:15 am. I was very pleased with their welcoming style with packed breakfast. Around 11 noon we reached Godhkhali and the motorized boat pulled the anchor up and started to sail from Godhkhali ferry ghat. It sailed via Gomor river, Hogol river, Matla river. After an hour passed it was announced to gather for the lunch. I had rice, murighanta dal, beguni, vegetable, prawn, bhetki fish, chatni, papad, curd. Now when I had finished, I went back to deck to have a view of mangrove forest and river. We have visited the Sajnekhali watchtower and the mangrove interpretation center. The boat reached Sundarban Pakhiralay at 5 pm. We disembarked the motorized boat and check in to the Sundarban hotel, after two hours we had a beautiful evening with the cultural entertainment program in Sundarban hotel followed by chicken pakora with mesmerizing tea, entertainment program was set up which is called Bonobibi Yatra Pala. We all enjoyed the dance performance of the locals with some tribal outfits and cool breeze added flavor to it.  Around 9:30 pm it was requested to gather for the buffet dinner. Being a Bengali I could not resist myself from having the tasteful mutton kosha, it was finger-licking, after dinner I went back to my room for 7-hour sleep.

Day 2

It was February 17, I woke up at 6 am and found that there was a tiger attack last night at a village and everybody was giving their opinions about the matter. I fresh up myself and went to the dining hall for breakfast. The breakfast was well served with nanpuri, chana masala, sweet and a cup of tea. After breakfast was over everyone was requested to board to our motorized boat for going through the creeks and thick mangrove forest. There were two boats accounting forty people for Sundarban Tour. As we went deeper into the forest, I saw footprints of tiger whose mark was not yet dry which means the tiger came there a few minutes ago and we saw crocodiles having a sunbath and small sea fishes being caught by the seagulls.

Dobanki Tour

After this adventurous ride, we came back to the Sundarban boat for lunch. I had rice, dal, fry, veggies, rui fish, crabs, chatni, papad, and ice cream. After we all had finished our lunch boats arrived to take us to the Dobanki Watchtower via Saptamukhi River. It was again a mystic and lots of adventure packed boat ride. While we were going through the creeks in a distance we saw the yellow-black striped tiger. It was huge and a middle-aged as the guide said. After we finished our photography there, we were headed to Jharkhali Eco Park which is famous for Tiger rescue center, Butterfly park. Jharkhali Eco Park is a nice place to see during the Sundarban tour package.  while returning to the hotel we visited Sudhanyakhali watchtower and the mangrove nursery.

Back to Sundarban Hotel

On the way, we saw a small crocodile playing in the water. unfortunately, I could not take any picture of the aesthetic crocodiles. From there the boats headed towards the Pakhiralay as it was going to evening. After we reached the Sundarbans hotel. we went to our respective rooms to get refreshed from the day’s boat ride. A local musical band was setting up their instruments on the deck for the evening performance. Around 6:30 pm the program started, it was a beautiful performance of the local songs and folks with some mesmerizing dance as well. With great performance, I had tea with some veg pakoras. At 9 pm it was announced to gather for dinner. I was pretty excited about the food because anything you ate in that environment it would give an extra flavor to the food. There were lots of items on display to eat but I chose fried rice and chili chicken and a fresh green salad. After the great meal, I headed to my room for sleep while others were still sitting on the Sundarbans hotels garden and gossiping. I was feeling sad because slowly but surely the journey was coming to an end because tomorrow was the third and the last day of the Sundarban tour.

Day 3

On the third day i.e. February 18, I woke up a bit early to capture the beautiful sunrise through my camera lenses. As it was the last day of the Sundarban Tour,  I decided to spend some time with the local village people. After having aloo paratha, veggies, sweet and tea for breakfast I started walking around the Sundarban Village. I saw the culture and the lifestyle of local village people.  Today the lunch was a bit early like around 12 noon because we have returned to Kolkata by evening. On this last day lunch, I had rice, dal, fry, vegetable, doi katla, chatni, papad. It was finger-licking doi katla. After having lunch we started towards Kolkata. On the way, we visited Hamilton Saheb’s bungalow at Gosaba,  and it was the only 2 pm in the afternoon and I went back to the bus to see the photos that I have clicked during this journey. At around 5:30 pm we reached the EM By-Pass, Kolkata. At last this memorable journey to the swampy marshy land came to an end it was a true piece of wonder nature has to offer us.

