Sunderbans Wildlife Sanctuary – West Bengal

Sunderbans Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the largest reserves of Bengal Tiger and constitutes a tiger conservation project too. Sunderbans Wildlife Sanctuary is situated to the south of Kolkata. It is spread over an area of 2,608 sq km. The wildlife sanctuary derives its name from the forest of Sundari and possesses one of the most unique ecosystems in the world. The region comprises of mangrove forests and is part of one of the largest deltas in the world.

Sunderbans Wildlife Sanctuary is also a UNESCO world heritage site and home to one of the largest population of tigers in the world.

Sunderbans Wildlife Sanctuary possesses the biggest colony of the Royal Bengal Tiger in the world. The Bhagabatpur Crocodile project here offers a crocodile breeding farm. The area also offers a wonderful habitat to many birds in its marshlands.

Many bird species are found in the region namely Grey Headed Fishing Eagle, Falcon, Heron, Egrets, Brown Fish Owl.

The Sunderbans Wildlife Sanctuary region has dense Mangrove forests that offer a unique touch to the beauty of the sanctuary.

The area experiences Tropical climate with hot summers. The winters are very cold in the region. The best season to visit the place is in the period of July to December.

Sunderbans Wildlife Sanctuary offers many good lodging facilities to the visitors. Forest lodges and forest rest houses are available for the tourists at Sajnekhali. West Bengal Tourism Department also offers many good hotels around the sanctuary area.

The nearest airport is in Dum Dum in Kolkata and the closest railhead is at Canning 48 km away from the Wildlife Sanctuary. The nearest town is Gosaba that is 50 km away from here. The nearest major railway junction is at Kolkata and the sanctuary is well connected by road to major cities of West Bengal.