A FAMILY TOUR TO SUNDARBAN’S “KARAMJAL ECO TOURISM CENTER” IN BANGLADESH

 

The forests of Sundarbans are nature’s gift to two countries India & Bangladesh. These forests are filled up with beautiful landscape and vast biodiversity.

I read in my school days about mangroves of Sundarbans Delta and their importance in maintaining the ecological and geographical balance in coastal areas of India & Bangladesh. 

Fortunately, I had a chance with my family to visit some parts of Sundarbans and   I would say that we enjoyed it a lot.

As I was working at Rampal Union in Bagerhat District of Bangladesh so we started our road journey from Rampal at 08:00 HRS in the morning by taxi for Mongla Port (20 km from Rampal) and reached there in half an hour. The Mongla Port is a link sea port situated on the shore of Pashur River. 

From side of the Mongla Port we hired a motor boat and started the river journey for reaching the Sundarbans’ tourist spot – “KARAMJAL”- An Eco Tourism Center in Bagerhat District Of Bangladesh. It took around 1 hour to cover 8 km because we deliberately kept the motor boat speed at minimum for enjoying the boating.

During our boat journey we spotted “Dolphins’ Breaching”. It was really amazing to see such natural phenomenon while enjoying the moisture & oxygen laden fresh air coming from Sundari Forest at both sides of the waterway.

 Karamjal’s spread is about 30-35 hectare. It has been developed as a model tourist spot in Sundarbans by forest department of Bangladesh. This area gives a glimpse of Sundarbans within a day visit.

At Karamjal we saw many interesting things e.g. Wooden Bridge, Natural Crocodile breeding spot, deer park, natural habitat of reptiles & fauna of the region.in the midst of Sundari Tree Forest the deer and crocodile controlled breeding.

Crocodile Breeding Center

For entry in to this Eco Tourism Center there is ticket arrangement for different types of tourists with different levels of allowed activities e.g.

Bangladeshi Taka (BDT) 20 per domestic tourist and BDT 300 per foreign tourist.

For domestic researcher BDT 40. for foreign researcher BDT 500.

For children under 12 years age BDT 10.

For use of video camera by domestic tourists BDT 200 per camera & by foreign tourists BDT 300 per camera. All these prices are excluding 15 percent of Value Added Tax.

 

At the entrance of the “Karamjal Eco-Tourism Center” there is a site map indicating the spread of the area, designated routes and locations of facilities.

Site Map At The Entrance

After the entrance at the right side there are deer park and crocodile breeding spots. Tourists enjoy feeding green grass to deer. The green grass selling vendors have been provided spot for their stalls.

Walking On Wooden Trails

It was an amazing experience for us while moving in the dense forest through wooden trails. Rhesus monkeys were seen at both the sides of wooden trail. I fed them gram from a safe distance. Children should not try this because monkeys may cause harm to them.

The mangroves shoots were visible in all areas of land here and the scene was giving a feel of their excellent soil binding properties for which these forests are known worldwide.

Mangroves Shoots

We were not able to spot “Bangla Tiger” in this area as the natural habitat of these “Tigers” is in deep forests of Sundarbans.

 

After treading through wooden trail at the end where it turns back through left side we found an Observation Tower on right side. The height of this tower is approximately 15 Meter and from here we were able to have a top view of dense jungle of Sundarbans. We saw the part of various sea links from here. Of-course the sea was not visible from here. 

                                                     View From The Top Of The Observation Tower

There are “Tea” and “Snacks” stalls near the “Observation Tower” where one can have “Jhaal Muri” – (Name of local dish prepared by mixing vegetables, boiled black gram & spices in puffed rice) & “Natural Green Lemon Tea”.

After viewing the natural beauty and ecological balance of the area my family gave a 4.5/5 Star rating to our trip for everlasting soothing and amazing experience.

 

We came back to Rampal in the evening following the same path through Mongla Port. The whole trip took around 8 hours including travel and visiting time.

 

SOME TOURISM TIPS FOR VISITING “KARAMJAL”:

1.      One can reach “Karamjal” directly from Khulna through “Rupsha River” by hired ferry/boat.

2.      Always ensure sufficient number of “Life Jackets” & “Lifebuoys” in the boat/ferry.

3.      For night stay in Mongla Port area one can avail the “Bangladesh Tourism Corporation” hotel – “Pashur Hotel”

4.      To reach “Karamjal” always hire a good quality ferry or motor boat because the river may be rough sometime.

5.      Always have a “Forest Guard” while visiting this area.

6.      Feeding the crocodiles and deer of breeding center is prohibited. However deer park animals can be fed with green grass and vegetables.