Bakkhali – incredibly  “a beach to yourself”  in fact one may  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 135kms from Calcutta.

Things to Do

With a beach to yourself you  can be creative and do so many things  - Take a walk over the beach from Bakkhali to Frazergunj (the total stretch of the beach here is about 7km) .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 come  close to it, you 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.  Travel  through the beautiful villages on both  sides. Stop  to take  a look at the giant windmills. There is a small Ganga mata temple which you may pay your respects to.
From  the watch tower it’s a mind boggling  view of  the entire Sunderban area. On one side you can see the Bakkhali beach at a distance and on all the other sides the green of Sundarban.

Shopping

You can buy a lot of shells and other crafts made of shells, earrings made of shells, corals, dried star fishes , mother of pearl kurta buttons, which would be exorbitant if one bought  them in the city. Drink lots of  “Daab”  green coconut water.

Things to Remember

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.

Where to Stay

The best place to stay is the Tourist lLodge run by the West Bengal Tourism Department. It is right  on the beach and always full on weekends and holidays so book in advance in Calcutta. Beautiful cottages with huge verandas ,which could house another 6 people and  a huge fish breeding lake in front.
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.