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Sagar Island and Gangasagar
Island in West Bengal, India

Sagar Island and Gangasagar

Sagar Island is an island in the Ganges delta, lying on the continental shelf of Bay of Bengal about 100 km south of Kolkata.

Plan a trip to Sagar Island and Gangasagar→From Kolkata

This island forms the Sagar CD Block in Kakdwip subdivision of South 24 Parganas district in the Indian State of West Bengal. It is the largest island in West Bengal. Although Sagar Island is a part of Sundarbans, it does not have any tiger habitation or mangrove forests or small river tributaries as is characteristic of the overall Sundarban delta. This island is a place of Hindu pilgrimage. Every year on the day of Makar Sankranti, hundreds of thousands of Hindus gather to take a holy dip at the confluence of river Ganges and Bay of Bengal and offer prayers (puja) in the Kapil Muni Temple. Kolkata Port Trust has a pilot station and a light house.

Get in

Getting to Sagar Island and Gangasagar

Sagar is about 80 km (50 mi) south of Kolkata, cut off from the mainland by the Muriganga River. There is no road bridge to connect the island to the mainland and you have to cross the river to reach Kachuberia in Sagar by ferry. If you want to spend your weekend in a peaceful way, then avoid the island in the middle of January during Makar Sankranti, when there is a huge rush due to Gangasagar.

See

Worth seeing

Sagar Island presents a quiet, silvery expanse of beach and the calm sea provides the perfect setting for a quiet weekend.

  1. 01
    Bharat Sevashram Sangha

    It is the entry point to the Mangrove Forest.

  2. 02
    Kapil Muni

    The Kapil Muni Temple is the holiest place to visit in Sagar Island.

  3. 03
    The Onkarnath

    One of many religious sites of Sagar Island in Saga Island, the weekend tourist spot of Bengal.

  4. 04
    Ramkrisna Mission Ashram
  5. 05
    Sagar Lighthouse and Port at Beguakhali

    The lighthouse at Sagar Island provides a panoramic view of the surroundings.

  6. 06
    Sea Beach

    An excellent weekend beach tourish spot of Bengal.

Do

Things to do

Fairgrounds, South Sagar.. Religious place of Bengal. Fishing Coastal trek

How locals move

Getting around Sagar Island and Gangasagar the local way

Sagar Island has no bridge yet: everyone crosses the tide-bound Muriganga by vessel from Kakdwip or Namkhana, then rides a bus, trekker or hired car the 30 km to Gangasagar, and for a few days each January the whole system is rebuilt at several times its normal size for the Mela.

  1. 01
    Lot No. 8 (Harwood Point, Kakdwip) to Kachuberia vesselferry

    Lot No. 8 jetty at Harwood Point, near Kakdwip, across the Muriganga to Kachuberia on the north tip of Sagar Island

    Where
    The jetty is the end point of the Kolkata (Esplanade) to Kakdwip bus route, about 3.5 km across the river. A Panchayat Samity parking area sits at the ferry landing on the mainland side.
    When
    Boats run roughly every hour through the day, but stop outright when the tide is too low to clear the jetty; the crossing is not on a fixed timetable independent of the water
    Fare (2026)
    ₹8 per head from Lot No. 8 jetty to Kachuberia. Wikivoyage gives no year for this figure and it was not checked against a tariff board, so treat it as possibly stale; the year below is when the page was read, not when the fare was set
    Takes
    Roughly 20-30 minutes for the crossing itself, longer with queueing
    Season
    Year-round crossing, but Wikivoyage records a specific tide closure in the Makar Sankranti period: no service 4AM-9AM and 4PM-8PM in that window because of low tide
    Booking
    None, board and pay at the jetty

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · en.wikipedia.org (2026-09) · confidence medium

  2. 02
    Namkhana to Chemaguri (Sagar) launchferry

    Namkhana, on the mainland side of the Hatania-Doania channel, across the Muriganga to Chemaguri on Sagar Island

    Where
    Namkhana is a separate approach from Kakdwip, about 13 km further from Kolkata by road; the launch point is a short distance from the Namkhana bus and rail stand.
    When
    No timetable found on the sources checked
    Fare
    No fare could be confirmed for this crossing specifically
    Takes
    Not confirmed
    Season
    Year-round in principle, subject to the same tide dependence as the Kakdwip crossing
    Booking
    None, pay at the launch point

