Air:
Fly to Kolkata by Indian Airlines, Alliance Air, Jet or Sahara. The city is well connected to all major airports in the country. Being an international airport, flights come in from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar and various destinations in East and Southeast Asia and Europe. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport is located at Dum Dum, 20 km from the city center.

Rail:

Port Canning is the nearest station, 48 km southeast of Kolkata.
Kolkata has two main railway stations - Howrah and Sealdah. Howrah is the busier of the two and is easily accessible from all over the city; Sealdah services the northeastern zone. Rajdhani Express, Poorva Express and Kalka Mail connect Delhi to Kolkata. Madras Mail and Coromandel Express connect Chennai to Kolkata. Gitanjali Express and Mumbai Mail leave Mumbai daily for Kolkata. Darjeeling Mail plies to New Jalpaiguri from the Sealdah Railway Station. Sealdah and Howrah are 6 kms and 3 kms respectively from the West Bengal Tourism at BBD Bag.

Road:
By car: HCSTC (Calcutta State Transport Corporation), NBSTC (North Bengal State Transport Corporation) and SBSTC (South Bengal State Transport Corporation) run buses from all parts of the state to Kolkata. Bhutan (Phuntsholing) has a bus service via Siliguri to the metro. The State Transport Bus Stand is located in Esplanade.

The West Bengal Tourism Office is easily accessible from Esplanade that is well connected to the rest of the city.

Basanti (100 km) is well connected to Kolkata by both standard and deluxe buses. West Bengal Tourism operates buses from the Tourism Office in BBD Bag. However, the interior of the sanctuary can only be accessed by riverine waterways.

Other connections are from Kolkata to Namkhana (105 km), Sonakhali (100 km), Najat (92 km), Raidighi (76 km) and Canning (64 km), from where motor launch services are available for Sunderbans.

The dreary buses lined up outside the West Bengal Tourism Office in Kolkata in no way reflect the excitement and adventure involved in a river cruise and that too, one traversing the backwaters of the mystical Sunderbans. Sitting in the bus clutching a packed breakfast as the dusty city of Kolkata flashes past, each kilometre brings you closer to the rippling water and the lush forests. A brief stop to stretch the legs and then onwards, passing quaint villages where thatched huts and lotus ponds make a pretty picture.

Finally the bus reaches Basanti and a short walk through the crowded village brings you to the jetty. The steep steps down to the water and then the precarious climb up a plank to the launch is what sets the mood for the cruise of a lifetime.

There is chaos as people scramble to get the best seat. The best is on the top deck as it assures an uninterrupted view of the river and the forests where the sundari, keora, garjan, dhundul and golpatta trees jostle for space. The saline swampy land is rich and fertile supporting an amazing variety of flora. The common sights are the sharp mangrove roots which protrude from the boggy soil and can be lethal for the tender padded soles of the tiger. It is believed that one of the reasons for the tiger turning to prey on humans and domestic cattle is that they cannot chase deer over this uneven terrain.

The silence is unreal, broken occasionally by the swish of the heavy tail of an estuarine crocodile as it wades into the water, its slumber broken by the drone of the engine. You can hear the flutter of the regal pond herons after a fishy meal and the ripple of the cherubic dolphins as they swim alongside the launch. Time stands still when the launch enters the area where five rivers meet the Bay of Bengal. At a complete loss for words, the passengers drink in the magnificence and know that this is a sight they will never forget.

Included are two or three scheduled stops at the watch towers at Shudhanyakhali and Sajnekhali, which are too brief to actually see any wildlife. However, one does get the general feel of the place. The fenced freshwater catchment areas are a lure for the tiger as it is the only source of sweet rainwater. Throughout the day the naturalist and guide regale you with hair-raising stories of the Sunderbans and chance encounters. The day progresses and the landscape changes as the sun moves lower. The forest settles down for the night as the launch pulls into the jetty at the Sajnekhali Tourist Lodge.

Evening flashes by in a blur as the passengers troop into the lodge and wash up with thimble fulls of saline, hot water. After dinner we tumble into clean beds for the sleep of a lifetime. It is amazing how tired one gets doing nothing but sitting, eating and watching - it must be the fresh air!

Another day dawns bright and chirpy, the wooden deck awash with dew. The journey is even more exciting today as the launch cruises down the narrow canals and the landscape is clearly visible. The launch glides forth making a few regular stops at certain watchtowers and the local Banbibi shrine before it takes a different route back to the lodge.

Adjacent to the lodge is an Interpretation Centre where for a paltry sum of two rupees you can pore over information and memorabilia pertaining to the Sunderbans. Watch out for the sly crocodiles in the tank near the watchtower, their slimy gaze following you as you move about, waiting? waiting! They are fed by the staff at the lodge and answer to ridiculous names like Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit!

Another night at the lodge passes by without incident. And soon the dream nears its end. By now some passengers are champing at the bit, going crazy with all the silence and fresh air. The launch returns to Basanti and then the rumbling buses take you back into the congested, smoky bowels of Kolkata city. Don t despair, just close your eyes and concentrate and the vision of the pristine mangrove-lined backwaters flashes before your eyes?.