If you want to go to the Sundarbans, your first destination should be Kolkata, and then from here you have to go to Sonakhali, which is about 109 km away. You can go by car or by train. It is your personal choice. And your Sundarbans boat safari will start from this sonakhali. Before starting the Sundarban tour package, you must remember that the Sundarbans are all forests and coastal areas of small rivers, so there are no safaris other than boat trips. So let’s take a look at some of the places you can visit in the Sundarbans and see if those places actually offer wildlife viewing opportunities.
The top 10 places in Sundarban National Park
The best places to visit in the Sundarbans and important places for exploring unforgettable wildlife viewing opportunities are listed below. If you want to visit the Sundarbans properly, then you must visit these places, because if you do not, then your trip will remain incomplete.
- Sajhnekhali Watch Tower
The most important watchtower in the Sunderbans, because from here you will start your Sundarbans jungle tour, where you will get a chance to see the animals of the open jungle. Sajnekhali Watch Tower offers an opportunity to spot famous tiger and crocodile species with their live actions for prey. From there, you will have a 360-degree view of the largest mangrove forest in the world.
- Sudhanyakhali Watch Tower
Sudhanyakhali Watch Tower is the most opportune place for adventure lovers and wildlife freaks. 25 people can stand together in this watch tower at a time to spot tigers and other wild animals. Vast grassland and a large water body behind bring many animals there to drink sweet water and rest on the pasture for a while.
- Do-Banki Watch Tower
The Do-Banki Watch Tower is an important watch tower located in the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve. The Grand Canopy Walk takes you to a height of 20 feet from the ground towards the forest through a safe walkway of more than a half kilometre. It is an unforgettable experience. The walkway is protected by strong grills, iron bars, and nets to protect you from the attack of wild animals. You could see deer, tigers, and other wild animals by your side while walking along the protected walkways. Visitors feel excited as they can walk more than a half kilometre into the forest and watch wildlife with complete security. Many people go there for repeat walks because they want to have thrilling experiences once more.
- Pirkhali
This is a narrow water channel or creek, offering you a close view of the dense forest, tranquil water body, wonderful natural phenomena, and twittering songs of beautiful bird species. You can use this while going to Sudhaynakhali from Sajnekhali.
- Bird Forest
Hosting over 248 bird species, including a large number of migratory birds, the Bird Forest in Sundarban is a wonderful place. You will get to see a great variety of wild geese and ducks, herons, green pigeons, egrets, storks, cormorants, seagulls, large and small spoonbills, sand pipers, darters, teal, partridges, etc. Winter is the best time, as many migratory birds from higher latitudes come here.
- Panchmukhani
Panchmukhani refers to the five rivers (Padma, Meghna, Bhairab, Madhumati, and Hooghly) having their mouths open towards the Sundarban. Five rivers altogether, coming in one direction, offer you a wonderful sightseeing experience.
- Burirdabri Watch tower
Located near Bangladesh in the Bashirhat range, Burirdabri Watch tower is an important watch tower. Memorable mud walks and mangrove trails to watch crocodiles and tigers have made it very special to the tourists.
- Jharkhali Watch Tower
Situated on the west and north-west sides of the Sunderbans Tiger Reserve, Jharkhali is a new gateway to the Sundarban. It is emerging as a favourite tourist destination because it gives you a chance to visit the Sundarban Tiger Reserve and the world’s largest mangrove forest. A park has been constructed here by the forest department where a tiger is always seen, so it is a very attractive place for tourists.
- Netidhopani watch tower (near Bangladesh)
Netidhopani Watch Tower is situated very close to Bangladesh, on the edge of the buffer and core areas of the Sundarbans National Park. Unlike earlier times, it is now a bit restricted in terms of tourism, allowing only twelve boat permits in a day. Reaching there as early as possible is always advisable.
- Pakhiralay & Dayapur
Every tourist who comes to visit the Sundarbans comes to Pakhirala or Dayapur after their trip and spends the night there. One side of the river is Pakhiraloy, and the other side is Dayapur. Here you can book a hotel room of your choice and make your trip more enjoyable with the very interesting activities of this Sundarban area like tribal dance, Baul sangeet, and Ban Bibi Jatrapala.
How many days can you complete this route?
It will take you at least four days to complete our itinerary. Let’s see how you can complete it, as we will guide you step by step.
Day 1: Tour Start from Sonakhali Launch Ghat by boat and reach Gosaba Hamilton Bungalow and Rabindra Nath Tagore Bungalow. Visit Birds Forest and have a 360-degree view of the forest from a watch tower. For a night’s stay, you can choose reputable Pakhiralay hotels.
Day 2: You can visit the Sajnekhali Mangrove Interpretation Centre Watch Tower and Tiger Reserve area. Then it starts for the Sudhaynakhali watch tower from Sajnekhali. During your boat safari from Sajnekhali to Sudhaynakhali, you can cover Pirkhali or Gajikhali. Spend time walking along Do-Banki Watch Tower to discover wildlife and trace wild animals while walking along the grand canopy walk, which takes you into the dense forest safely. Then reach Panchmukhani (Five River Junction) and check into a hotel for a night’s stay at Dayapur.
Day 3: You can keep Bagnan Forest. Pleasurable forest sightseeing with the scope of exploring wild animals can surely give you an unforgettable experience. Pay a visit to Burirdabri watch tower (near the Bangladesh side) and Jharkhali watch tower (the tiger project) there and spend time exploring wildlife. Choose a hotel or resort at Jharkhali for a night’s stay.
Day 4: You can visit Chora Gachi and Netidhopani Watch Towers. You are almost all done.
About Sundaran National Park
Sudarban, the world’s largest area of mangrove forests, is one of the most sought-after travel destinations in India. Spreading over 10,000 km2 of land and water, this UNESCO World Heritage Site offers habitats to a significant number of rare or endangered species like tigers (the Royal Bengal Tiger), giant-sized crocodiles, Indian pythons, estuarine crocodiles, aquatic mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. It is known across the globe for offering a unique mix of nature and wildlife experiences.
This tourist hotspot is criss-crossed by a complex network of tidal waterways, riverine mudflats, and small islands of salt-tolerant closed and open mangrove forests. It is an ideal example of a complete biosphere with flora and fauna and ongoing ecological processes.