Irrawaddy dolphin
The Irrawaddy dolphin is a euryhaline species of oceanic dolphin found in scattered subpopulations near sea coasts and in estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia. It closely resembles the Australian snubfin dolphin, which was not described as a se…
The Irrawaddy dolphin, that slab‑gray, bottle‑nosed oddball of the Bay of Bengal, is a rare treat on the murky waters of the Sundarbans and the backwaters of West Bengal, not a guaranteed tourist checkbox. The only dependable herd sits in Chilika Lake, Odisha, but a handful of shy pods still drift through the estuarine maze of the Hooghly near Sunderbans Tiger Reserve, especially around the village of Dwarikganj in the early monsoon (July–September) when the tide pushes fish in and the dolphins surface to breathe. Book a night‑shift boat with a reputable local operator such as Ramesh’s River Safaris in Basanti; they know the hidden channels and can spot a dolphin silhouette before you’re lung‑gasping for the next sunrise. Keep your camera on a macro lens and a long lens ready, but remember the creatures are skittish – no flash, no sudden engine revs, and certainly no bait. A half‑day trip from Kolkata’s Alipore dock is feasible, though the real price is the cramped, mosquito‑loving boat and the occasional swamp‑smell that will cling to your clothes for days. Skip the overly commercial “Sundarbans Dolphin Resort” packages that promise “guaranteed sightings” – they lure you out at low tide when the dolphins are nowhere to be seen. If you’re after a more reliable encounter, charter a day trip to Chilika’s Kalijai Island during the low water season (December–February) and you’ll actually see a pod languidly surfacing near the mudflats; just bring your patience and a thermos of chai, because the wind will make the lake feel like an open freezer.
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