Sunderbans trip Photo Essay
My Sunderbans trip happened twice: once with a lover and once with my family. As you can imagine, for the first time, I was very young, giddy in love, and observed absolutely nothing. It was wrong in all senses. I dressed inappropriately, behaved culturally inappropriately, and did not do justice to one of the most intriguing places in the world.
Sunderbans trip during monsoon
On my second Sunderbans trip – something that happened after nearly 18 years – I was a quieter, wiser, and more observant person. I took in the sights and sounds, the smells, and the feelings. The colours of a place that vanished and appeared twice a day were extraordinary and the heat was so intense that I felt as if I was melting. There was rain too since it was monsoon – different kinds of rains: some slanting vicious ones with drops that were as sharp as needles, some brief deluges that seemed like a waterfall from the sky; and occasionally some showers that were soft, silvery, and floating. These were accompanied by winds of different strengths, thunder, and lightning and once again I was struck by the magical colours of the place.
The colours of the delta
These colours were volatile, brilliant, and multi-hued. There were the emerald and neon green of the forests; the most gorgeous sea-green of the water, and a sort of grayish gold of the mud banks. Then were browns of the mangrove shoots, of the sturdy bodies of the locals of the ´matir desh´ (as Sunderbans is locally known), and their simple houses. The skies were always dramatic, irrespective of whether they were powder blue or a brooding steel grey and we even had an amazing sunset as well as a rainbow.
Sights of our Sunderbans trip
During our Sunderbans trip, we saw boats of all kinds. Large beached boats – their wooden hulks lying on the banks like whales, boats ferrying people, animals, and goods; islands inhabited by people and others that were homes to animals; and strange, vast river confluences called mohonas. Nature ran wild there (pun intended). We saw multi-coloured crabs scurrying into holes in the mud, strange-looking flowers of brilliant hues, golden arrow-like deers, and as luck would have it, even a tiger. It padded out from one of the hundreds of small islands that dot the delta, looked left and right, and swam across the narrow creek to the other island – just like that and we watched in awe, holding our breaths. All this happened in just 3 days and 2 nights.
The pleasure of a guided group cruise
For the first time, I left my prejudice against mass tourism aside and was on a guided group Sunderbans trip. It was nice to have someone else be in charge of the travel arrangements and it was a pleasant (and inexpensive) experience. Our company was a mixed bag, the facilities were excellent and the food was amazing. I ate my favourite Bengali dishes, relaxed, read, spent quiet time with my mother, and took in my surroundings. Overall, I enjoyed myself very much. Here is a photo essay of the Sunderbans trip. These are guaranteed to make you want to pack your bags and leave.
Follow the rest of the West Bengal series
- KOLKATA FUN FACTS
- JHARGRAM: RED EARTH COUNTRY
- WORKERS OF KOLKATA AND THEIR JOBS
- CALCUTTA LOVES TO READ: A PHOTO ESSAY
- KOLKATA PHOTO ESSAY
- POSTCARDS FROM FROM OUR DARJEELING TRIP
- THIS IS MY CALCUTTA
- PURULIA CHHAU MASK DANCE
RESPONSIBLE TRAVELING-BECAUSE I CARE
FAQs
What does the Sundarbans look like?
The Sundarbans is a maze of mangrove-lined waterways, dramatic skies, wooden fishing boats, and wide river confluences called mohonas, dotted with hundreds of small islands.
What are the best photo spots in the Sundarbans?
The boat jetty at Godkhali, the mangrove-fringed river channels, and the wide mohonas where rivers meet all make for striking photo spots, especially at sunset.
What is Sunderbans Trip Photo Essay about?
It’s a photo essay from a monsoon-season boat trip through the Sundarbans, capturing its shifting colours, wildlife, and even a rare tiger sighting swimming between islands.
What makes the Sundarbans visually striking?
The interplay of dramatic monsoon skies, brown mangrove shoots, multi-coloured crabs, and a landscape that visibly appears and disappears with the tides makes the Sundarbans visually unlike anywhere else.
When is the best time to photograph the Sundarbans?
Monsoon season brings dramatic skies, rain and even rainbows, offering a moodier, more atmospheric look than drier months, though it comes with intense heat and humidity.
Can you describe what visiting the Sundarbans actually looks and feels like, through someone’s own eyes?
A guided boat cruise through the Sundarbans feels immersive — intense heat, sudden monsoon rain, and long stretches of mangrove waterways, occasionally interrupted by extraordinary sightings like a tiger swimming between islands.
What visual details make the Sundarbans stand out compared to other destinations?
Few places offer a landscape that physically appears and vanishes twice a day with the tides, alongside wildlife encounters as rare as a tiger swimming across open water.
What’s the story behind Sunderbans Trip Photo Essay?
It follows a return trip to the Sundarbans nearly two decades after a first, inattentive visit — this time taken slowly and observantly during monsoon season.
If I wanted to capture the Sundarbans well in photos, what should I focus on?
Focus on the dramatic monsoon skies, the wooden boats and mangrove-lined banks, and be ready for unpredictable wildlife moments, since a tiger sighting can happen without warning.
What impressions does the Sundarbans tend to leave on first-time visitors?
For a patient, observant visitor, the Sundarbans leaves a lasting impression of a landscape in constant motion — where tides, weather and wildlife make every hour look different.