To Know more

Please Call +91-8902495917, 8910339424, 9163424988

Mercury Tour Operator

207/171, B.T Road,Baranagar, Kolkata 700036

Sundarban Tour Package

 

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Sundarban Tour from Kolkata

by mercury on August 9, 2019

How to reach Sundarban from Kolkata

sundarban tour operators in kolkata

To reach the “beautiful forest”, i.e. the Sundarban tour from Kolkata one can travel by train, bus or car/cab. But to enjoy the Sundarban tour to the fullest, it is suggested to take a road trip via the famous Howrah Bridge to the Sundarban.  Sundarban has Canning railway station nearby. Sundarban Tour from Canning is easily accessible. There are a few ways to reach Sundarban:

  1. One can take a bus or book a car and reach Godkhali by road. The distance from Kolkata to Godkhali Sundarban ferry ghat is approximately 105 km and takes about 4 hours to reach. They can then either hire a private or a shared boat to begin their sightseeing.
  2. One living outside Kolkata simply needs to get to the Howrah station by train and then they can take a bus or book a car and reach Godkhali by road. In case the train is not preferred one can also choose to reach Kolkata via a flight to the Dumdum airport and then continue the rest of the journey for the Sundarban tour by bus or car.
  3. Another way to reach Sundarban National Park from Kolkata is by taking a bus or booking a car from Science city, Kolkata and reaching Jharkhali  Sundarban or Gosaba from where the UNESCO recognized World Heritage Sundarban National park started.
  4. One can also choose to take a train from Sealdah station to Canning. From there they can reach Sonakhali by an auto-rickshaw where they can hire a boat offered by the Mercury Tour Operator for the rest of the journey to the Sundarban National Park.

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Places to visit in Sundarban tour from Kolkata

  • Sundarban National Park and Sajnakhali Wildlife Sanctuary:
  • One of the main attractions of Sundarban Tourism is the Sundarban National park which is a coastal mangrove forest, home for not only the Sundarban Royal Bengal tiger but also various endangered species like the estuarine crocodile and the Ganges river dolphin. If one turns up for a Sundarban tour with the sole purpose of getting the glimpse of the Sundarban Royal Bengal tiger then one might be disappointed because the sightings depend on various factors including time, weather and even luck. Other than that the National park is full of various types of local birds, fishing cats, leopard cats, flying fox, deer, wild boar, etc. There are watchtowers from where the birds and other animals are all visible for the visitors of Sundarban Package.

sundarban tour

  • Netidhopani Watch Tower:

  • Netidhopani is the home to an ancient Shiva temple and the Netidhopani Watch Tower allows the visitors to see the ruins of this ancient temple. Besides the temple, Netidhopani also allows its visitors am opportunity to get a glimpse of the royal Bengal tigers. There’s a belief among the locals that there was a road built by King Pratapaditya to guard the coastal areas. Also because of the ancient Hindu mythology of Behula-Lakhindar it is fun to spot the doorway or the stairs to heaven used by the famous Netidhopani to lead Behula to Heaven.

 

  • Hiron Point:

  • Hiron Point, also known as Nilkamal is a splendid area for spotting not only “hiron”, i.e. deer but other animals like crocodiles, tigers, monkeys and different species of birds. It is a major tourist attraction because of its natural scenic beauty and it is a beautiful place to take some break from the sightseeing and resting for a bit. There a lounges and guest houses availed by the Sundarban tourism for such purposes.

sundarban tourist spot

Burirdabri Watch Tower:

  • Why only see the Indian side of Sundarban when you are welcome to see Bangladesh from afar? Burir Dabri or the Burirdabri Watch tower allows visitors to watch the Bangladeshi Sundarban from the Indian side. River Raimongal flowing between India and Bangladesh marks the International boundary. One is free to walk over the wooden bridges through the mud cage to reach the wooden watch tower from where the Bangladeshi Sundarban can easily be seen. The beautiful scenery of the watch tower is also a reason for being a tourist attraction.

