One of the best tour I’ve made so far was the trip to Sunderban. In the mid of September, I along with my four friends decided to go for the Sundarban Tour in the weekend to enjoy the nature retreat. Our program was for 1 night and 2 days. It was the Sunderban Package Tour that we booked which included food and accomodation. We started our journey early in the morning from Sealdah to Canning railway station where our tour operator was waiting to begin the trip. Finally, we were off to Sunderbans.
Formed by the convergence of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghana rivers, Sundarban is the world’s largest delta marked by the presence of mangrove forests and the abundance of Sundari trees. Sunderban is recognized as the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also considered as a Biosphere Reserve, a home to several species of animals and the well-known Royal Bengal Tiger.
Day 1
It took nearly 3 hours to reach Sonakhali. The weather was pleasant. After having a brunch, we began our trip. We journeyed through the Gosaba river on a boat, followed by Durgaduyani and Gumor rivers. The island was surrounded by lush green Palm trees which were pretty eye-soothing and relaxing. We enjoyed to see small mud houses in the village situated in the island. The village is known as Eco-village and electricity, here, is generated through solar cells. Then we reached Pakhirala where we halted for the first night.
Next morning, we woke up at 5 a.m to continue our journey through Sunderbans. The first thing that we did is we captured the wonderful sunrise on the bank of the river which was just amazing. It freshened the mind and we were set to go ahead. Our tour operator had planned to cover Sajnekhali, Dobanki and Sudhanyakhali.
Sajnekhali rests on the other side of Pakhirala. As we reached there, we visited the Banabibi temple. Goddess Banabibi is worshipped by the fisherman and honey gatherers before they enter the forest to through ‘khanris’ (narrow channels of water through the mangrove forest) to earn their livelihood. Thereafter, we began our long ride through the rivers and narrow creeks in Dobanki. Dobanki is said to be known for its grand Canopy Walk Watch Tower. We were thrilled to enjoy the Canopy Walk into the forest. We spotted deers, tigers, kites, crocodiles and wild cocks near the pond. After the sightseeing, we returned to Pakhirala. And from there we went back to Sonakhali to end our trip and return to Kolkata.
End of the Trip
Though we had very less time for the Sunderban Tour, but, I enjoyed my journey throughout amidst the island and rivers into the mangroves. We did not get the chance to see many animals. Just spotted few. The thing that we missed to sightsee is King Cobra. I am sure to plan again for the Sunderban Package Tour with my family to unravel many more hidden secretive lives here in the delta.
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