The Sundarbans (India)

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Sundarbans National Park (1987); Sundarban Tiger Reserve; Sundarban Biosphere Reserve · Gosaba, West Bengal

The Indian part of the largest mangrove forest on earth, a maze of tidal rivers, creeks and islands where the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna reach the Bay of Bengal. The forest is shared with Bangladesh, which holds the larger share, and the Indian side is a World Heritage Site, a tiger reserve and a biosphere reserve. It is famous for its tigers, which swim between islands, live on fish, crabs and deer as well as larger prey, and have a long record of attacks on the honey collectors, woodcutters and fishermen who work the forest. Sightings are rare, and the visit is about the landscape: slow boat trips through silent green channels, saltwater crocodiles on the mudbanks, spotted deer, kingfishers, river dolphins, and watchtowers at Sajnekhali, Sudhanyakhali and Dobanki, where a canopy walk runs above the mangroves. Everything is seen by boat; you cannot walk in the forest. Trips start from Godkhali, about three hours from Kolkata, with permits arranged through the forest department or a tour operator. The region lies in the path of Bay of Bengal cyclones.

Sajnekhali Forest Office, Gosaba, Gosaba, West Bengal, 743329, India

NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED; confirm before planning. Boats run in daylight only, usually from around sunrise to sunset, and must be out of the core channels or moored at designated points by dusk; night movement in the forest is not allowed. The watchtower compounds open from morning to late afternoon. Permit offices keep daytime hours, so permits for an early start are arranged the day before. Tourism may be restricted in the monsoon and is suspended during cyclone warnings, sometimes at short notice. The traps: a day trip that is mostly road, a foreigner's permit not arranged in Kolkata, and a cyclone warning in May or November.

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