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence low

  3. 03
    Kolkata (Esplanade) to Lot No. 8 direct busbus

    Esplanade Bus Terminus, Kolkata, south past Diamond Harbour to Harwood Point (Lot No. 8), where the bus meets the ferry

    Where
    Board a Kakdwip-bound bus at Esplanade; ask for Lot No. 8 or Harwood Point rather than Kakdwip town itself, since the jetty is the actual destination.
    When
    Regular daytime departures; exact headway not confirmed on the sources checked
    Fare
    No current fare confirmed
    Takes
    About 3 hours to Harwood Point
    Season
    Year-round; during the Mela the same operator runs additional buses that terminate directly at the Harwood Point ferry crossing
    Booking
    None, pay the conductor

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium

  4. 04
    Sealdah to Kakdwip or Namkhana local traintrain

    Sealdah railway station, Kolkata, south to Kakdwip or Namkhana on the Eastern Railway suburban network

    Where
    Both are ordinary Sealdah South section local train destinations; from either station a short bus, van or auto ride reaches the respective ferry point.
    When
    Regular suburban local service; Eastern Railway adds special trains, including some routed via Lucknow and Prayagraj from New Delhi, in the Mela period
    Fare
    No current fare confirmed
    Takes
    Not confirmed
    Season
    Year-round; trains are described as badly overcrowded in the days around the Mela
    Booking
    None for the local service; special Mela trains are ticketed separately

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium

  5. 05
    Kachuberia to Gangasagar trekkershare jeep

    Kachuberia ferry terminal to Gangasagar and the Kapil Muni Temple area, about 30 km down the island

    Where
    Trekkers (open-backed shared utility vehicles) and minibuses wait at the Kachuberia landing for the ferry passengers; ask for Gangasagar.
    When
    Runs through the day timed to the ferry arrivals rather than a fixed schedule
    Fare (2026)
    No per-seat fare confirmed; a private taxi over the same stretch runs about ₹700
    Takes
    Roughly 1 hour for the 30 km
    Season
    Year-round
    Booking
    None, pay the driver

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium

  6. 06
    Kachuberia to Gangasagar taxi or SUVprivate hire

    Kachuberia to the Gangasagar confluence area

    Where
    Taxis and hired SUVs wait at the ferry terminal alongside the trekkers and buses.
    When
    On demand
    Fare (2026)
    Around ₹700 for a private taxi; SUV hire quoted at ₹600 and ₹500 for the 30 km one way, which reads as two different rate tiers rather than one figure
    Takes
    About 40 minutes
    Season
    Year-round; fares rise during the Mela
    Booking
    None, negotiate at the terminal

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium

  7. 07
    Vehicle barge (LCT) at Harwood Pointferry

    Harwood Point to Kachuberia, carrying cars and light vehicles rather than foot passengers

    Where
    A separate barge crossing, locally called an LCT, run alongside the passenger ferry; a self-driven car has to be booked onto this crossing rather than the passenger boat.
    When
    Wikivoyage describes only one sailing each way per day, at 6AM from Kakdwip and 6AM from Kachuberia, driven by the tide rather than a published timetable
    Fare (2005)
    ₹250 for a light or medium vehicle was the figure recorded in 2005 by Wikivoyage's own text; it says the charge rises during the Mela but gives no current number, so treat ₹250 as historical only
    Takes
    Not confirmed
    Season
    Year-round; parking at Kakdwip costs ₹100 per day plus ₹100 for overnight, for those who leave the car behind instead
    Booking
    Effectively compulsory pre-positioning: since there is one sailing each way a day, a driver has to plan around it rather than turn up

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence low

  8. 08
    Cycle van, Gangasagar to the bathing ghatcycle rickshaw

    Gangasagar bus and trekker stand to the Sagar bathing spot and Kapil Muni Temple area, about 2 km

    Where
    Cycle vans wait where the road transport terminates, since motor vehicles are stopped a short distance from the temple.
    When
    On demand, plentiful through the day
    Fare (2026)
    ₹15 per passenger one way
    Takes
    A few minutes for the 2 km
    Season
    Year-round
    Booking
    None, pay the rider

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence medium

  9. 09
    Gangasagar Setu (Muriganga bridge): under construction, not yet openservice status

