How to go to Sunderbans and Gangasagar from Kolkata?

[MohanPrasad]

I am not far from Kolkata and previously have thought of going to Sunderbans and Gangasagar, as I am close by I thought I would go ahead with the trip. I need to know how one can reach the places and what is the easiest way. Thank you in advance members.

 

[Shiv]

I think the easiest way to reach Sunderbans would be by train which would be a 2 hour journey from Kolkata.

 

[BadBoy]

hi there,

I went to gangasar via train-rickshaw( kind of a redi what its usully called in hindi) -streamer-bus

To be honest i dont remember some of the names of the mode/place i took...

first i went to howarah took a local train went to some station, thn hired the best mode available there to take me to the shore and guess what was the mode? it was a rickshaw or a redi type of thing used to carry loads ha haa....after reachin the shore i took the streamer( beware the streamer dont run after the noon cos the level of water decreases , it again gets back to normal by the evening), after reaching the sagar island i took a bus that took me the bathing place(ganga sagar)...
it would take an entire day for this trip

in return journey we somehow manged to get a taxi from somewhere near the station cos the train journey was both amzaing and tiring.

So i would say avoid train get urself a bus or taxi , if i am not wrong the there are daily buses for ganagsagar from kolkata.

 

[briannagodess]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

The distance between Kolkata and Sundarbans is about 114 kms. There are several transportation options you can take:

1. Buses - I think this is the best public transportation option to reach Sundarbans. From Kolkata, go to the Babu Ghat Bus Terminal (West Side of Eden Garden) and ride a bus going to Sonakhali. This is about 94 kms so you can reach Sonakhali in 3 to 4 hours.

Here are some of the bus timings I was able to find:

• 6:00, 7:30, 7:45, 9:15, 10:45, 11:00, 11:45, 13:00, 13:30, 15:15, 16:30 and 17:00.

Then, from Sonakhali, ride a rickshaw to reach Godkhali. You can then ride a direct boat from Godkhali to Sajnekhali. Otherwise, your other option from Godkhali would be to take a boat ride to Gosaba, then ride a cycle rickshaw to Pakhiralay Village and then take another boat ride to Sajnekhali.

2. Trains - You need to go to the Sealdah Railway Station in Kolkata. From there, ride a train going to the Canning Train Station. Some timings I was able to find are:

• Sealdah Canning Train No. 34512 - Departs daily at 5:45 and arrives at 7:08.

• Sealdah Canning Train No. 34514 - Departs daily at 6:30 and arrives at 7:45.

• Sealdah Canning Train No. 34516 - Departs daily at 7:42 and arrives at 8:55.

The last train is at 23:18 and there's a train almost every hour departing from Sealdah. From Canning, you can ride an auto rickshaw or shared vehicle to go to Godkhali. Then, you have the same options as above. These are unreserved trains though so you might have difficulty riding them.

3. Taxi - You can ride a taxi from Kolkata to Godkhali. Fare ranges between Rs. 2,000 and above. From Godkhali, you have the same options as above.

Now, let's go to Gangasagar, which is about 106 kms from Kolkata. Here are your transportation options:

1. Buses - This is you best option as well. From Kolkata, ride a bus from Esplanade going to Kakdwip and drop-off at Harwood Point or Namkhana. You can find CSTC or WBSTC Buses from the station. Some bus timings I was able to find are:

• Kolkata State Buses - Departure from Kolkata: 9:00 am, 10:15 am, 12:30 pm and 4:30 pm.

• Namkhana SBSTC - Departure from Kolkata: 6:00, 6:30, 7:00, 7:30, 8:00, 8:30, 9:00, 9:30, 10:00, 10:45, 11:00, 12:00, 13:15, 14:30, 15:00, 15:30, 16:00, 16:30, 18:30 and 19:30.

From both Harwood Point and Namkhana, you can ride a ferry service going to Sagar Island. Ferries are more frequent in Harwood Point though with one bus every half hour.

2. Trains - Go to the Sealdah Railway Station and ride a train going to Kakdwip Station. These trains are unreserved as well. Some timings are:

• Sealdah Namkana Train No. 34792 - Departs at 13:20 and arrives at 15:41, runs daily.

• Sealdah Namkana Train No. 34782 - Departs at 20:30 and arrives at 22:56, runs daily.

• Sealdah Namkana Train No. 34794 - Departs at 21:30 and arrives at 23:56, runs daily.

From Kakdwip Station, ride an auto or manual rickshaw to Lot No. 8 Ferry Ghat. You can then ride the ferry to Sagar Island.

3. Taxi or Hired Vehicle or Car - You can take the Harbour Diamond Road to reach Lot No. 8 Ferry Ghat. Cars or taxis are allowed to park in Panchyat Samity.

I hope this helps!

 

[Rahul4640]

I think briannagodess has already provided an excellent and a very accurate reply. But I guess there is also an other option to visit Sundarban. It is to visit Jharkhali, which is the closest motorable place to Sundarban. I have heard that one decent hotel has come up there in recent times.