The Sundarbans

Tigers are well adapted to aquatic life in the Sundarbans mangrove swamps.

The Sundarbans mangrove forest is located at the delta of the Ganges, Bramaputra and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal.

Three sanctuaries (Sundarbans West, South, and East) with a total area of 345,678 acres protect this landscape in Bangladesh.

The reserves are adjacent to India's Sundarbans National Park. Both areas have been placed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's World Heritage Site list.

The Sundarbans, which means beautiful forest, is the largest mangrove belt in the world, stretching inland 80 miles from the coast and into India's interior.

The forests aren't just mangrove swamps, they include some of the last remaining stands of the jungles that once covered the Gangetic plain.

The Sundarbans cover an area of 14,861 square miles, of which about one-third is covered in water. Shark-infested rivers and a maze of shifting tidal tributaries intersect the forest floor.

The area is known for its wide range of wildlife, including 260 bird species, the royal Bengal tiger and other threatened species including the estuarine crocodile and the Indian python.

There are approximately 400 tigers living in the reserves. Other wildlife in this region include spotted deer, rhesus monkey, wild bear and hyena.

To visit the Sundarbans, a permit is needed from the Divisional Forest Office in Khulna. With a permit, it's possible to hire a boat from Mongla or Dhangmari to get to Hiron Point.

A guide is necessary from Hiron Point to reach the reserves.