The Sundarban or the Amazon Valley of India is a land of majesty and beauty. This place gets it’s name from the ubiquitous Sundari tree. Sundarban is formed by the confluence of three rivers namely the Ganges, Meghana, and Brahmaputra. Sundarban is also known as the world’s largest delta on the Ganges. Being the single largest block in the world, Sundarban has the distinction of being a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Covering an area of ​​around 26,000 sq. km including India and Bangladesh. In 1878 Sundarban was declared a reserved forest. It was declared a protected forest in 1928 and was among the first nine tiger reserves declared in 1973. It became a wildlife sanctuary in 1977 and was declared a national park on May 4, 1984. Hence, Sundarban is a beautiful tourist place in India because of the availability of mangrove forests, wild animals, rivers, more than 500 species of birds, reptiles, and many more. So, the Sundarban tour is one of the most demandable tour packages in India now.
Nature of Sundarban region:
While home to the world’s largest and most unique mangrove ecosystem, the Sundarbans is the home to one of India’s most iconic wildlife species, the Royal Bengal Tiger. The Royal Bengal tigers have developed a unique ability to swim in salt water. There is an opportunity in Sundarban for making it the largest estuarine forest on earth, accessible only by boat. Sundarban forest is a freshwater forest. Every 12 hours, high tide here submerges the mango groves spread on both sides of the water channel network. At low tide, an expanse of exposed mud flats can be seen. Behind the Sundarbans mangroves, the freshwater eco-region is the area that gets refreshed during the rainy season. It may not be the best place for whale watching due to the hostile environment but it provides the perfect setting for nature lovers, as it is a complete biosphere reserve where they can pursue animal and bird watching. It has unique nature for the area of Sundarban and it’s wild animals and birds.
Flora and fauna:
It is a unique type of mangrove tree, one of the finest varieties found in the region. The unique feature of these trees is that they produce spikes, which grow above the ground. During the monsoons when the forest is watered, these spikes rise into the air and aid in respiration. Although the forest mainly consists of mangrove trees, it also has some other species of plants. The Sundarbans have around 64 mangrove species that are suitable for living in estuarine conditions and brackish waters that occur under tidal influence.
It is not only the Royal Bengal Tiger but also more than 150 species of fish, 8 species of amphibians 42 species of animals, 270 species of birds, and 35 species of reptiles are also found here. Rich wildlife is able to thrive in the forest thanks to the unique ecosystem. Endangered species living within the Sundarbans are the Royal Bengal tiger, olive riddle turtle, Gangetic dolphin, ground turtle, saltwater crocodile, estuarine crocodile, river terrapin, hawksbill turtle, and mangrove horse crab. Cat, fishing cat, jungle cat, pangolin, macaque, Indian gravy mongoose, fox, flying crocodile, and Hiatal. (spotted deer), reptiles such as Russell's snake, rat snake, dog-faced water snake, monitor lizard, chameleon, king cobra, python, and common krait or other animals are found here.
The weather of Sundarbans:
The climate of Sundarbans is generally pleasant with not very hot or cold climate. The average temperature of Sundarbans is between 20°C and 34° C. The weather is mostly moist with the continuous flow of moist air from the Bay of Bengal. Due to its proximity to the sea, a cool sea breeze blows at night and thus the temperature is pleasant throughout the day.
If you look at other parts of India, they will have completely different climates as compared to Sundarban. That place has either hotter or cold climates. Sundarban is a place where wild animals and birds like to live because of it’s a suitable environment. Therefore, most of the birds and wild animals can be found here from the different region of the world.