The island, Henry"s Island is located near Bakkhali in South 24 Parganas District of West Bengal. It is 130 km away from Kolkata. The island derives its name from a European who visited the place for surveying the land in 19th century. Back then, the island was mostly covered with several canals and dense mangrove forest. The beach is slightly black in colour. A portion of this beach, about 100 hectares, has been reserved for pisciculture by the Fisheries Department of the Government of West Bengal. Emphasis is also laid on forest conservation.
Tourism in Henry"s Island
This island is quite popular among tourists. The beach forms the major attraction of Henry`s Island, the whole of which can be viewed from a watchtower. Shallow lakes, known as Bheris, are also scattered throughout the island which are mostly used for pisciculture. Bheris in Henry`s Island numbers about 30. Fishing activities in the island are a delightful watch. Sunset on this picturesque beach is magnificent. Government registered fishermen of the island catch fishes in the Bheris every morning which is also an interesting activity to watch. Henry`s Island is also popular among bird watchers. Exotic species of birds can be spotted here including Lesser Whistling Ducks, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Black-Rumped Flameback, Streak- throated Woodpecker, Common Snipe, Kingfisher, Red Knot, Ruddy Turnstone and many others. There are some nearby tourist attractions too, which can be easily reached from Henry`s island; Bakkhali, Jambudwip and Frasergunj are some of the nearby destinations of this place.
Visiting Information to Henry"s Island
Henry"s Island can be visited anytime throughout the year. The place can be reached by both road and rail. Direct buses are available by WBSTC bus service from Esplanade and Korunamoyee, Kolkata. One can reach the place by private car as well. The Bernard road connects the Henry`s Island to the Kolkata-Bakkhali highway. The road journey takes around 4 hours. Nearest railway station is at Namkhana. There are regular trains available from Sealdah via Lakshmikantapur and Kakdwip to Namkhana.
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