Sunderban,West Bengal

Whispering Winds

Sunderban has been in our bucket list for a few years now and we were talking to some friends in Kolkata to get hold of a tour operator,.In May'18, I chanced upon Sundarban Houseboat who claimed  superior-experience-in-the lap-of-luxury. Owner Roy was very pleasant to talk to and provided an overview of the trip, packages available and the cost.Rest is history....

Overview 

The Sundarbans is a magnificent tangle of mangrove jungle that's the only one of its kind in the world.It is often called the Amazon forest of the east. It is spread over approximately 10,000 square kilometers at the mouth of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers between India and Bangladesh,and bordering the Bay of Bengal.Only 35% of the Sundarbans lies in India The Sundarbans are considered World Heritage Site. It is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways,mudflats and small islands of salt tolerant mangrove forests.The interconnected network of waterways makes almost every corner of the forest accessible by boat.Named after the ‘Sundari’ tree found here in  abundance,it is home to many species of birds,fish,reptiles amphibians and the only population of salt water Crocodiles in India.What also makes the Sundarbans unique is that it's the only mangrove jungle in the world to have tigers -- and,they're strong swimmers! Long stretches of nylon net fencing have been installed on forest boundaries to prevent the tigers from venturing into villages.You should be lucky to see one of the 100 tigers though.They're very shy and usually remain well hidden. 

                                            The Journey
We were 3 guys,classmates from National High School, Kolkata,who along with spouses embarked on this trip.A meeting of friends after a gap of many decades.
We were picked up from our Hotel/Residence and driven to Godkhali Jetty past Canning. The journey was eventful as it provided ample time to sing,joke about and share stories of events long gone that made us most nostalgic and filled with longing for the past. We arrived at the Godkhali Ferry Ghat around 12:30 and headed straight for “Whispering Winds” where passengers from the previous tour were disembarking.

Shortly we were on the upper deck of the boat enjoying very sweet coconut water.The deck was well appointed for our comfort; it had a large dining table to seat 10, Sofas to relax and watch the mangroves go by,TV and music system.They had even provided deck chairs and bean bags in the prow and aft of the boat
We went down to view our accommodation and were pleasantly surprised to see 3 well appointed AC double bedrooms with en suite bath.Clean sheets towels and a wardrobe too!
A very elaborate veg lunch was served prepared on board by an executive Chef.A local fish dish was served for those who had opted for it,This was followed by Mishti Doi,Sandesh,Rosogolla and fruits.What more could one ask for.We would see  excellent  culinary handiwork on display over the next 2 days



Once we settled down we all took turns at the wheel and guided the boat.It was so easy.The Captain was sitting next to us.We picked up our Naturalist deputed by the forest dept and proceeded towards Sajnekhali nature reserve. Sajnekhali serves as the entry point of Sundarban Tiger Reserve as tourists collect permit from here. Moreover, a Mangrove Interpretation Center is there to make people familiar with the mangrove ecosystem. The watchtower is good for spotting birds. We made short work of this tour and returned.



A small group of one of India’s most-threatened turtles, the northern river terrapin, is finding refuge in four breeding ponds here, under an ambitious plan to repopulate the species in the wild.This board indicates efforts taken and the status 

I got a shot of this salt water crocodile also known as estuarine croc moving around in the pond here.Looks quite timid but he will win the race over a tiger in the open waters.Males can grow upto 6m long!
Breeding of Crocs has been successful and their population is steadily increasing.

Tiger prawn seedling or "Bagda" collection is common along the forest-village interface and is mostly done by women and children.They are prone to attack from Crocodiles,Sharks and Tigers.But they carry on never the less as it is their livelihood.

Traveling by boat has its own charm and when you add to that the world's largest river delta and the huge expanses of Mangrove forest the effect just multiplies.So it was for us.We enjoyed a heavy late afternoon tea as the boat glided over the serene waters.

The Sundarbans is celebrated through numerous Bengali folk songs and dances, often centered around the folk heroes, gods and goddesses specific to the Sundarbans like Bonbibi to the right and Dakshin rai,the tiger God. 

In the evening a cultural show was organised on the top deck where a group of local  females  performed folk dances to the accompaniment of a vocalist and Pakhawaj. It was a good dance by the ladies who were all farm workers by the day and do this for tourists in the evening.It went on for 2Hrs nonstop.Eventually all of us participated in the dance and had a great time!

On the second day we were all up early and saw a beautiful sunrise at 6AM,Here it is.

We feasted on a large breakfast and relaxed on the deck watching the mangroves go by.Here is a narrow channel with mudflats and mangroves close by on either side.We were sitting on deck chairs at the prow.

Our Naturalist had arrived and he briefly dwelt on the damage caused by the last Cyclone.


Sundarban cyclone
Tropical Storm Aila struck southern Bangladesh and eastern India in May 2009.Wind speeds had reached 120 kph. and water levels had risen from two to seven meters. All sources of drinking water had been salinized. The tidal surge had killed 300 people and caused over 8,000 to go missing.Some 2.3 million people were affected by the cyclone and damages were conservatively estimated to be upwards of U.S.$ 40 million.
We see a large croc sunning itself in the swamp.

By midday we dock at the Dobanki camp.

From the watch tower, we took the elevated path set up some 20 feet above ground and covered with iron mesh on either side. From here you can have spectacular view of Sunderban forest.Part of the Sundarbans is shielded from tidal inflow by embankments to help villages and agriculture thrive. During the monsoon   season, the low lying agricultural lands are waterlogged and the summer crop (kharif crop) is therefore mainly deep water rice or floating rice.

After another grand lunch we chatted,sang and saw boats go by and soon it was dusk and the Sun went down.We docked at a village for the boat to pick up supplies and some of us decided to take a walk.There were a row of shops selling daily necessities,Stuffed animals ..mostly tigers and other handicrafts made of wood.Shopkeepers were pleasant to talk to and bargain.Further ahead there were a number of lodges for tourists opting to stay for a night or two.There was even a church lit up for the ensuing holiday season.

I observed that a number of travel lodges have sprung up in the Sundarban villages for catering to the tourists who come in great numbers.These tourists hop from village to village in boats that have only "sitting" accommodation and complete the circuit by staying in lodges.Ours was a unique experience travelling by the "sleeper boat" on the round trip.
Back in the boat we had a light dinner and stayed up to watch a Hindi movie.Previously we had watched documentaries on Sundarban Tigers,both WB and BD.

Day 3...Today after breakfast we docked at Sudhanyakali reserve.After disembarking at jetty, we trooped to the watch tower. On the way we were told that a tiger had tried to assault a man who was taking a Selfie with his phone sometime after 5Pm yesterday..(Tigers disapprove Selfies!!) That would exclude tourists.In any case tigers can't jump the tall fence set up all around. 
There is a grand concrete watch tower from where you get a panoramic view of the forest that has been cleared to facilitate movement and sighting of animals.A large pond has been created to provide water.

With this our tour winds up and we return back to Godkhali ferry ghat and bid adieu to the captain and his staff.Just in case you need the details of Sundarban Houseboat, here it is.

I leave you with this saying..

You don't see the Tiger but the Tiger sees you and is happy that you have visited Sundarban