Even our naturalist guide was not entirely convinced we’d have a successful sighting. The Sundarbans is a vast, wetland wilderness. A lone, single-day boat journey could not possibly traverse more than a small sampling of this vast delta. We’d been warned: the tigers would be difficult to spot.
We took this in stride. Of course we were eager to see these enigmatic big cats: the apex predators of the region. But we were also there to experience the ‘beautiful forest’ and all of the other life forms that call it home.
Even without a tiger, our cruise promised – and delivered – a wide variety of birds. We saw many species we’d never seen before! Splashes indicated a richness of life both above and below the estuary waters. Families of chital, the local deer, lined the sandy banks in places. I liked watching as they balanced on their hind legs only, reaching up to nibble the vegetation.
In the late afternoon, we were chugging slowly back to our jungle camp, satisfied after a lovely day out on the water, when it finally happened. The naturalist aboard stopped mid-sentence, forgetting for the moment what he wanted to say about the kingfisher we’d just seen. He focused intently on the mangroves growing thickly on the far shoreline. He called to the captain to cut the engine, and peered closer.
After a few moments, he turned back to Kent and I, cap pushed back and a broad grin on his face.
“Give me your camera,” he commanded. My new long lens might provide the proof positive that he was looking for before announcing his find. I handed over my DSLR.
Sure enough, there in the shade of the mangrove trees, a lone Bengal tiger awaited the cool of evening for his next hunt.
Not wanting to disturb, we floated silently a distance offshore. But we lingered, taking turns looking through the lens. This individual, a singular representative of the iconic Indian species, appeared to doze: seemingly unaware of the rapture he’d caused in our boat. After a few minutes, we motored on, leaving him to his fate in the darkening forest.
Want to see more of this amazing animal adventure? Here are more photos from our Sundarbans safari! Want to know more about Bengal tigers or visiting the Sundarbans from India? Get the facts here!