Located in the Ganga delta in West Bengal, spanning the Hooghly in the west and Teulia river in the east, Sunderbans was declared a National Park in 1984. The park covers a vast stretch of mangrove swamp, lush forested islands and small rivers near the Bay of Bengal. Most of the region comprises estuarine mangrove forests and swamps which supports an ecosystem specially adapted to great salinity.

Sundarban became a project Tiger Reserve in 1974 and spreads over 2585 sq.kms. of mangrove swamps in West Bengal. It is the only ecological habitat of the tiger of its kind in India. 269 tigers are found in this habitatand the population seems to be stable over the last decade even though a detailed assessment of predator and prey base are urgently required. The core area of this reserve is 1330 sq. kms. There are 64 plant species in Sundarban and they have the capacity to withstand estuarine conditions and saline inundation on account of tidal effects. Sundarban is not only a biosphere reserve but also a world heritage site.

Sunderbans is home to the magnificent Royal Bengal tiger, the park holding more tigers than any other tiger reserve. More than 400 tigers were recorded during the mid-1980s. Project Tiger has also launched a programme to protect the Olive Ridley sea turtles. Crocodiles and the Gangetic dolphin are to be found aplenty in the Raimgangal river. The Sajnakhali sanctuary, famous for its rich avian population, is regarded as a part of the Sunderbans National Park.

When to visit
September to May

How to get there
By air: Dum Dum (166kms), is the nearest airport at Calcutta.
By rail: The nearest railhead is at Canning, 48 kms away.
The nearest town is Gosaba, 50 kms away.

Where to stay
Forest lodge and forest rest-houses are available for accomodation at Sajnakhali.

Contact
Field Director
Sundarbans Tiger Reserve
P.O Canning,
District 24 Parganas (South),
West Bengal