|
|
Journey to the Wild East- SUNDARBANS The islands Goasaba, Sandeshkali and Basanti form the northern boundary of the Sundarbans; on the south is the sea; to the west side of the World Heritage Sunderbans National Park is the Matla and Bidya rivers and to the east is the international boundary of Bangladesh
It was a cool ride on board a private WWF boat equipped with all the facilities. It nearly took three hours to reach the Bali island. Our stay was arranged in a newly developed resort. The environment inside this tiny resort is life freshening with ponds on one side and a relax- house facility extended over it. I was surprised when told that those who are looking after the day- to-day work of the resort, along with managing the privet jetty were once poachers. The kind hospitality I received from them during my short stay is just unforgettable. They have the vast knowledge of the whole forest island and a few of them are learning English so that they can better communicate with more travelers. We were soon treated with the “Exclusive Lunch” comprising of tasty prawns and rice, which again made refreshed me from within. I just can't miss prawns!
It is the home of the Royal Bengal tiger who has adapted itself to the saline and aquatic environment of the park and is an excellent swimmer. It is also home to the elusive crocodile. The adventure world inside the park is one of the most thrilling experiences of a lifetime.
It might happen that you may fail to spot a tiger or crocodile during your tour, as has happened with many of our fellow friends who traveled here in the past and described their experience as “picnic in water.” However, I assure you we had a great time. Limited time prevented us from visiting some other attractions in the park. We left the Bali Island at 1430 hours ( 2:30 p.m. ) for Kolkata and reached the city four and a half hours later. The journey was one of the finest I have made in my life and I have made it a point to return this winter. Every foreigner wishing to travel to the World Sundarbans National Park has to acquire permits from the Secretary, West Bengal Forest Department, Writer's Building, Kolkata – 700001, India. East Wind Holiday Tours Pvt. Ltd. will arrange permits for all its travelers. A two night three day package costs $340 per person and East Wind Holiday Tours runs exclusive packages for Sundarbans. You can either stay at the resort or in the Boat but both accommodations will give you an experience of a lifetime. For your trip to this Little Amazon, you can Contact : |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
JustSayGO Travel Show
A journey to India is not complete if you do not travel to the Northeast and visit the 1330 square kilometers of swampy delta of the two mighty Indian rivers, Brahmaputra and the Ganges . This area is known as Sundarbans, is often called the Little Amazon and is world famous for being home to the Royal Bengal Tiger. The name Sundarban is derived from Sundari Trees, once found in abundance on this marshy paradise.
It was the first week of August when my friend and I decided to make a trip to World Heritage National Park . Our entire tour was organized by the East Wind Holiday Tours Private Limited, one of the most respected travel houses in Eastern India . 
After lunch we boarded the jetty and started sailing on the sides of the forested area of Sundarban in search of the Royal Bengal Tiger. Though it was sunny at 1630 hours, ( 4:30 p.m. ) an intermittent drizzle made our evening journey more exciting and mystical. 
Next morning we started our Sundarban Exploration at 7 a.m. with a visit to the Sajnakhali Sanctuary, also part of the Sundarbans National Park . You can observe various bird species, mainly the seven colorful varieties of Kingfisher. If you are lucky, you can see many birds, namely white-bellied sea eagle, plovers, lap-wings, curfews, whimbrels, sandpipers and the occasional pelican. I was not that lucky as I could spot only two varieties: white-bellied sea eagle and the occasional pelican.
|
||||||||
|