Photo essay of Bali island in the Sunderbans

October 22, 2025By maverickbirdPosted in East, India, Photo Essays, Trip Photos, West Bengal

Bali Island, in the Sundarbans, is one of the best places to explore the mangrove forests of the area. It lies in the South 24 Parganas District of West Bengal in India. The forested island has 15 villages with about 37000 inhabitants. The main occupations of the Bali island residents are fishing, honey collection, farming, and shrimping. Nowadays, tourism is also becoming a major occupation for the islanders and there are some beautiful, rustic resorts in Bali. It is separated from the tiger-infested Sunderbans National Park by the Gumdi channel and a sheer netting keeps the locals safe from the tigers. Tourists and the islanders are forbidden to enter the land areas of the forest and Bali has a long history of tiger attacks. Sunderban delta tigers are strong swimmers and they are often known to cross channels to enter the human habitat.

The once tiger-infested Bali island today

Nowadays, Bali is mostly a peaceful island and the greatest danger it faces today is from the cyclones that periodically pound the Sunderban delta. It was severely affected by the cyclone Aila in 2009. A saline river broke through the island´s embankments and devastated Bali. Today, its embankments are once again in place and tourism is booming thanks to WWF and the West Bengal Forest Department. In 2018, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) started the Khadi’s Employment Drive to employ the socially ostracized ´tiger widows´ (women who lost their husbands to tiger attacks). It was a huge social initiative and today, over 150 tiger widows Khadi artisans work there. Additionally, there are many resorts, tourist guide training centers, and homestays in Bali. These institutions aim to provide alternative employment opportunities to the youth and to wean them away from their dependency on forest resources. Thus, most organized tours stop at Bali island for a brief introduction to the village life and it is a lovely place to explore. Take a look at the photo essay of this interesting Sunderban delta island.

The people of the Sunderban Delta
The Sunderban Delta

A local barber´s shop

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FAQs

What does Bali Island in the Sundarbans look like?
This Bali is a forested mangrove-fringed island in West Bengal’s Sundarbans, with 15 fishing and farming villages, rustic resorts, and a netted boundary separating it from the tiger habitat across the Gumdi channel.

What are the best photo spots on Bali Island?
Village life scenes like the local barber’s shop, the netted boundary along the Gumdi channel, and the surrounding mangrove waterways make for the most memorable photos.

What is Photo Essay of Bali Island in the Sundarbans about?
It’s a photo essay of Bali Island, a Sundarbans village island once plagued by tiger attacks, now known for its community of tiger widow artisans and growing homestay tourism.

What makes Bali Island visually striking?
The contrast between everyday village life — fishing, farming, small shops — and the ever-present, netted boundary against tiger territory just across the channel gives Bali Island a striking, layered visual story.

When is the best time to photograph Bali Island in the Sundarbans?
The cooler months from September to May offer the most comfortable conditions for exploring the island and its waterways on foot and by boat.

Can you describe what visiting Bali Island actually looks and feels like, through someone’s own eyes?
Bali Island feels like a peaceful Sundarbans village today, though its netted boundary and history of tiger attacks are a constant reminder of how close it sits to the wild mangrove forest.

What visual details make Bali Island stand out compared to other destinations?
Few island communities anywhere combine ordinary village life — barbers, farms, fishing boats — with a literal net separating residents from tiger territory just across a channel.

What’s the story behind Photo Essay of Bali Island in the Sundarbans?
It documents daily life on an island once known for frequent tiger attacks, now home to a social initiative employing over 150 “tiger widow” artisans in Khadi weaving alongside growing homestay tourism.

If I wanted to capture Bali Island well in photos, what should I focus on?
Focus on everyday village scenes — local shops, fishing boats, farming life — alongside the netted channel boundary that tells the island’s unique story of coexisting with tigers.

What impressions does Bali Island tend to leave on first-time visitors?
Most organised Sundarbans tours stop here briefly, and visitors tend to come away struck by how ordinary and peaceful village life feels despite the island’s history of tiger attacks.

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