 

  • Sudhanyakhali Watch Tower:

  • Most of the tigers in Sundarban can be spotted from the Sudhanyakhali Watch Tower as there is a water reservoir located right beside the tower where wild animals come to have water. This tower has a beautiful panoramic view of the Sundarban and well known for its natural beauty. Other than the royal Bengal tiger, one can expect sightings of other wildlife like the axis deer and crocodiles from this tower. This watch tower is located inside the forest area of Sundarban. Therefore, ferry is the only option to reach this place. A special permission from the forest department of the Sundarban tourism is required in order to enter this place. There is a Mangrove Interpretation Center where the visitors are welcome to come and identify various types of mangrove trees. Other than this, there is also a temple of the local Goddess Banbibi which the tourists are welcome to visit.

sundarban day tour cost

  • Dobanki Watch Tower:

  • Have you ever wanted to go on a walk and just get a glimpse of a tiger as if you are neighbors? The Dobanki Watch Tower allows tourist such an experience. This watch tower is a half-kilometer canopy walk about 20ft from the ground covered in grill and strong nets to prevent any attacks from wild animals and therefore, is really safe. There is a sweet water pond right beside the watch tower which attracts a lot of tigers, deer and other wildlife. Visitors should always keep an eye for the beautiful and rare yet often spotted Brahminy kites. A Sundarban tour package is incomplete without a visit to the Dobanki Watch Tower.

Wish all visitors have a very enjoyable tour in the beautiful Sundarban tour from Kolkata by Mercury Tour Operator.

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Sundarban Delta Tour

by mercury on August 9, 2019

The Sundarban Delta

The Sundarban, though doesn’t need any type of introduction, is a cluster of islands spread across West Bengal, India, and Bangladesh. It is a recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site best known for the unique mangrove forests and the great Royal Bengal tiger.  If one wishes to invest in a holiday around Bengal then a Sundarban tour package is one of the best choices for the beautiful range of flora that can be seen here, including the Sundari tree which gives the place its name, to the variety of fauna which doesn’t just include the tigers but numerous species of birds, spotted deer, snakes, crocodiles etc.

How to reach

To reach the “beautiful forest”, i.e. the Sundarban one can travel by train, bus or car/cab. But to enjoy the Sundarban tour to the fullest, it is suggested to take a road trip via the famous Howrah station to the Sundarban.  Canning railway station to Sundarban is nearby. There are a few ways to reach Sundarban National Park:

  1. One can take a bus or book a car and reach Sundarban Godkhali by road. The distance from Kolkata to Godkhali ferry ghat is approximately 105kms and takes about 4 hours to reach. They can then either hire a private or a shared boat to begin their sightseeing in Sundarban.
  2. One living outside Kolkata simply needs to get to the Howrah station by train and then they can take a bus or book a car and reach Godkhali by road. In case the train is not preferred one can also choose to reach Kolkata via a flight to the Dumdum airport and then continue the rest of the journey for the Sundarban tour by bus or car.
  3. Another way to reach Sundarban from Kolkata is by taking a bus or booking a car from Science city, Kolkata and reaching Jharkhali or Gosaba from where the UNESCO recognized World Heritage Sundarban National park started.
  4. One can also choose to take a train from Sealdah station to Canning. From there they can reach Sonakhali by an auto-rickshaw where they can hire a boat offered by the  Mercury Tour Operator for the rest of the journey to Sundarban National Park.

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Sundarban Eco Tourism

by mercury on August 8, 2019

Eco-tourism in Sundarban

Sundarban Ecotourism is a form of responsible travel to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose is to fund ecological conservations and support the local communities.

The development of the Sundarban eco-tourism is one of the top priorities of the Forest Department. It forms part of the existing Government national objectives concerning existing and proposed tourism policies in Bangladesh and India. The Eco-Tourism Development and Management Plan advises on legislation, tourism practices, structural changes, training and facilities requirements, environmental impact, and marketing and promotion strategies. It will contribute to the event of a healthy, responsible and sustainable type of eco-tourism for the benefit of all. The Eco-tourism Centres are located at Sajnekhali, Dobanki, Netidhopani and Burir Dabri in STR, and at Bonie camp(Sundarikati), Bhagabatpore Crocodile Project, Lothian Island sanctuary and Kalash beach. There area unit 2 Nature Interpretation Centres settled at Sajnekhali and Bhagabatpore, and one Eco museum at Sudarikati. The Canopy walk at Dobanki, the mangrove trail at Burirdabri and the tallest Watch Tower at Bonie camp are added attractions for the Eco-tourists.

The Flora

A total of 245 genera and 334 plant species were recorded by David Prain in 1903. While most of the mangroves in different components of the globe area unit, Avicenneaceae or Combretaceae, the mangroves of Sundarbans are dominated by the Malvaceae and Euphorbiaceae. The types of the forests that exist in Sundarbans embrace Rhizophora mangrove scrub, littoral forest, saltwater mixed forest, brackish water mixed forest and swamp forest.

