The operator's Eco Village sits behind a mangrove patch planted to hold the bank against erosion.
Kolkata, West Bengal, India, 5 September 2026: Tour De Sundarbans runs its Sundarbans itineraries with local fishermen as boatmen and guides, village performers for its evening sessions, and a mangrove belt planted directly in front of its Eco Village to slow soil erosion along that stretch of bank.
The activities that follow from that arrangement are ones the operator says no other company in the delta runs: night safaris timed for the bioluminescent phytoplankton in the river, sailing the narrow creeks in hand rowed country boats, and Bonbibi Pala, the theatrical enactment of the delta's own folklore, performed by villagers rather than staged for visitors.
"We landed up with local fishermen who were happy to show us the birds, the planktons and the flora, and then happy to show us their homes and how they fish at night," said Rajesh Kumar, Founder, Tour De Sundarbans. "None of us has a formal degree in tourism. What we have is a village that decided to do this with us."
The company also raised funds through its guests for local families hit by the Bulbul and Amphan cyclones. Its Eco Village cottages are built from earth, bamboo and hay, with concrete used only where the delta's weather makes it necessary, and run in basic, deluxe and premium organic grades.
The operator has been ranked the best tour operator in the Sundarbans by TripAdvisor since 2011 across roughly 1,200 reviews, won the Travel and Hospitality Award in 2021, appeared in the last three editions of the Lonely Planet guide, which described its trips as capable of being taken as a spiritual journey, and had an episode of the travel series Travel XP dedicated to the village.
Stays and safaris can be booked at the Eco Village directly, or as part of any of the seven Sundarban tour packages the company runs from Kolkata.
About Tour De Sundarbans
Tour De Sundarbans is a Kolkata based eco tourism operator founded in 2006 by Rajesh Kumar, conceived as the first eco centric tour operation in the Sundarbans. It runs jungle safaris, night safaris, birding and village stays from its own Eco Village in the delta, and works exclusively in the Sundarbans rather than across multiple destinations.
Media Contact
Tour De Sundarbans 11 Chowringhee Lane, Colootola, New Market Area, Dharmatala, Taltala, Kolkata 700016 [email protected] | +91 98361 77140 tourdesundarbans.com