    Kakdwip to Kachuberia, replacing the vessel crossing

    Where
    Not a service yet. This is the single biggest change coming to how Sagar is reached, and every current transport option above is built around its absence.
    When
    Not applicable
    Fare
    Not applicable
    Takes
    Not applicable
    Season
    Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee laid the foundation stone on 5 January 2026 for a 4.75 km, four-lane bridge with a 1.5 m footpath on each side, budgeted at roughly ₹1,700 crore, with construction stated at the time to take two to three years. Land acquisition was reported as 7.95 acres at the Kakdwip side and 5.01 acres at the Kachuberia side. By July 2026 a newly formed BJP government under Suvendu Adhikari had replaced the Trinamool Congress administration that started the bridge, and no source checked confirms whether construction has continued unchanged since; treat the bridge as not open and its status as unconfirmed for late 2026
    Booking
    Not applicable

    Sources: sangbadpratidin.in (2026-01-05) · sangbadpratidin.in (2026-01-04) · millenniumpost.in (2026-07-18) · confidence medium

  10. 10
    Gangasagar Mela: the whole system is rebuilt for a few days in Januaryservice status

    All approaches to Sagar Island

    Where
    Not applicable; this describes how the routes above change, not a service of its own.
    When
    Concentrated around Makar Sankranti, mid-January
    Fare
    Not applicable
    Takes
    Not applicable
    Season
    Wikivoyage records that during the Mela, buses terminate directly at the Harwood Point crossing and additional services start from Babughat, Howrah and Taratala in Kolkata; special trains run from Sealdah and even from New Delhi via Lucknow and Prayagraj; and cycle rickshaws at Kakdwip station charge a fixed ₹15 for a 4-person ride to the ferry because ordinary transport cannot cope with the crowd. A 2026 news report has the state government separately petitioning the Centre for National Fair status and central funding to modernise Mela infrastructure, which is a sign the state considers the current arrangement inadequate rather than evidence of what has already changed
    Booking
    Not applicable

    Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · millenniumpost.in (2026-07-18) · confidence medium

  11. 11
    Monsoon and cyclone season: embankment breaches, not a ferry suspensionservice status

    Sagar block and neighbouring South 24 Parganas coastal blocks

    Where
    Not applicable.
    When
    Not applicable
    Fare
    Not applicable
    Takes
    Not applicable
    Season
    A deep depression combined with a full-moon spring tide breached river embankments at Sumatinagar in the Gangasagar area, plus sites in Pathar Pratima and Gosaba, on 25-26 September 2026, flooding farmland with saline water; residents piled earth and geotextile bags to hold the breaches while the administration monitored the situation. The report describes flooding of land and villages, not a suspension of the ferry crossing itself, and no source checked confirms whether crossings were stopped during this event
    Booking
    Not applicable

    Sources: sangbadpratidin.in (2026-09-26) · confidence medium

Not yet confirmed: The Muriganga (Gangasagar) bridge's construction status after West Bengal's 2026 change of government (from Trinamool Congress to a BJP administration under Suvendu Adhikari) could not be confirmed on any source checked; ask the West Bengal PWD or the South 24 Parganas district administration for a current progress update.; No current, dated fare could be confirmed for the Namkhana-Chemaguri launch, the Sealdah-Kakdwip/Namkhana local train, the Esplanade-Lot No. 8 bus, the vehicle barge crossing (only a 2005 figure exists), or the Kachuberia-Gangasagar trekker; ask at the respective jetty, station or stand.; Autos (auto-rickshaws) were named as a possible mode on Sagar Island but no source checked confirmed a specific auto route, stand or fare distinct from the trekkers and cycle vans described here; ask at Kachuberia or Gangasagar.; No operator name could be confirmed for the Namkhana-Chemaguri crossing or the Harwood Point vehicle barge.; The West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation (SBSTC) and the South 24 Parganas district administration's own websites did not resolve from this connection (DNS failure, not a block), so no current WBTC/SBSTC timetable or fare table could be checked directly; a district or transport office visit or phone call would confirm current bus frequencies and fares.; Cyclone-season effects specific to the ferry crossing itself (rather than to farmland embankments) could not be confirmed for 2026; the West Bengal Disaster Management department or the Kakdwip subdivision office would be the source to ask..

The field note on Sagar Island and Gangasagar reads this entry in full, one option at a time, with every source beside it.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: iMahesh (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.