Sunderbans Tiger Reserve is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A delta formed from the mouth of the Ganges River with 102 islands of which 48 are uninhabited jungle on the Hohojel River. This reserve covers around 42,064 sq. Km/10 million acres and is divided into three zones. A Core zone, buffer zone and tourist zone in which there are supposedly 274 Bengal tigers.

Since it was only a 2-1/2 hour ride from Kolkata to Sonakali transferring to a boat upriver (or downriver) for another 2-1/2 hours, ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I thought “why not.” We had such great luck spotting tigers in Kanha and Bandhavgarh National Parks, it was worth a try a see what Sunderbans Tiger Reserve had to offer. Not that we had such great hopes since Sunderbans in the largest mangrove forest in the world. It is difficult enough spotting a tiger right under the elephant’s feet, let alone in a mangrove forest.

Sunderbans Tiger Reserve map, India
Sukant (our local guide) picked us up at the Lytton Hotel, Kolkata for the drive to Sonakali only and would escort us back to Kolkata after our two-day stay in Sunderbans Tiger Camp. The road sights were completely different in this area of India. A cattle market…View image…fish ponds/farms…View image…stretching for miles, men carrying big aluminum jars on bicycles to market filled with fish from the fish ponds…View image…, the local transport (called “motor vans”), a small, open flat bed on wheels pulled by either a bicycle or motorcycle used to carry people and goods….View image…through small villages until Sonakali.

waiting for her ride in India
The Sunderans Tiger Camp boat…View image… (with toilet…View image…important…) was waiting with three passengers already on it. One woman from Australia (traveling around India on her own – left her husband and son at home – another gutsy woman who travels…), and two men from Kolkata who had taken the Sunderbans Jungle Camp Bus from Kolkata.

Before getting on the boat, we stopped for a few minutes to watch children packing homemade cigarettes into plastic packages (watch video). Mr. Tapan introduced himself as the “main ranger” for the Tiger Camp, offered tea, coffee, biscuits and bottled water. …View image… (The last free bottle of water we’d see for the next two days) and downriver this big boat for five persons went. Basanti is the main village on one side of the river while Sonakali is on the other side.

This two hours on the boat also flew by with river sights of villages…View image…, boats loaded with people…View image… and goods…View image (nothing short of a miracle that they stay afloat)… fishermen pulling in nets…View image…, working on their boats…View image…, and past Gosaba, the last large inhabited village on the way.

the locals were extremely interested in watching us, India 

carrying bamboo poles and coconuts on the river, India
…until the boat approached Sunderbans Tiger Camp…View image…, with staff waiting at the landing to greet us, show us around, in plenty of time for a late lunch. A big sign at Reception stating the last tiger in this area was spotted 1/6/09. It has been 44 days since a tiger was spotted. This didn’t sound auspicious. Sunderbans Tiger Camp has tents, cottages and air conditioned cottages (our cottage wasn’t air conditioned and it’s an additional 600 Rupees for one with a/c). It really cools off at night. Don’t bother with paying extra for air conditioning. The only other extras are: soft drinks, wine, liquor, bottled water and 300 Rupees to the Park Service in order to use video in the Sunderbans Tiger Reserve. That’s it. You must have a local Forest Service guide, included in the package price.

Sunderbans Tiger Camp staff at the jetty, India
Buffets are served for lunch and dinner, extremely delicious food and plentiful. One typical meal had chili chicken, noodles, fruit custard, potatoes, rice, and vegetable balls (“vegetable manchurian”). There was a huge class of 6th graders on a weekend outing from Kolkata International School staying here. Age 11-14 years old, and having a wonderful time. I just thanked my lucky stars that our cottage wasn’t located anywhere near theirs! Teenagers…love them…don’t want to live with them…or sleep anywhere in the vicinity! One sweet little girl was celebrating her birthday and came over to offer us some cake.

Happy Birthday, Anika at Sunderbans Tiger Resrve, India
At 3:45 p.m., the five us us would meet at the jetty for the first boat ride into the jungle, looking for tigers.

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