Informal Letter: Describing an Excursion to the Sundarbans
Khulna Town, Khulna
5 March 2026
Dear Tanvir,
I returned yesterday from a breathtaking three-day river cruise through the mystical Sundarbans, the largest tidal mangrove forest on planet Earth, and I cannot wait to share the thrilling adventure with you!
We boarded our wooden cruiser vessel, the M.V. Bonolata, from Mongla Port at dawn. As we glided through the narrow, serpentine creeks of Kotka and Kochikhali, we were greeted by dense canopies of Sundari and Golpata trees whose respiratory roots (pneumatophores) projected pointedly above the tidal mud. We saw spotted deer grazing gracefully along the banks, saltwater crocodiles basking lazily in the afternoon sunshine, and kingfishers diving like blue arrows into the water.
The crowning highlight occurred at dawn on the second day when, from the watchtower of Kotka, our forest ranger pointed out the fresh, giant pugmarks of the Royal Bengal Tiger pressed into the damp clay! The primeval silence and breathtaking wild majesty of the forest left us in spellbound awe. It was an educational journey I will cherish for the rest of my life. How have you been? Write back soon with news of your studies.
Yours cordially,
Zubair