The Sunderbans is the world's largest delta formed by the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers. The region got its name from Sundari trees. The park is the perfect home for the Royal Bengal Tiger. The Sunderbans Tiger Reserve was created in 1973 and was declared a National Park in the year 1984.

This wildlife park is the favourite hunt for hunters, honey collectors and fishermen.

Major Attractions Of The Park

The Sunderbans forest is home to more than 400 tigers. The Bengal Tigers adapt themselves very well to the saline and aqua environs and are extremely good swimmers. As you enter the adventurous wild land of the Sundarbans you'll encounter the chital dear and rhesus monkey.

There are crocodiles, which can be often seen along the mud banks. Sunderbans National Park is also noted for its conservation of the Ridley Sea Turtle. There's is a incredible variety of reptiles also found in Sundarbans, which includes king cobra, rock python and water monitor. The endangered river Terrapin, Batagur Baska is found on the Mechua Beach, while the Barkind Deer is found only in Holiday Island in Sunderbans.

The Avifauna
In the park you can also come across resident as well as foreign birds of numerous varieties.The list includes: Open Billed Storks, White Ibis, Water Hens, Coots, Pheasant Tailed Jacanas, Pariah Kites, Brahminy Kites, Marsh Harriers, Swamp Partridges, Red Jungle Fowls, Spotted Doves, Common Mynahs, Jungle Crows, Jungle Babblers, Cotton Teals, Herring Gulls, Caspian Terns, Gray Herons, Brahminy Ducks, Spotted Billed Pelicans, Large Egrets, Night Herons, Common Snipes, Wood Sandpipers, Green Pigeons, Rose Ringed Parakeets, Paradise Flycatchers, Cormorants, Fishing Eagles, White Bellied Sea Eagles, Seaguls, Common Kingfishers, Peregrine falcons, Woodpeckers, Whimprels, Black-Tailed Godwits, Little Stints, Eastern Knots, Curlews, Golden Plovers, Pintails, White Eyed Pochards and Whistling Teal.

The Aquafauna & The Reptiles
Some of the fish and amphibians found in the parks are Saw Fish, Butter Fish, Electric Rays, Silver Carp, Star Fish, Common Carp, Crabs, Prawn, Shrimps, Gangetic dolphins, Skipping Frogs, Common Toads and Tree Frogs. Even the park is home to several reptiles like: Olive Ridley Turtles, Sea Snakes, Dog Faced Water Snakes, Green Turtles, Estuarine Crocodiles, Chameleons, King Cobras, Salvator Lizards, Hard Shelled Batgun Terrapins, Russels Vipers, Mouse Ghekos, Monitor Lizards, Curviers, Hawks Bill Turtles, Pythons, Common Kraits, Chequered Killbacks and rat Snakes

Year Of Kudos

The Sunderbans National Park was inscribed on the World Heritage List in year 1985.

Peppery Bulletin

• The Sunderbans was a part of the then 24 Parganas Forest Division.
• Within Sunderbans you can visit the Sajnekhali Wildlife Sanctuary and the Tiger Reserve areas.
• The Sunderbans is one of the world's largest and most unique wetlands.
• The Sunderbans has been formed by the merger of three big rivers - Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna.
• The tigers of the park are mostly man-eaters.
• The core area of the Tiger Reserve is closed to the tourists.
• It is very difficult to spot the Royal Bengal tiger in the Sunderbans. The tigers are expert swimmers, drink salty water and feed on fish and crabs.

Go For...........

You can enjoy seeing the Sajnekhali Wildlife Sanctuary because this is the only place where one might safely and actually step on reserve soil. The complex of the sanctuary houses a museum, a watch tower and the Herbivore Acclimatisation Centre. You can also opt for boat rides which can prove to be an ideal way to view the life of the wild.

As you cruise through the world's largest estuarine mangrove forest in Sundarbans you can also come across numerous (54) small islets, networked by many tributaries of the mighty rivers Ganga and Brahmaputra, which finally flow out at the southern tip into the Bay of Bengal.