Sunderban

@praveenkm- Here you go.Information about Sunderban.Let me know if you need any other information or not.

For a boat ride through the Sunderbans outside the sanctuary area you don’t need a permit but permits are necessary to visit the estuarine delta area. These permits will help you to visit the Sajnekhali Wildlife Sanctuary and the Project Tiger reserve areas within Sunderbans.

Contact: Field Director,Sunderbans TR
Canning PO,24 Parganas
West Bengal
Tel:03218-241930

From Kolkata ride till Basanti or Sonakhali located near the Matla river. From here take the boat to Sajnekhali(Takes roughly 2 hrs). This is the entry point to the sanctuary where you pay the entry fee & collect the permit. The core area is of the Tiger reserve is closed to tourists. Dhamakhali is the point from where you board the launch to enter the Burirdabri Eco-Tourism Complex (has a watchtower to have a look at the surrounding & the elusive Royal Bengal Tiger) . Namkhana is the point to visit the Bhagabatpur Crocodile Breeding Centre.

You can hire a personal motorboat for traveling and this can cost between 2k-4k.

Hi Praveen..... no words bro..... keep on going, because ROAD never ends

RIDE SAFE

Thanks Abhimanyu. I read your whole ride log on the Advrider and Your ride is also part of my inspiration to get on this ride
And hope that i can last as long.


Thanks for all the info Gourav. Thats a lot helpful info. The only factor is where can i safely keep my bike at basanti. Did not know about Crocadile hatchery when i passes through Namkhana couple of days back. Will see if i can see it this time.

sam_da_biker: Thanks man.

it is very difficult to say about any secure point where you can park your bike at gosaba or near sundarban.as we generaly go by boat or launch. And sorry myself also dont know much about sundarban.

amazing....going through the trip log .Make sure you have proper information about the places you travel in the northeast as they are not the safest places to ride.

As far as I know there are no safe place to keep bike at Basanti.Try Help Tourism's number(0353-2535893).They might be of some help to you.

Else take a bus to Basanti.They are the fastest means of transport in Bengal.

man....what a ride.......phew.......hats off brother.......will you be in Kolkata in this coming weekend? hope we can meet up.........

btw how did the vip showroom handle ur bike? back to proper configuration?

congrats again brother for this awesome ride u r going.......

ride on.............

Just read your trip logs Praveen...Awesome man! You are THE TOURER!!!!

The Zma is now a complete tourer with those panniers.

P.S:If you come down to Chennai in this ride of yours please inform me

Thanks steve. will do so.

MG: thanks for the number, but tried calling in wain but any way went there and came

Vathishankar: Thanks man. I will be leaving to siligurui tomm. So cant be here the weekend. Vilini motors at VIP road did a very good service. Took special interest knowing about the ride. The Boxes got people curious like hell.

Thnaks Manoj. Dont think i will be coming to chennai. But can always meet on the road some time

Having to struggle a lot with the tata Indicom and so do not have the net easily. So just updating one day on the way to sunderbans.

Link for the GPS trail.
March25 - EveryTrail

123 KMs

It was time to be on the move again. Decided on hitting sunderbans with still lot of doubts. But some how wanted to go with bike. But since i was carrying bare minimum things, the panniers would have been only hindrance especially with impending boat rides. So i removed the panniers for this sub ride. Hope i can fit it back as strong as before.

Got going by 10 am and out of Kolkata i expected alot of rural traffic. Inquired my way towards Basanti. One person said i have to spell it properly like "Baashonthi" else nobody will understand if i say basanti! Got the road and there was less traffic than expected. Ride through the rural WestBengal once again. But this area seems less populated with lot bettor roads. People also seemed vella compared to the previous areas i visited. It soon became a good ride in the country side with good roads and greenery around. Passed by many fish farms and brick production units. All the while inquiring if i can take the bike all the way to Sajnekhali, got couple of good affirmations and while others discouraged. Any way i wanted to take the bike till the last possible point. All the while making up my mind how ever be the boat ride will take the bike.