The Fauna

There is no doubt that the Royal Bengal tiger is the most aesthetic animal of the marshy land but it also comprises of other animals like the chital deer, pangolins, foxes, fishing cats, etc. Among the birds grey-headed fish eagle, blue-eared kingfisher is the most common to view during the Sundarban tour. It is estimated that there are about 180 Bengal tigers and 30,000 chital deers which are spotted in the area.

Religious Beliefs and Rituals

The Sundarbans’ forest dwellers have bit by bit embraced a culture of their own. There are certain rituals as well as religious festival observed in the Sundarban villages, for instance, the Raash yatra within the Dubla Island (Bangladesh) that takes place on Raash Purnima is determined throughout the month of Nov. The Hindu community from India and different states usually visit the Sundarban forest area  throughout this era and take holy dip within the waters and build offerings for a fulfilment want. Bonbibi is another Superpower who is popularly worshipped in the Sundarbans as the savior of the natives. Bonbibi, who is considered as the omnipotent power who looks after the welfare of the dwellers of the forest. Bonbibi is very popular among both the communities, the Hindus as well as the Muslims. It is a major part of Sundarban eco-tourism.

Among all the Gods and Deities of Sundarban are Manik Pirs, Olabibi, Manasa, Gazi Saheb, Sa Janguli, etc. But among these, Dakshin Rai holds a special place. Worshipping Dakshin Rai is a must for the people before they enter the forest. Dakshin Rai could be a legend King in the form of Tiger is adored by all, irrespective of their caste and creed and is considered as the God of the Tigers.

Any forest going woodcutter in Sundarban forest or honey collector first propitiates the deities of Bonbibi and Dokhhinrai, which are usually placed at the edge of forests. For the previous few years, the individuals of the Kalitala village in north twenty-four Parganas are encapturing the whole life history of Bonbibi by displaying a panel of clay pictures that is quite 250 in range. The residents of the Sundarbans refers to Bonbibi as a Musalmani Hindu deity, the practice approach is completely different within the 2 communities residing therein space.

The Culture

It is mentioned in varied Bengali folks songs and dances centering the people heroes, many deities and goddesses like Bonobibi, Dakshin Rai of Sunderbans and to the lower Gangetic Delta (Maa Manasa and Chand Sadagar). Manasamangal, a Bengali folk epic includes couple of passages set in the Sunderbans when the heroine Behula’s quests to bring Lakhindar, her husband, back to life.

Sunderbans has been the subject of multiple non-fiction books, such as The Man-Eating Tigers of Sundarbans by Sy Montgomery. This book that was additionally shortlisted for the Dorothy solitaire Fisher Children’s Book Award. Emily Eden discusses her travels through the Sunderbans in her book “Up the Country”. Apart from these, numerous documentary films have been shot with Sunderbans as the subject. 2003 IMAX production “Shining Bright” that centered on the Royal Bengal tiger is one in all those. The popular BBC TV series “Ganges” that documented the lives of Sundarbans’ villagers, honey collectors is additionally worth mentioning. Apart from these the forest dwellers also worships snakes, tigers, trees to overcome any difficulty.

Maybe Sundarban is a god gifted place to the locals with some beautiful and ferocious species but it also serves as a great tourist destination for making an adventurous tour. So if you have not taken the adventurous tour yet, then join as soon as possible to the Land of the Tigers.

 

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Sundarban Tourism

by mercury on August 8, 2019

Sundarban Tourism

The Sundarban is the true wonder of nature. Sundarban Tourism attracts worldwide tourist. It is the most important continuous block of Rhizophora mangrove Forest within the World. Sundarban  Delta is that the home to several lovely and a few species like Royal Bengal tiger, Estuarine Crocodile, Spotted Deer, Wild Boar, Olive Ridley Turtle, and Gangetic Dolphin, etc. Indian Sundarban consists of 102 deltaic islands that may be a half Gangetic Delta, the world’s largest delta. Sundarban Delta is spread over 9630 sq KM. in southern a part of state and hosts extraordinarily made diversity of aquatic and terrestrial flora and fauna.

Sunderban appears to be a floating forest once it gets partly submerged by extremely saline water throughout the high water. Within a couple of hours, the low tide makes the water to recede back to the Bay of Bengal exposing the clay beds of mudflat to the air. Tidal amplitude and fluctuations of Sundarbans are around seven-meter. These distinctive options create Sundarban parkland, the most effective parkland in India.

