How To Reach Sundarbans Tiger Reserve

Located in the southern-most part of the east Indian state of West Bengal, Sundarbans is nature’s treasure trove. It is the largest river delta in the world lying at the confluence of rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna of Bay of Bengal. It is the home to one of the largest mangrove forests and houses over 100 Royal Bengal Tigers. This makes Sundarbans one of the most sought after destinations of the country. It is the closest you can come to nature. It is well connected and can be reached from the capital city of Kolkata. Let us briefly take a look at its connectivity.

Sundarbans does not have an aerodrome. The closest airport is NetajiSubhash Chandra Bose International Airport located in Dum Dum, Kolkata. It is about 120 km from Godkhali Port which is considered to be the starting point of your Sundarbans safari. Tourists can easily book a cab from the airport to reach Godkhali which has a journey time of roughly 3 hours.

The nearest railhead to Sundarbans is Canning and nearest major railway station is Sealdah railway Station in Kolkata. Sealdah is well connected with neighboring cities. If tourists are coming by train to Horwah Station, then from here they will have to take a cab to reach Sealdah. From Sealdah tourists can take a connecting train to Canning which is about 45 km from Kolkata. From Canning they have to depend upon public transportation to reach Godkhali Port. At Godkhali tourists have to board the boats to undertake the safari.

West Bengal government has maintained good roads to help tourists reach Sundarbans. From Kolkata tourists have the choice to travel by road or by train. If they opt for road, they have to either depend upon public transportation or hire a private taxi. If traveling by public transport they will have to break their journey at Canning before moving on to Godkhali. If they book a private cab then they can directly travel to Godkhali before boarding the boat. Cabs are preferred over public transport as the latter tends to be extremely crowded.

For exploring the different areas of Sundarbans tourists have to depend on waterways. It is the only mode of transportation in the region. They can also explore by foot which is a great opportunity to get close to nature and fill the lungs with fresh unadulterated air.