India: Sonar Bangla- Golden Bengal and the Magnificent Sundarbans

Cruise Through India

Little known in the west yet one of the natural wonders of the world, the Sundarbans Delta consists of a network of marine streams, muddy shores and forest running along the coast of the Bay of Bengal. In 1997, the Sundarbans was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, you find the world’s largest coastal mangrove forest, huge crocodiles, Bengal Tigers that swim and people who eke out a living on the islands and shores of the delta.

This journey through a unique part of India begins in Calcutta and then cruises for 4 days through the Sundarbans Delta, stopping at fishing villages, visiting crocodile and tiger rescue centers, and exploring the narrow waterways between the mangroves.

Disembarking, you head to the village of Ullon, located along the waterway and home to READ’s first library in India, the Oceanic Library. You stay in a guest house built by the leader of the town, Kapil-da, a very well-respected Ashoka Fellow and expert in micro-credit. There will be time to talk with people, see some of the local crafts, visit schools and get a sense of life in this unique place.

From Ullon, you wend your way back to Calcutta via Bishnupur, famous for its architecture, terracotta and hand-woven tussar silk saris; Shantiniketan, the university founded by the Nobel Prize-winning poet and writer, Rabindranath Tagore; as well as nearby tribal villages.

Those who wish can stay on and do an extension to Darjeeling and Glenburn.

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