BAKKHALI (Frazerganj )----A beach to yourself. Review on Bakkhali

If u have ever wished to have a beach to yourself and of course cannot buy one, then Bakkhali is the place to be in. because………. you will get a feeling of owning the beach. Bakkhali is one of the most secluded white sand beaches in India. It is lined with casuarinas and one can enjoy a fantastic sunset here.

Bakkhali is one of the islands of the Sunderbans delta region about 135 kms from Calcutta HOW TO REACH Take the road through Diamond Harbour and Kakdwip to Namkhana, where the car or bus has to be transported across the Hatania-Doania creek in a special ferry. The ferry service is available from 7am to 11pm except from 12 noon till 1:45pm(lunch hour). The fare for crossing a Car/Jeep is approx Rs 190(including loading/unloading).

There is an excellent road from Namkhana to Bakkhali. The road journey from the fringe of Calcutta to Bakkhali takes about 3 ½ Hrs. However, crowded market places and occasional stretches of bad road can delay movement. West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation runs a direct bus service from Esplanade to Bakkhali.but sure its not very comfortable!

WHERE TO STAYThe best place to stay is the tourist lodge run by the West Bengal Tourism Department. It is bang on the beach and is always full on weekends and holidays so book in advance in Calcutta. Ours was an impromptu holiday so we didn’t get time to book in Calcutta and obviously we had a rude shock on arrival. All rooms full .But with constant requesting(bickering), the manager opened for us a cottage with 4 beds(we were just 2 of us), it was a beautiful cottage with a huge veranda, which could house another 6 people, and a huge fish breeding lake in front.

He told us that we would have to pay the full tariff for the 4 bedded lakeside room and told us that it was very expensive. We were just wondering how expensive?……………. And sure u all cannot guess. We had to pay Rs 600 inclusive of all taxes. We both were laughing away to glory………in our mind of course.! The tariff ranges from Rs 100 to Rs 900 and even the restaurant is the best in this area and quite reasonable. The room was huge, clean and had a large bathroom.

There are other hotels, but this one scores above all, with good location, good food(compared to others), good occupancy rate and open spaces where u can also spot some unusual birds. The other hotels looked deserted and we were not sure of security, service and privacy.

THINGS TO DO:

Well……. You have a beach to yourself so u can be creative and do so many things ….but I'll help with some .Take a walk over the beach from Bakkhali to Frazergunj(the total stretch of the beach here is about 7 km) .It is an out-of-this-world experience. When the tide is low u can see a red carpet laid for u far away and as soon as u reach close to it, u ll realize those were millions of red crabs scurrying around.

The rickshaw van(locally known as bhaan) is the only transport available locally. We took a trip to Henry's Island on this rickshaw van, which is about 30 min and u can visit the Watch Tower, etc.

This rickshaw van trip, is also a must even if u have a car. You will be moving through the beautiful village sides. And u can also see a stretch of land with just huge windmills.There is a small Ganga mata temple which the rickshaw driver asked us to pay our respects to.

Once you reach the watch tower you will run short of words to talk since from there you can view the entire Sunderban area. It is a splendid view. On one side you can see the Bakkhali beach at a far distance and on all the other sides the green of Sundarban. The ride is cheap and since one has plenty of time, the ride can be enjoyable but do not expect much.

SHOPPING. You can buy a lot of shells and other crafts made of shells, earrings made of shells, corals, dried star fishes etc etc…….but a must is the mother of pearl kurta buttons, which would be exorbitant if u buy them in the city…. not sure if u ll get one. in the first place .One can have lots of “Daab”….we know it as nariyal paani.THINGS TO REMEMBER

· Keep an unbrella…….we went in summers and it was still raining…….

· Keep loads of sunblock

· Keep a mosquito repellent cream ………. we went to the beach after dinner and stayed there till about 11 pm……its safe even at that hour, there are streetlights ……!u ll just see some fishermen around and they just don’t want to bother you……….u can sit on the benches so thoughtfully placed there. This is when the mosquito repellent cream helps!

· No credit cards accepted here…….so carry enough cash!

· The beach is a hard beach good for cycling or driving……… but a long walk is the best!

Anyone who would want a break from the city life….should come here…….to slow down the pace!