It was a nice and pleasant October
morning and it was Mahasaptami
Around 7:30 AM,
we reached 4 Tottee Lane, the pickup point suggested by our tour operator Tour de Sundarbans for our two days one
night trip to the mangrove forests, Sundarbans.
Our Kolkata trip this time was
super packed and super planned.
The operator concluded basic
formalities to check bookings, payments and collected pending dues. This was
followed by a nice round of hot ginger black tea. We were then asked to board the
Tempo Traveler parked just a few meters away.
Our fellow travelers included a
couple of families, tourists from Manchester and France. Our tour guide MJ
joined us here too, right from the office.
At about 8.20 AM we were cruising through Red Road and then Ma Flyover leaving Kolkata.
We were served Veg Sandwich, freshly
prepared at the Backpackers office at Tottee lane and Bananas, on the Tempo
Travel.
After three hour's drive we
reached the land’s end. What I mean by that is motor able road ends here at Gadkhali. From here we boarded a Ferry
that took two hours and dropped us to our Eco-resort at Satjelia Village.
After we were shown into our mud
cottages we got an hour’s time to freshen up and then have lunch. The lunch was
prepared by the village women who work at the resort. It was simple and delicious with lot of home
cooked flavors. Chilly was used minimally and that worked perfectly for us.
After lunch we went on the Satjelia
Village tour on foot. It’s a very neat and clean village with a lot of friendly
and helpful villagers. We also did a walk through the embankments that were put
up by villagers to keep out salt water from entering the village, ruining crops
and flooding houses. If its low tide, then the breathing roots of the Sundari
tree (Heritiera littoralis) can
be seen closely during this walk.
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| On a voyage of discovery... |
A hand boat was waiting for us at
the Ghat. After the walk tour, we were on that boat to spend a
few hours, touring the back waters. Let me leave to your imagination how that
would be in the evening twilight – you got it right. Words are not enough to
describe moments like these.
The place is not overcrowded with
boats and tourists, hence it gives a very tranquil mood and also feels like the
entire place is yours!
We did a hand boat ride for almost
two hours and got back to the resort for some hot Beguni and ginger tea.
What followed was the highlight of
the day - amazing live folk music performance by village folks under a small “Chauni”,
surrounded by hurricane lamps. After roughly two hours of live music, it was
time for Dinner.
Although a night safari was
arranged on a hand boat – we skipped it since it was a long day and the next
day we had to start early - at six in the morning. From our group, some tourists wanted to experience
the night safari. They returned by 10:30 PM. So, I think it is doable. For us, the
music and dinner had fairly lasting impact.
The next morning after a quick shower
we were at the meeting point at 6 AM. After a steaming cup of tea, we got on to
our Ferry that will be our home for the next twelve hours. The boats are fitted
with basic toilets, so that answers what is on your mind, considering the
duration of the tour.
The ferry goes and picks up our
chefs and supplies from a nearby village island and then starts the day's sail.
We were served breakfast on board.
A government appointed guide
boarded the ferry from Sajnekhali reserve.
He would be our guide along with MJ for the entire day. Government appointed guides
are a must on each Ferry. Also for foreign
tourists, there is a permit that our guide MJ secured for the ones who traveled
with us.
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| “The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” John Muir |
The boat meanders through the
thickets of Sundarbans and takes us inside into the uninhabited reserve
forests. We spotted many wildlife - Birds, Monitor Lizard and Crocodile.
Yes - fresh pug marks of Royal
Bengal tigers too.
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| Tranquility in motion.. |
Lunch was served on board while
the cruise continued. We got off at two watch towers to take a look around
these islands (Controlled environment) - there are paths with ten feet nets and
you cannot wander outside these walkways.
The Government appointed guide was
very helpful and friendly.
Some Trivia:
Sundarbans is the largest Mangrove
Forest in the world. 60% of it is in Bangladesh and 40% in India. Total area
under India is 4000 Sq kms approximately
There are over hundred islands that
fall under India and 50-60% of these islands are inhabited by humans
As per last census Royal Bengal
Tiger count was 106 (including cubs). They move around freely between India and
Bangladesh side, so difficult to give exact count.
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| The ordinary and the extra ordinary.. |
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