Sundarbans National Park

The Sundarbans is the largest contiguous mangrove forest in the world — 10,000 sq km straddling India and Bangladesh at the delta of the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers. The Indian portion (West Bengal's South 24 Parganas) covers 4,200 sq km, of which 1,330 sq km is the Sundarbans National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1987) and a Tiger Reserve. The forest is named for the Sundari tree (Heritiera fomes) which dominates the mangroves. The Sundarbans hosts an estimated 100 Royal Bengal Tigers — uniquely adapted to swim between islands and to drink saline water. Tiger sightings on standard boat safaris are rare (the dense forest hides them well) but the park's other wildlife is reliably visible: saltwater crocodiles, axis deer, wild boar, mudskippers, fishing cats, and over 200 bird species. The standard trip is a 2–3 day boat tour from Godkhali launch ghat — most visitors stay on the boat with overnight at Sajnekhali Tiger Reserve. Tides shape the daily schedule; the boats follow the channel water.