Mandarmani beach
This area is a part of the
coastal plains estuary with the rivers Damodar, Rupnarayan, Haldi and
Rasulpur rivers flowing through it. It mainly consists of sandy beaches,
tidal bars, mudflats, sand-flats, coastal dunes and inlets.
Digha: Digha,
in East Midnapore,
is West Bengal's most popular beach resort and is close to the Subarnarekha
River on the border with Orissa. Originally known as Beerkul, Digha is
a hard beach where one can drive during low tide.
Birds: Birds reported from Digha include
Pallas's Gull, Little and Common Tern, Terek Sandpiper, Greater Sand,
Kentish and Pacific Golden Plovers. Black-capped Kingfisher.
How to reach: There are daily trains from
Shalimar railway station. The driving distance from Kolkata is about 190 kms
and takes 4-5 hours by car. Buses are also available.
Where to stay: Digha has a plethora of hotels
amongst which are Hotel Sea Hawk, The Palm Resort and Digha Tourist Lodge.
Best season: October to March
Latitude / Longitude: 21° 37.012'N / 87°
29.881'E
Shankarpur: The isolated Shankarpur Fishing Harbour is a short
distance to the east of Digha is very similar to Digha without the crowds.
The tree-lined beach is 14 km. driving distance from Digha, along the Digha
– Contai road.
Birds: Shankarpur has birds
similar to those found in Digha.
How to reach: If you are driving to Digha turn
off at a place called "Choddo-mile" which is just before Ramnagar on the
Contai-Digha road. The coast is a 15 minute drive from Choddo-mile. Kolkata
- Shankarpur is about 185 kms by road.
Where to stay: Hotel Nest, Hotel Sandy Bay and
Tourist lodges run by Benfish
Best season: October to March
Latitude / Longitude: 21° 38.116'N / 87°
33.338'E
Little Terns, Mandarmani
Mandarmani: Mandarmani is a relatively new resort destination and
much of the facilities are unplanned and unauthorized. The beach is one of
the longest that you can find, and in good weather you can drive along the
entire 14kms of the hard sea front. The long beach demarcated by seasonal
channels offers some areas with varied and undisturbed habitat for birds.
Birds: Birds observed in Mandarmani include
Pallas's and Brown-headed Gulls, Common, White-winged and Little Terns,
Greater Sand and Kentish Plovers and a mix of other waders.
How to reach: Best reached by road. From Contai
drive another 12kms to 'Chawalkhola'. Take a left at Chawalkhola and follow
the village road till it ends at 'Dadanpatrabar' (8kms) village. The hotels
are a 6km drive along the beach from Dadanpatrabar. Be warned that the
approach road from Chawalkhola is unpaved and in terrible condition.
Distance from Kolkata is around 166kms and takes 3.5 - 4 hours to complete.
Where to stay: Rose Valley, The Sana Beach,
Masara Beach Resort & Debraj Resort.
Best season: October to March
Latitude / Longitude: 21° 38.964'N / 87°
38.845' - 87° 45.254'E
Junput coast
Junput: Juput is close to the mouth of the Hugli River and is used
by the State
Government Fisheries Department for fish cultivation and
research. The sea has shifted away from the old coast leaving behind large
stretches of treacherous mud flats. The area has little tourist potential
and is good for waders and other waterbirds. Good birdwatching is possible
from the fishing village of Gopalpur with powerful scopes.
Birds: The mudflats hold Little and Temmink's
Stints, the grassy areas are good for large flocks of Pacific Golden Plovers
and the undisturbed coast holds many gulls and terns. Really, anything can
turn up here and it just needs a little enterprise to find out what does.
How to reach: Junput is about 10kms from Contai
and 156kms by road from Kolkata. A visit here can be combined with any
destination further west like Digha (40kms).
Where to stay: Junput Resort
Best season: October to March
Latitude / Longitude: 21° 43.232'N / 87°
48.884'E
Digha /
Shankarpur / Mandarmoni /Junput road route:
Kolkata
- Bombay Rd (NH6) - Kolaghat -
Haldia Rd (NH41) - Digha
Road - Contai:
146km
Contai - Junput: 10km
- Chawalkhola - Dadanpatrabar
- Mandarmani: 26km
- Choddomile - Shankarpur: 39km
- Digha: 44km
References:
1.
West Bengal Government
2.
Wikitravel - Digha
Sumit K
Sen
Kolkata, India
East coast of India