Life and Culture in Sundarban

Sundarbans charms the tourists in many ways. Sundarban Tourism is not only amazed the tourists because of its flora and fauna but the wild fascinates the most. It’s diversified flora and fauna attracts tourists round the year. This unique tourist spot is situated in the delta region of Bay of Bengal where Ganges, Hooghly, Padma, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers meet. It is the world’s largest delta known as the Ganga – Brahmaputra Delta.

 

Attractive Tourist Spots

The Sundarbans’ tourist spots include a number of places like the Sundarban National Park, and a number of sanctuaries like, Sajnekhali Wildlife Sanctuary, Lothian Wildlife Sanctuary, Haliday Wildlife Sanctuary.

The entry point to Sunderban Tiger Reserve is either Sonakhali via Canning, or Bagna via Dhamakhali. For visiting South twenty-four Parganas Forest Division, on the western a part of watercourse Malta, Sundarban entry points are Namkhana, Raidighi or Jharkhali via Canning/Basanti. Sundarban Entry Permits are available at Canning, Sonakhali, and Bagna for STR and at Canning, Namkhana, and Raidighi for the Western part of Sunderban Forest.

The Sundarban National Park is located in the eastern part of West Bengal, Sundarban delta is the largest delta in the world, consisting of 10,200 sq km of Mangrove Forest that is touch India (4200 sq kilometer of Reserved Forest) and East Pakistan (6000 sq kilometer approx of Reserved Forest). Sundarban conjointly happens to be the most important Rhizophora mangrove Forest within the world. It has one of the richest reserves of flora and fauna all over the world. The Rhizophora mangle trees, from that the place derives its name includes a total of sixty-four sorts obtainable here together with varied different plants here. Also apart from the renowned tigers there area unit varied different animals just like the swine, spotted deer, wild cat, rhesus macaque, flying fox and several other animals and reptiles that are visible here. Sundarbans is additionally a heaven for ornithologists or fiery bird watchers.

The assets are clearly the Sundarban Royal Bengal tiger, It is as infamous for its violence and man-eating habit because it is appraised for its royalty and beauty. Sundarban had earned the standing of a Tiger Reserve within the year 1973, once the Project Tiger Program was formed in India. A few years later, in 1977 it was declared as a Wildlife Sanctuary, in 1984 it was declared as a National Park. Recognition from UNESCO as a world heritage web site came within the year 1987. The Sundarban parkland has been divided into wildlife sanctuaries for a lot of economical administration. The total space of Sundarbans is 4262 sq kilometre. Of the 54 islands that join together to form the Sundarbans, not all are inhabited only by wild animals. A calculable three.2 million people are also found to be living here. Of the entire space around 2585 sq kilometer area unit reserved for the wild animals.

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Sundarban National Park

by mercury on August 8, 2019

Natural Beauty of Sundarban

Sundarbans National Park charms the tourists in many ways. This marshy land is the home to many ferocious and beautiful animals and to some of the unique floras. The Sundarban is the true wonder of nature. It is the biggest continuous block of Rhizophora mangrove Forest within the World. Sundarban is the home to many beautiful and some endangered species like Sundarban Royal Bengal Tiger, Estuarine Crocodile, Spotted Deer, and Wild Boar. Sunderban looks to be a floating forest once it gets part submerged by extremely saline water throughout the highwater. Within a couple of hours, the low water makes the water to recede back to the Bay of geographic area exposing the clay beds of mudflat to the air. Tidal amplitude and fluctuations of Sundarbans are around seven-meter. These distinctive options build Sundarban park, the simplest park in the Asian nation. The Sundarban National Park is a great tourist spot.

Eco-tourism in Sundarban

The development of the Sundarban eco-tourism is one of the top priorities of the Forest Department for Sundarban National Park. It forms part of the existing Government national objectives concerning existing and proposed tourism policies in Bangladesh and India. It will contribute to the event of a healthy, accountable and property variety of eco-tourism for the advantage of all. Sundarban Eco-tourism Centres are located at Sajnekhali, Dobanki, Netidhopani and Burir Dabri in STR, and at Bonie camp (Sundarikati), Bhagabatpore Crocodile Project, Lothian Island sanctuary and Kalash beach. There square measure 2 Nature Interpretation Centres situated at Sajnekhali and Bhagabatpore, and one Eco museum at Sudarikati.

