December 2013 we travelled with Sundarban Houseboat on a four night cruise. The experience was absolutely wonderful. The boat is very comfortable with four cabins all with bathrooms. The cabins are sort of "packed" with extra beds but we made use of them to spread out the luggage. The upstairs deck is spacious, comfortable and spotlessly clean. The dining area is also on the upper deck where we were served some absolutely delicious meals in the lovely open air dining area. The young chef on board was extremely talented and accommodating. Clearly enjoying his job he would serve up fresh local fish and other dishes with great pride. Having travelled in India for a month on this trip, I can honestly say the four of us agreed that we had some of our best meals onboard!

Unfortunately, we did not "see" a tiger but we got within a few feet of one that was sitting in wait for a treed monkey. We could sense the tiger but not see it due to the heavy underbrush. It was very exciting and especially so because the staff was so eager for us to have a good experience on the trip. Cruising for hours along the river and small inlets was spectacular. There were perhaps not as many birds as expected but we did see plenty of crocodiles, deer, pigs and tiger tracks. The guides were uniformly useful and friendly.

I highly recommend Sundarban Houseboat for anyone interested in river cruising. I will say the "day trippers" on other boats we encountered probably never see anything because they tended to be more noisy and felt like party boats. Our captain made every attempt to get us into secluded areas for the best possible chance of seeing Sundarban wildlife.

The absolute highlight of the trip was visiting the village and family of one of our crew members. His generous and kind hospitality will long be remembered by all of us. The entire crew worked tirelessly to ensure we were comfortable and cared for.