Tour operators are expecting visitors in the Sundarbans mangrove forest during the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays this year, though it is an off-peak season, due to favourable weather conditions.
Small boats have been kept ready to carry tourists from Mongla in Bagerhat to Karamjal and Harbaria points.
On the other hand, eight launches will depart Mongla on April 24 and April 28 for different spots deep inside the forest on three-day trips. About 500 tourists will be able to tour the Sundarbans during the two trips, tour operators say.
Local and foreign tourists usually throng the Sundarbans during the winter when the forest guards often fail to manage the situation because of the influx of tourists.
Dhaka TribuneIt is one of the largest mangrove forests that lies on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal. Unesco declared the Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans a World Heritage Site on December 7, 1997, as a manifestation of the importance of the area's unique flora and fauna.
The site is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests, and presents an excellent example of ongoing ecological processes. The area is known for its wide range of fauna, including 260 bird species, the Bengal tiger and other threatened species such as the estuarine crocodile and the Indian python.
The Karamjal Tourism and Wildlife Breeding Centre under the Sundarbans East Division has the largest crowd throughout the year since it is the nearest tourist spot on the river route from Mongla.
Officer-in-charge of the centre Azad Kabir hopes that tourists will increase during the long Eid holidays this year. “We are taking all preparations to welcome the tourists.
Dhaka Tribune“Usually, April is not a tourist season in the Sundarbans because of stormy rains and thunderstorms. But this year, there is not much rain and the weather is hot. So tourists are likely to visit the forest this season too,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
Meanwhile, the launches are preparing for departure from Mongla on April 24 and April 28. These vessels will travel through Karamjal, Harbaria, Kotka and Kachikhali routes and stop at several tourist spots, including Karamjal, Harbaria, Hiran Point, Katka-Kachikhali and Dublar Char.
The launches that will operate during the holidays are the 75-seat The Wave, 56-seat Aralsi 50-seat Utsav and Silver Cruise, 40-seat Bon Sampan, 18-seat Bawali, 11-seat Gangchil and 10-seat Sunway 2, according to Joint General Secretary of the Tour Operator Association of Sundarbans (Toas) Mazharul Islam Kochi.
Toas General Secretary Nazmul Azam David observes that the number of tourists may increase if the forest authorities improve the boarding and landing facilities in the deep forest spots.
Dhaka Tribune“While the Forest Department is renovating and improving the spots near Mongla, there is no restoration in the deep Sundarbans. As a result, the tour operators have to make their own arrangements for the safe movement of the tourists,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
Sundarbans East Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Muhammad Belayet Hossain said they were implementing a Tk25-crore project to improve facilities at various spots. He hoped that the number of tourists would increase upon completion of the project.