Soon i entered Basanti and asked my way till the boats for Gosaba. Man this jetti had steps with steep small incline in the center!. The more i seem to get ready for the much more it gets tricky and tough. I stand there like an idiot with a huge bike not knowing if i will cross the water and if not then what? go back of put the bike in some hotel in Gosoba or trust some 1. By then people had accumulated for the arriving boat. People say ya ya the bike can go get it till the boat. I was too apprehensive to take the bike down. By now an youth was interacting with me. Slowly he started saying about he lost some money and started sharing his problems with me. That got me uncomfortable for which i politely ignored and said things will get bettor and that i would not be able to give him a lift and instead will give him few bux he is feeling short of to get home.

Any way the youth took the bike's handle and slowly rolled down the bike along with the boat mans help. And before i realized the bike was on the boat! Man now there is no turning back. Spend a nervous 15 mins to get across the water and this time i managed to get the bike up not so steep ramps. Now i am off towards sajnekhali. Here no four wheelers ply on the island. all the roads are just some 5 feet wide, but still neat. Ride for some 20 mins in the small roads which even had an arrow stright section. Finally cam to Pakhirala and asked to boat man to take me and my bike to the Sajnekhali for which was impossible. One there was not ramp on the steps. The Sajnekhali island has just the tourist lodge right on the edge. Now i had to leave the bike somewhere there. The boat man had hotel near by and said i can park there and stay. Conveyed my intentions to stay at sajnekhali and requested to watch over my bike. Then catch the boat to Sajnekhali. If the bike aint there at the hotel when i go back then guess the ride is over!

Though i had no booking, get a room as out of 40 odd room mine was only the third! Was 3.30 am and no boating possible today it seems. Any way settle down in the room or just out side the room as it was hot hot hot hot. And electricity is only from 6PM to 6AM. The campus is awesome with fence around the non water edges to prevent tiger from entering! After the fence its just the raw mangrove forest. Tomm will be going for a full day boat ride. Laze the rest of the day around the campus. Spend some time on the watch tower at the rear staring at the mangrove forest for miles and miles ahead. Gotta get up early tomm.

Nice roads towards Basanti



Lot of brick manufacturing establishments...


And fish culturing...



Cant believe the load on the boat!


Riding throught the West bengal villages




The great water crossing!


Dizzing incline to move the bike!


Catch some mud skippers while i wait for the boat.


This guy was not really leaving the bike. Intent on getting a lift. Helped him by 20 bux and politely told him i would not take him along!


Narrow roads in Gosaba island...


Narrow and arrow straigt!



Trust my bike here at pakhirala... cant take the bike further any more...


Then i catch a boat to hop to the sajnekhali island...



The rooms in a row...


the dorms..


My wooden room.


Boy was it hot. Power/Fan available only from 6pm to 6am!


Some evening photography...




btw i cam back from sunderbans today and will be heading to siliguri tomm. Hope net connection is bettor there.

Day 19 - Sunderbans boat ride

Boat ride trail
March26 - EveryTrail


Quite a disturbing sleep due to the heat. Wake up early and go straight to the watch tower at the back of the campus. Mangrove forest is pretty strange with nothing but soft clay on the floor and tall bushes or short trees of around the same height. Its the same for miles and miles. The campus is fenced and many times Tiger has been spotted around the campus.

After breakfast my boat man arrives and we get done with the formalities of forest office permission for me, the boat man and a guide. We sail to pakhirala to get stuff so that food can be prepared on the boat. By the time we actually start its 9.30 and temperature picking up really fast. The guide Subhendu starts of with a lot of gyan about the place. All in Bengali! good that i can understand bengali. Lot of negotiations to enter the core areas yielded no result. Even with further prompts i was politely declined. The Tide is going up and water is almost at the tree level. Not very convenient factors for Wildlife spotting. We start of with some with some wind which created waves and rocked a boat a bit. The boat man bit concerned tough not worried. It soon starts rain lightly! Looked like a very bad day to be out there. Later the weather improves. Thanks to the rain its bit cool and also cloudy for the rest of the day. Could see the water level residing.

