I signed up as a single traveler for 2 days and 1 night. The owner contacted me to ask if I would be ok to join a small group, which I understand, given the distance and expense for a single traveler. So I agreed.
The positives:
Arif, my tour guide was very friendly and paid particular attention to me throughout the journey to make sure I felt included and informed. Our driver in the way out was a fairly typical driver, over taking and the like but I felt safe at all times.
Sundarbans is magical, with the mangroves and the diversity. Sadly I didn’t see any tigers and I think you must be incredibly lucky to do so as you travel the full day on a noisy boat up the estuaries. So you’ll only see them if you are in the right place if they happen to come out and go into the water. The watch towers give you another chance, but again are filled with tourists who are quite loud.
The village we stayed on overnight was delightful and very comfortable. It was rustic and natural and I really enjoyed it. We had some local music for entertainment and I really liked the food they served.
Interns of wild life, we saw lots of spotted deer and crocs and the 2 otters, which was really special.
The negatives:
The group I joined was larger than expected, 20 people with many kids and small children, making the tour more chaotic than expected. Leaving on time was never an option. To be honest though, the only time it really impacted me was on the drive home. I was feeling quite sea sick from spending 10hrs on the boat.Arif was incredibly sweet and tried to help me out. Our driver home was another story. His driving was truly insane. It’s a 3 hr trip and the roads are really bad. His driving was very aggressive in terms of over taking, swerving to avoid potholes and stopping suddenly for speed bumps. I was sick twice out of the moving vehicle and the guy didn’t even stop. The rest of the group clearly felt the same and when we stopped half way, they all got out for a rest break and chai, delaying the journey from hell a bit longer. We made it back in one piece but that drive home is one I would never want to repeat.
Overall, Sundarbans is well worth a visit and I have no complaints about the tour guide I had. As a single traveler, I would question the group you are allocated too and if possible, try request a car rather than the bigger bus to travel in, with a decent driver.