By Tour De Sundarbans | 10 min read
If you are planning a Sundarban tour for foreigners in your group, or you are an NRI flying home for a break, this page is for the questions your family asks on WhatsApp. About permits, passports, food, comfort and what the days feel like.
The Sundarbans rewards international visitors well. It also has a few quirks that city travel never prepares you for. Here is both sides of it.
Why the Sundarbans earns the trip
This is the largest mangrove forest on earth and a UNESCO World Heritage site. You search for tigers from a boat, drifting through tidal creeks where the forest grows out of the water.
The Sundarban tiger swims between islands. It hunts in cover too dense to see into. That is why honest operators never promise a sighting.
What you are almost sure to see is plenty. Crocodiles on the mudflats. Deer and wild boar at the water’s edge. Seven kinds of kingfisher. Then the human side. Villages of honey collectors and fishing families. And the Bonobibi Pala, the folk play about the forest goddess and the tiger deity, staged in the evening where you sleep.
If this is the kind of trip you had in mind, the tour packages page shows how the day trips and multi-day safaris compare.
What changes on a foreign passport
This is the one place where your trip differs from a domestic traveller’s.
Item | Indian passport holders | Foreign passport holders (including NRIs on a foreign passport) |
Forest entry permits | Arranged by us, included in the package | Arranged by us, same process |
Permit fees | Included in the package | Charged separately at rates set by the Tiger Reserve |
Permit lead time | A few days is usually enough | Permits need lead time, so confirm dates earlier |
Everything else | Boats, guides, stay, meals | Identical |
The fees for non-Indian passport holders are set by the forest authority, not by us. They sit outside the tour cost as a separate line. Tell us at the enquiry stage which passports your group travels on. We will build the permit time into your plan.
Tell us which passports your group travels on and when you can come. We will map out the permit side for you. WhatsApp +91 98361 77140.
Getting from Kolkata to the boats
Every one of our Sundarban tour packages from Kolkata starts with this same overland run to the water.
We leave our Kolkata office at 8:00 am. A second pickup at Science City at 9:00 can be arranged. The drive to Godkhali, the last road point, takes about three and a half hours. From there it is water only. The boat leg takes one and a half to three hours, depending on the tide.
This is a real travel day. Do not plan a late arrival and a sunrise start.
Where you sleep and what you eat
You sleep at our eco village on Satjelia island. The cottages are built from earth, bamboo and hay by the people who live here. Every cottage has an attached washroom with running water.
There are three tiers. The basic cottage has a fan and hot water in buckets. The deluxe adds air conditioning. The premium organic is the pick for couples and photographers, with better mattresses after long days on the boat. From November to February a fan is fine. From March, take air conditioning.
Meals are cooked on site, with a vegetarian or non-vegetarian choice at every meal. A typical lunch is rice, dal, three vegetables, papad, chutney, salad and fish curry. Vegetarian groups can be catered for in full with notice.
Honest notes before you book
We would rather set expectations now than manage disappointment later. Please check our first-timer’s guide.
Mobile signal on the islands is patchy and power can drop. Bring a power bank. Download your documents offline. Tell people at home you will be slow to reply.
On tigers, the honest word is this. Nobody can guarantee a sighting here. It depends on hours on the water, across different zones and tides. If the tiger is the reason for the trip, give the forest more days rather than more comfort.
Days are long. A one day trip runs to about fifteen hours door to door. The good light is around 6:30 am and again near 5 pm.
A simple planning checklist
When | What to do |
8 to 10 weeks before | Tell us your dates, group size, cottage choice and passports |
6 to 8 weeks before | Confirm the booking so the permit lead time is comfortable |
2 weeks before | Share final ID details, dietary needs and arrival plans |
The week before | Pack cotton clothes, sunscreen, repellent, a hat, binoculars and a power bank |
The day before | Check your pickup point. Overnight guests leave at 8:00 AM from our Kolkata office |
The Sundarban tour for foreigners, in short
The Sundarban tour for foreigners runs on the same rails as every other trip here. One extra step: permit fees are separate on a foreign passport, and they need lead time.
Everything else is the same trip. Boats with washrooms and kitchens. Local guides who read the tide charts before the plan. The eco village. Home cooked food. The folk play in the evening.
If that sounds right, look at the tour packages page and pick by how many days you can give the forest. Then send your dates and passport details at https://tourdesundarbans.com/contact-us/. We will handle the paperwork from there.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sunderban worth visiting? Yes, and more so if you have already seen India’s cities and land-based tiger reserves. The Sundarbans is a water world. A boat-based wildlife trip, a UNESCO World Heritage mangrove forest, and a working delta with its own food and folk culture.
How many days are enough for Sundarban? Give it at least two nights. One day from Kolkata is possible but long. Two nights and three days gives you a full safari day plus the good hours at both ends. If a tiger is your priority, take the three night format.
How to plan a trip to Sundarbans? Pick your window and how many days you can spare. Then let the operator handle the rest. For foreign passports the one priority is time. Share dates and passport details early so the permits are comfortable.
Is it safe to visit Sundarban now? Yes. Boats stay on permitted routes set by the authority. Every boat carries an escort guide and has covered decks, a washroom and a kitchen. The practical issues are sun, mosquitoes and long boat hours. Tell people at home you will be slow to reply. Check our safety guide.
Can we spot tigers in Sundarban? Possibly, and honestly, not probably. Sightings are rare on any single safari and are never guaranteed. More hours on the water across different zones and tides is what helps. Crocodiles, deer, wild boar and birds are the reliable sightings.
admin