Then on we sail towards Dobanki and it got pretty boring for a while. I was having short naps sitting on the watch! Cos there was nothing but water and bushes. Reached Dobanki by lunch time and walked on the canopy walk to the watch tower. It was pretty hot and no praises to guess that could not spot anything. Have lunch at the boat. They take a lil narrower route on the way back. Now that the water level had reseaded quite a bit could see the land and raised the interests. Interesting formation of the soft clay leading up to the bushes. Nothing much say about that but it was awesome sailing slowly on the canals between islands.

Reached Sadhanukhali again for an evening try and see that water level has reseeded like more than 20 feet compared to when we had come in the morning. And i thought it would hardly be 3-4 feet. This time the weather is good and it is good time for spotting says the guide. Sure enough we spotted the spotted dear from the observation tower, along with wild bores. Spend a good one hour and no luck so it was time to head back. Sighting or no sighting, the evening was truly amazing and enjoyed every bit of it. The Guide told me a couple of stories of the way he has seen tiger and some incidents. Even heard one had been inside the tourist campus a couple of days back!

Any way leaving sunderbans tomm to calcutta. Hope that the bike is still there where i left it and again hope that i would be able to get the bike up the steep jetti at Gasoba.

Solar panels at the Sajnekhali resort.



Staring at the Mangrove forest..



Thats my boat...


Kitchen cum Engine room.




Going to SudhanaKhali watch tower.



Some land has been cleared so that viewers can see the animals...




With high tide, nothing but water and bushes.



Rain man!




With receding water level can now see some land..













If not the big cats how about the small cats...



Any forest spotted dear can be easily spotted! This one swam across the river..



Water going down and more land showing up...


Thats me, Karthik the boat man and Shubendu the Guide...


Tiger foot prints...






Saw pug marks and wanted to turn the boat around to go back. It kinda got stuck on the bank. The guys were really worried that if a tiger was around it would jump on the boat!


The pub marks hardly a day old. Cos the marks gets washed away in couple of tides.



At Shudhanakhali view point again...



Wild friends. When ever the deer reached for the leaves the monkey used to push down the branch. Else the deer could not have reached it! Have a VDO of it will try to upload.


Awesome evening at Sunderbans...

Hey Praveen,
You are really having a trip of a lifetime.
It is not easy to do Kolkata - Siliguri in a day. I mean it is possible but the Road condition is pretty bad. Hope you are taking NH34.
Have a safe journey.

very nice pics.how different is thexperience in sundarbans when you compare it to national parks in the south like Mudhumalai /Wayanad or B.R Hills.

nice pic and description there praveen,keep on posting them and enjoy the cold now.
How much did the boat and guide costed?

Day 19 - Sajnekhali to Kolkata

@Jonak: The trip has been good so far. Thought of stopping at Malda or something if roads got tough but in general 95% of the road was very good. Most of the roads are newly laid. Made it in 13 hours. Would have been lil earlier if the there was no short rain near siliguri. The Main discouraging factor is the ever present deadly traffic!. yes it was NH34 till Dhalkola and then the 4 laner towards siliguri. Ofcourse its broken at places.

@Steve: Mangrove forests is completely different compared to other national parks. The water level rises and drops by 20-25 twice in a day along with tides. In high tide u see only water and bushes above it and in low tide u can see the soft clay land. U cant even walk on it our foot will sink, even if thats ok there are hidden sharp roots of bushes which we cant see. It looks totally aliean landscape.

@nabendu: Thanks man. It cost me a bomb! Boat ride to Dobanki was 1600rs. Guide fees 130. Boat permission 150. Food and preparations charges 200. The thing is the cost is per boat. Which can accomodate 25 people and still the price will be 1600!. And there are no small boats. Its very expensive if go alone or in small numbers.

continuing with the ride...

GPS Trail...
March27 - EveryTrail

Trip meter so far 3382

Got up lazily as i had nothing to do but get myself to calcutta. Cos any more boat ride and it would set me back too much in money. Also had two worries. Weather my bike will be there and if its there, how do i get it up the steep ramp at Gosaba.

