Sundarbans from NASA Earth Observatory

Some photos from a couple of trips to villages along the edges of the Sundarbans this past summer. 

The Sundarbans, which stretches along the Bay of Bengal coast of India and Bangladesh, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the largest mangrove forest in the world. It’s also home to Royal Bengal Tigers.

No, I haven’t seen a tiger, although someone in my office has–so boasts the photo above my desk (yes, I’m jealous). But I did see river dolphins popping up every few minutes in the Chadpai Wildlife Sanctuary–amazing. Sadly, there’s been an oil spill in the area with the cleanup currently underway.