Package Overview
Package Inclusions:
- Escorted Surface transfers by Non air conditioned car
- Cruises and river transfers by motorized boat
- Stay at the Resort
- All the meals
- Country boat rides
- Naturalist
- Escort
- Guided village tour, Bird and Village Walk
- Jungle entrance fees
- Services of our local guide cum naturalist.
Package Exclusions:
- Any Airfare
- Kolkata Accommodation,
- Cultural Programme, local cultural show (Dukhe Yatra or Bonobibi Yatra) can be experienced in the evening on payment of INR 1800 for a 1.5 hours show in full costume and with concert and any expenses not mentioned in the "Cost includes" section.
- Camera fees, Portarage, Tips & Gratuity and Mineral/soft/hard drinks
- Applicable Peak Season, Christmas, New year surcharges
- Items of Personal Nature
- Travel Insurance
- Anything not mentioned above
Itinerary
Suggested Itinerary
Day 01:
Pick-up from Kolkata Hotel/ Airport / Rly Station and drive to Sonakhali jetty (110 kms 2 ½ hrs) through beautiful countryside’s, rural bazaar with stopovers at Local Tea shop and Fishermen’s' villages.
12.30 P.M: On arrive check-in to your Resort.
13.00 P.M: Hot lunch followed by 3 hours birding and game cruise to Sudhanyakhali watch tower through creeks and canals.
17.30 P.M:Back to Resort by evening.
19.30 P.M: Dinner and overnight halt.
Day 02:
7.00 A.M: Morning tea.
7.30 A.M: Breakfast
8.00 A.M: Fullday game cruise and birding tour to Netidhopani watch tower (Subject to weather permitting the same). Lunch will be served on board.
17.00 P.M: Back to Camp. Evening experience the local Rural theatre (Bonobibi Yatra) performed by the villagers. The theatre tells interesting story about the Tiger Lord, Forest God and Goddess, fishermen and honey collectors with lot of songs and dances.
19.30 P.M: Dinner and overnight halt.
Day 03:
7.00 A.M: Morning tea.
7.30 A.M: Breakfast
8.00 A.M: Guided Village Walk in which participants are encouraged to have a close interaction and interesting encounters with the local villagers and their lifestyle, Local craft and cuisines, Indigenous farming and household equipments used by the villagers.
8.45 A.M: Guided adventure cruise by manually-oared country boat followed by a short cruise to DoBanki watch tower to enjoy a small canopy walk.
12.00 Noon: Back to Resort. Lunch and proceed to Sonakhali.
15.00 P.M: Arrive at Sonakhali and transfer to Kolkata by car.
Hotel Details
Hotel Details
- Sunderbans : Cruises Accommodation
Destination
Sunderbans-The Land of The Royals!
Where the land meets the sea at the southern tip of West Bengal lies the Indian Sunderbans, a stretch of impenetrable mangrove forest of great size and bio-diversity. A UNESCO World Heritage Site (awarded in ’97) , the Sunderbans is a vast area covering 4264 square kms in India alone, with a larger portion in Bangladesh. 2585 sq. kms of the Indian Sunderbans forms the largest Tiger Reserve and National Park in India.
The Sunderbans are a part of the world's largest delta formed by the rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna. Situated on the lower end of the Gangetic West Bengal, 22.00° N – 89.00° E, it is also the world’s largest estuarine forest. 70% of the area is under saline water and the area is criss-crossed by hundreds of creeks and tributaries. It is difficult to approach and even more difficult to spend time in. But for those who dare, it must be one of the most attractive and alluring places remaining on earth.
