Sunderbans
Once Again
In Bangladesh ~ by Rajdeep
Bhattacharjee
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| December
2005
Since I made
a trip to the Sunderbans National Park on the Indian side last summer,
I decided to see the Bangladesh side of the park this summer. As all trips
to Sunderbans National Park in Bangladesh are by group package, it was
difficult for me as I a single foreigner to fulfill my wish. I did check
various websites and after all the crosschecking found Green Channel Tour
Operators, whose itinerary looked interesting.
I contacted
Mr.Selim Ahmed, the CEO of Green Channel asking if he could help me in
realizing my dream, and to my surprise, he informed me that he had a group
that was about to begin touring Sunderbans National Park: the tour would
run from: 23-27th of November, 2005. I just could not believe it. It was
21st of November when I got the information. As I was in Kolkata, I decided
to take the journey, and after a full day's worth of activity at the Bangladesh
High Commission in Kolkata on 22nd of November, I got the required VISA
for my trip.
I arrived on
23rd of November at 0515hrs in Kolkata just as the city was slowly waking
up, I boarded the local train for Bongah. It took only an hour and a half
to reach Bongah so I arrived at 0700hrs. Just out of the Bongah station,
there were paddle driven rickshaws and a Tuktuk shouting to take passengers
to the border, a place known as Haridaspur. I got into a Tuktuk for twenty
minutes and joined another 4 passengers all traveling to Bangladesh. After
a 20 minutes ride, we arrived at the border and after the formalities at
the Indian and Bangladesh Immigration offices, I stepped into Bangladesh,
a country with more than 80% land in the flat alluvial plains, land that
is considered among the world's most fertile. |
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I soon got
into a waiting Toyota car on the Bangladesh side which was headed for Khulna
from where our journey was to begin. It took 2 1/2 hrs to reach Khulna
and I enjoyed the journey as it was green on either side reminding me of
my trips to India's northeast which is also known for its greenery. I was
taken to a ship that was waiting at the Khulna forest dockyard and was
met by Mr.Ehsan representing Green Channel Tour Operators.
I was the first
person to arrive for the trip and Mr.Ehsan informed me that the group would
be arriving by late evening and the journey would start at night. It was
a business group from Bangladesh, I was told. By 1800hrs, the entire group
assembled at the cruise ship and we soon started our journey to Sunderbans
National Park, home of the Royal Bengal Tigers.
After a full
night cruise amidst fogs, we reached Katka, famous for deer, tiger, crocodiles,
many varieties of birds and monkeys. Vast expanses of grassy meadows ran
from Katka to Kachikhali, an area that is very good for tracking wildlife.
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The
Sundarbans covers an area of nearly 240 sq. miles or 3600 sq. km. and is
bounded by Bagerhat, Khulna and Satkhira districts to the north, and to
the south by the Bay of Bengal, and to the east by Baleswar (or Haringhata)
river, Perojpur, Barisal district, and in the west by Raimangal and Hariabhanga
rivers which partially form the Bangladesh boundary with West Bengal in
India. The climate is moderate with much humidity in the air. I am being
told that the entire forest floats on water during the monsoon season (June
to September).
Sunderbans
on the Bangladesh side is a cluster of many islands. The real beauty lies
in the creeks, meandering streams, and rivers. Sunderbans means "Beautiful
Forests" and is the natural habitat of the Royal Bengal Tiger, spotted
deer, crocodiles, jungle fowl, wild boar, lizards, rhesus monkey and a
variety of beautiful birds. Its a natural resource zone for leisure, travel
and research activities. It offers visitors a chance to spot the famos
Royal Bengal Tiger, experience boating inside the forest, nature study,
meeting up with local fisherman, as well as seeing wood-cutters and honey-collectors.
It's a treasure seeing the world's largest mangrove forest. It was a 3
night 4 day trip on sea and river during which we saw many species, but
this time, unfortunately, I did not spot any Royal Bengal tigers, although
we saw two king sized crocodiles swimming on the river. |
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How To
Reach:
If you are
arriving by flight, arrive to Dhaka and then take the flight from Dhaka
to Jessore from where you will be taken to Khulna/Mongla Port, the starting
point of the journey. If you are in India, choose the entry through Kolkata
as it is cheaper and saves lots of time. Take a local train from Sealdah
to Bongah, then share a Tuktuk up to the border and once you are on the
Bangladesh side, Green Channel will take care of the rest.
Contact them
@ Green Channel Tour Operators, House No.5, Road No. 17,
Block - E,
Banani, Dhaka 1213.bangladesh.Email: green7@gononet.com.
www.greenchannelbd.org
I am now
on my way to Cox's Bazar, the Tourist Capital of Bangladesh, which has
the world's longest natural beach. Will join you from there next month.
The following
are Rajeep's previous articles for the magazine:
 One
Week In The Coastal Paradise Of Western India ~In
Goa
Think
India - Think
Holiday At Kerala
Northeastern
India -Destination:
Shillong
Northeastern
India - Destination:
Guwahati
Escape
To Sundarbans…. Indian
Flexabiltiy
Rajdeep Bhattacharjee
is a travel writer and can be contacted at rajdeep@ecotourism.cc
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