Weekend in the Sundarbun

---

Everyone told me I had to visit the Sundarbun region of Bangladesh before leaving so I did as I was told. Sundarban Reserve Forest is the largest mangrove forest in the world. It is in the delta of the Bay of Bengal. Many animals live in the Sundarbun including the endangered Bengal tiger. The largest population of Bengal tigers lives in Sundarbans (this area spans Bangladesh and India). On the Bangladesh side in 2014 there was thought to be 76 tigers and now their numbers are over 100.

I spent 3 days and 2 nights on a 'cruise' through the river ways. I use the term cruise lightly as this boat is certainly not part of the Royal Caribbean line. The boats look much more like shipping vessels or perhaps a very basic live aboard boat. I did have my own cabin and bathroom. But the accommodations are extremely basic. I learned it was rare they have a foreigner on their boat so they were beyond accommodating and helpful. Someone was always bringing me some milk tea, bottle water, or a snack. They brought me on an extra tour of village areas and prepared special food for me.

We cruised deep into the Sundarban so we could walk through the forests and sail down the narrow channels. We ended at the Bay of Bengal. We were not lucky enough to see a tiger, but we saw lots of dolphins, monkeys, birds and spotted deer.

---