In a landscape dominated by great tidal creeks and waterways, the only way to access and enjoy the area is on motorized boats which come in various sizes and shapes. Sunderbans is the home of man eating tigers, estuarine crocodiles, sharks and snakes. Man fights for survival in great numbers by living off nature's bounty by accepting and fighting against these odds. The visitor has no choice but to stay within limits and out of trouble. This means that there is very little conventional bird or game watching, more observations from water. But the dark and foreboding attractiveness of the mangroves also hides some of the most sought after birds and animals in the world and a chance encounter with a Swamp Partridge, a Brown-winged Kingfisher, a Grey Headed Lapwing, a Pallas's Fish Eagle, a Lesser Adjutant or maybe a Mangrove Whistler is always a possibility ~ as is the unforgettable sight of the most secretive great cat in the world.
Tiger sighting is difficult not just because of the terrain but also because the density is not evident from the limited view one gets from a boat. The fringes of Sunderbans play host to many local endemics and the visitor is well advised to spend time on land outside the core area before venturing into the heart of the National Park. Once inside the Park, the only access to land is at the various Watchtowers you can visit. Remember that the watchtowers are inside wire cages and do not allow you to stroll in tiger-land.
Seasons:
Round the year.
Climate:
October to February- Cold and temperate, March to May-Hot and humid
June to September- Wet and windy. Monsoon cruises are spectacular.
Special Interest:
Botany, Ornithology and Ethno-zoology: 180 species of birds including 6 species of Kingfishers, Raptors, Waders, Migratory birds and ducks, Herons and Storks. Other than some 270 legendary Bengal Tigers and Spotted Deers and Wild Bores Sunderbans also boasts of the Largest Estuarine crocodiles, Rhesus monkeys, Water monitors, Reptiles and Amphibians, Turtles and Dolphins. The honey collectors and Fishermen of the land of "HUNGRY TIDE".
Sunderbans is mysterious, unpredictable, instilling, vast, untamable~Perhaps, the last true wild frontier remaining on our planet Earth.
Must in Travel Kit:
- Binocular
- Bird book
- Small Torch
- Stock of film rolls and batteries
- Personal medication
- Sun cap
- Pair of earth color trousers/shirts
Photo Gallery
Sunderbans Photo Gallery
Rates and Dates
Booking Condition
- A non - refundable deposit of 25% of total tour cost to initiate a booking if travel date is more than 30 days from the date of booking.
- Photocopies of the passport
Cancellation Policy
- Prior to 30 days or more: Non – refundable deposit (25%of the total package)
- Between 29 - 20 days of departure: Non – refundable deposit + 25% of the Holiday Cost
- Between 19 - 14 days of departure: Non – refundable deposit + 50% of the Holiday Cost
- Between 13 - 08 days of departure: Non – refundable deposit + 75% of the Holiday Cost
- Prior to 7 days of the departure: 100% of the Holiday Cost
Note: If the entire tour is cancelled after ticket issuance then there would be 100% cancellation for airfare (base fare). Only taxes will be returned and for land 75% cancellation.
Terms & Conditions
- Standard check in time & check out time is 1400hrs and 1200hrs respectively unless specified otherwise. Requests for early check in or late check out is subject to availability in hotel. Request for guaranteed early check in requires room to be reserved from the night prior to guest’s arrival which will be charged accordingly over and above the agreed rates.
- Breakfast served in hotel would be on international menu clubbed with some Indian dishes.
- Colorful Vacations Pvt. Ltd. will process visa application for the group and will require the specified list of supporting documents for the same as per embassy regulations. However, Embassy reserves the right to grant the visa as Colorful Vacations Pvt. Ltd. will only act as a facilitator.
- Final day wise itinerary can only be modified by Colorful Vacations Pvt. Ltd. to accommodate all cost inclusions and commitments by Colorful Vacations Pvt. Ltd. in best possible way.
- It is advisable to carry at least USD 500 (or any applicable equivalent currency) per person for personal usage during the package depending on the cost inclusions. Immigration authorities might demand to show minimum USD 500 at the time of immigration from Indian nationals.
- Price quoted by Colorful Vacations Pvt. Ltd. is based on current rate of exchange, and reserves the right to amend these prices in case of any currency fluctuations and changes in various rates of exchange.
Payment Policy
- Full payment is required on confirmation of all services and before departure.