Was also not feeling well, with whole night sleep i was feeling weak and felt like resting for more time. But knew once on bike i would be alright and riding heals!. Have got on to the bike before in much bad shape and few mins into riding i felt fine .

Go the watch tower behind the hotel for one last look at the Sunderbans. Its just forest just outside the fence. Have a lazy breakfast, collect myself and check out the room. The care takers wish me luck for my further trip. I had let them know that i am on a big bike trip. I get to the gate and the Subhendu, my previous boat ride guied was there and he announced about my ride to near by people. The same old curious questions to which i answered politely. After hearing all the tiger stories of Sunderbans, may i left a story about a crazy guy who came in bike all the way from bangalore to pakhirala, blew some money alone on a boat ride and left! Cos the previous day by the time our boat reached the SudhanaKhali watch tower, a boat man near by had already heard my story!

Bid farewell for the cheerful crowd waited for my boat to Pakhirala. Got there a bit nervous and when i went to the Apanjan hotel, yeppie my bike is still standing there. Though i was assured by many people that bike would be safe but still it was at the mercy of strangers for 2 days. Gave the owner 150 bux though he might not have expected as much. But had requested me to stay in his hotel for a day. Any way again the same announcement about my ride and the owner was taking pride in saying that my bike was at his place. Shook hands with him and went towards other side of Gosaba for the impending boat ride! With people who rarely spot motorcycle on the island they see a black 'new model' bike with black attaired rider and were surprised like hell. Caught up with the donation collection boys whome i had met the other day. They were over joyed to see me hehe. shook hands with me and told me to come again.

Now i maneuver through the narrow streets and present myself at the boat ghat, where there was a boat already full of people. I was told to put bike in now itself. The boat man sterny says 25 Rs it will be, expecting my disapproval, but i am like anything boss just get my bike on the other side! Thanks to the high tide, the boat at the top most step. Not much man power, and i had to spend my limited muscular resources! With a couple of scares of falling into water bike was in the midst of overcrowd boat and i sat on the boat with my feet anchoring the bike to compensate the sways. Again i was the talk of the boat.

Reached the other side and scare came alive. Though it was high tide, the topmost and steep ramp of 6-7 steps had to be climbed. No sooner did the boat stop and people got off the next batch of people wanted to get in. Managed to turn around the bike on the boat just before people hurried in to secure their seat on the boats edges. Got the bike of the boat. Could understand their difficult cos 1) the bike is heavy and 2) there is nothing to hold. Was afraid that they might use plastic or the box mounts for the lifting. But the patient boat men listened to me as to where to lift. pointed them at the swing arm and front tire.
Now i had to put the bike in gear and manage the drive up. Since it was too steep at one point the bike stood on engine! Somehow managed to get it up and breathed a sigh relief. Yeppie back on the main land.

Then on it was pretty comfortable ride till calcutta. Lot of empty stretches of road. Since the bike did not have boxes and luggage, handled really well. Once i get o cal the boxes will be on. So made use of this ride to do some spirited riding and ripping. Get into cal by 1.30pm and then it was some traffic surfing and to my friend's place. Tiger or not the Sunderbans trip was awesome the landscape very unique and the experience was great.

Off to Siliguri tomm. Its going to be hard to make it in a day but thinking of giving it a run. After hot beaches, its time for cold mountains....


one last look at the Mangrove forest..




Waiting for my boat to pakhirala wondering if my bike is still there...


Fellow island hoppers...



Hurray the bike is still there...



with one worry over i ride through the picturesque gosaba island thinking about the impending boat ride...



ride through gosaba streets..


On the boat and center of attraction...


Oh man that incline...


Boy am i glad to be on the main land rubber side down!



Ride through the villages near basanti


Curious kids...


who needs expensive theme parks


Rare empty road towards Kolkata


Before i put back the panniers. This is how i am carrying the spare rear sprocket!

@praveen:its not their fault,even after reading so many pages in xBhp i cannot even dream of doing kolkata-bangalore and you have completed that.after visiting so many places now you are heading towards north.