Being aware that it would be bordering on a crime to leave Bangladesh without having visited the famous Sundarbans, we looked at the options and decided to go with Contic because we wanted to seek the elusive Royal Bengal Tiger in a befitting manner – i.e. on a traditional wooden sailing boat.

After a short and pleasant flight to Jessore and a less so transfer by road, we and 8 other guests of different nationalities and our Bangladeshi guide arrived in Mongla and boarded the B613 (named after the planet of the Little Prince in the eponymous children’s book) which would be our home for the next 3 days and nights.

The B613 is a sensitively and tastefully converted 93 foot “Malar” type wooden boat which, with her 20m mast and two ochre sails, is the largest – and possibly the most beautiful sailing boat of Bengal. Originally a cargo boat (could allegedly accommodate 200 heads of cattle), she now boasts 6 double cabins and share facilities, plus a large partially covered deck for dining and leisure as well as a kitchen and staff that provide an almost endless supply of delicious food and snacks. Below deck, two 110 hp diesel engines ensure a smooth and steady journey. Due to lack of wind and the distances involved, the spectacular sails were only hoisted once to provide us with a photo opportunity.

Once installed in our respective cabins, we settled on the front deck to relax after the morning’s travel and were promptly treated to an amazing display by several pods of river dolphins even before weighing anchor!

The journey took us on a southwesterly bearing, passing villages, fishermen and river life in general. And then, in the glowing colours of the sunset, a first taste of the world’s largest mangrove forest.

The next day, we continued towards the Bay of Bengal from the night’s mooring at a forest station (as protection against would-be pirates). The gentle pace, the fresh air and space were a welcome change from the dusty hustle and bustle of Dhaka, and everybody was soon under the soothing spell of the Sundarbans. Relaxing and enjoying the lush vegetation, the birds and the wildlife while keeping an eye out for the ever-elusive tiger was the order of the day. The unspoiled beauty of the Milky Way worked its magic at night.

On day 2, after an early start and a short trip down a tributary where spotted deer foraged on the mist-shrouded banks, we went ashore for some serious tiger hunting! A couple of armed forest rangers led us through a narrow patch of mangroves and much to our surprise on to and across a large and beautiful meadow. Here, in a sandy patch were the first signs of our quarry – pugmarks only an hour old! And further along, a depression in the tall grass that was allegedly created by a tiger. The question was whether the tiger had been resting, or lying in wait for deer and other creatures coming to the nearby water hole to drink.

Then another patch of mangrove forest before we suddenly stood on the deserted shores of the Bay of Bengal! Numerous pugmarks proved that also tigers like a stroll on the beach. However, these pugmarks, we were told, were from the evening before, and the young tiger that had left them could be far away. A feeling of being observed nevertheless persisted and we were not allowed to stray into the vegetation. The Royal Bengal Tiger is the only predator known actively to hunt and eat humans on a regular basis. Allegedly hundreds of people meet this fate every year in the Bangladeshi part of the Sundarbans alone!

Regrettably – or maybe luckily – the enigmatic creature remained hidden throughout the trip, but the beautiful scenery and the wildlife (deer, monkeys, monitor lizards, crocodiles and squirrels, an abundance of birds, and other small creatures like the comical mud hoppers and fiddler crabs) that we encountered compensated handsomely for the absence of the tiger.