The Fauna

The Sundarbans forest is home to over four hundred tigers. The Royal Bengal Tigers have developed a unique characteristic of swimming in the saline waters, and are famous for their man-eating tendencies, it also comprises of other animals like Estuarine Crocodile, Spotted Deer, and Wild Boar.

Royal Bengal Tiger

The crown jewel is obviously the Sundarban Royal Bengal Tiger, is as notorious for its ferocity and man-eating habit as it is appraised for its royalty and beauty. It is terribly illustrious and robust animal best-known for its grace, power, and agility. It is an Asiatic carnivorous animal zoologically named as Panthera tigris. There square measure numerous species and taxonomic category of the tigers square measure found everywhere the planet. Tiger is an endangered species of the animal however few are left all over the world which we have to conserve in any way in order to save their life on the earth. It is mainly seen in the Sundarban National Park and counts about 2500 plus.

Estuarine Crocodile

The estuarial crocodilian, also known as the Saltwater Crocodile. The size of an adult Crocodile ranges from 880 – 1200 pounds with lengths of 14 – 17 feet for males and for females 180 – 220 pounds with lengths of 7.5 to 11 feet. The seawater crocodilian could be a predator and has many various varieties of prey. When young, Saltwater Crocodile is restricted to smaller prey like insects, amphibians, crustaceans, and small fish and other small reptiles. When they become an adult, they feed on larger prey such as mud crabs, turtles, snakes, birds, buffalo, wild boar, and even monkeys. When the Saltwater Crocodile hunts for food, it usually hides in the water with only the nostrils, eyes, and part of the back is exposed. In Sundarban Bhagabatpur crocodile project which is famous for estuarine crocodiles.

Spotted Deer

Sundarban National Park is the natural habitat of the spotted Deer. Spotted Deer is very common in the Sundarbans forest. It is one in every of the foremost stunning expensive within the world. They like to live in the flock. In a flock there square measure 10-25 ruminant live along. Mostly they live in the grassy forest. The main enemy of them is Royal Bangle tiger, which is only found in the Sundarban. A dark stripe runs down the back from the nape to the tip of the tail. The abdomen, rump, throat and the insides of the legs, tail, and ears are white. A black band circles the muzzle. The adult weighs about 85 kg. They are typically inhabitants of forest edges, due to indiscriminate hunting for meat and fur, their population has declined alarmingly since the 1950s. They are mainly found in the Sundarban National Park.

Wild Boar

Wild boars have stocky, powerful bodies with grey-brown fur. Mature males have tusks that protrude from the mouth. Piglets square measure a lighter ginger-brown in color, with stripes on their coat for camouflage. Large animals like wild boar can get up to 80 cm at the shoulder and typically weigh between 60-100 kg, although males in excess of 200 kg. Boars are not fussy eaters and will consume a wide variety of food. Much of their diet is made up of seeds and fruit, and even small mammals, birds’ eggs and chicks. Most boars live in groups, known as sounders that are comprised of females and their young. Adult males tend to live alone, only coming together with females to mate. Typically, four to six piglets will be born in spring. A boar’s maximum natural life in the wild is thought to be around 14 years. Boars have poor eyesight but an extremely strong sense of smell, relying on their nose to find food and detect danger.

The Flora

A total number of  245 genera and 334 plants species were recorded by David Prain in the year 1903. The Sundarbans flora is characterized by the abundance of Sundari, Gewa, Goran, and Keora all of which occur prominently throughout the area. The Sundari tree yields a hardwood, used for building houses and making boats, furniture, and other things. New forest accretions are often conspicuously dominated by Keora and tidal forests. It is associate indicator species for newly accreted mudbanks and is a very important species for life, especially spotted deer. Among palms, Poresia coarctate, Myriostachya wightiana and Golpata are well distributed. The Sundarbans has been classified as a wet tropical forest demonstrating an entire mosaic of seers, comprising primary formation on new accretions to a lot of mature beach forests.

Natural disasters, such as cyclones, always threaten the values ​​of property and there are potential threats in the properties as well as salinity water intrusion and throwing. Due to the exploitation of both wood resources and livestock, illegal hunting and traps, and agricultural ineffective, there is a serious threat to the value of the property. As tourists, we should also help in conserving this beautiful swampland to increase the popularity of Sundarban Tourism.

 

 

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