Sundarbans Reopens for Tourists

Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest and a Unesco world heritage site, has reopened for tourists.

After nearly three months of closure, the Forest Department reopened all tourist spots on Thursday morning (September 1 for domestic and foreign tourists.  Side by side fishermen and bawali (wood fellers) will be able to enter the Sundarbans to earn forest resources through the pass (pass permit).  But, they will not be able to enter the deep area inside the Sundarbans.

This time a huge number of tourists visit the eastern part of the Sundarbans. Foreign and native tourists visit Sundarbans at several tourist spots including Karamjol, Harbaria, Kotka, Kachikhali, Hironpoint, Dublarchar and Nilkamal from September to February through various vessels.

As soon as the ban lifted, many tourists can easily cross the Padma Bridge by road and flock to the Sundarbans of the eastern divisions every day, sources said.

On May 31, the Forest Department announced a three-month ban on tourism and fishing in the Sundarbans starting from June 1. These three months are the breeding season for most species of fish and hence the department enforced the ban. The ban was effective till August 31._Agencies