Road:- To visit Gangasagar, the best way is to take Diamond Harbour Road from Kolkata. You will have to drive around 90 km (from Esplanade bus Terminus of Kolkata) and reach Harwood ferry point near Kakdwip. The Panchyat Samity maintains a parking area near the ferry point and charges Rs.80 (During Mela Time the charge will be high*) for cars for a day. Park your car there and walk a few minutes to reach the ferry point (called Lot no-8). The ferry service charge per adult is Rs 8.00 (During Mela Time the charge will be high*) for Sagar Island and children up to 5 years are exempt. During day time ferry service frequency is 45 minutes apart. It takes about 30 to 45 minutes to reach Kachuberia, the landing point on Sagar Island which is about 3.9 km through the Ganges river (also known as Hooghly River or Muriganga river locally). If the tides are low one can go by small boats which generally charge Rs 100 or 200 (During Mela Time the charge will be high) per head and take around 40 minutes. From there one can take any shared jeep or bus which generally charges Rs 30 per person (32 km) and takes around 45 minutes to reach Gangasagar, the confluence of the river Ganges with the Bay of Bengal. If there is a group of 5-6 people it is advisable to take a private jeep/car which will charge around Rs. 1,300 to 1,900 for both sides during the off-season (i.e. except Makar Sankranti times in Mid January every year). The car and buses are parked near the pilgrim site. From the parking area, the Kapil Muni Temple is about 200 meters and the Gangasagar confluence is about 700 meters. Platform rickshaws from the bus stand/car parking area are available for Rs.20 per person or Rs.200 for up to eight persons and shall take you to the Gangasagar confluence first and then to Kapil Muni Temple after you have finished your holy dip and worship at the confluence and then back to the parking area. All these take about 2 hours. November to February is the best season to visit Gangasagar. As a rough guideline, You should start by 7.00 AM from Kolkata and reach Harwood’s point by 10 AM. You will then be able to reach Kachuberia by 11 AM and Gangasagar by 12 AM. If you start back by 2.30 PM you would reach back Harwood point by 4 PM and Kolkata by 7 PM. This time table is valid for travel by car both from Kolkata to Harwood point and back and also from Kachuberia to Gangasagar and back. Mind it you can avail last ferry service from Kachuberia on Sagar Island at 8 PM. at the Gangasagar Mela area available of various accommodation.

Bus:- Sagar Island can be approached from either Harwood point or Namkhana. Both the points are linked by Calcutta State Transport Corporation (CSTC) or West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation buses. The distance of Harwood Point is around 80 km from Kolkata and Namkhana is 13 Kilometers more. Bus fare from Kolkata (Esplanade) to Namkhana is around Rs.40 -50 (approx, Rs. 60 during Mela). During the Mela, busses will end at the ferry crossing in Harwood point (or also called ‘Lot 8’), and they will start in Kolkata also from Babughat, Howrah RS, and Tarantola in South Kolkata. From Kakdwip, Harwood Point is only 5 km. and Namkhana is 12 km. by bus or jeep. During the Mela cycle-rickshaws operate between RS and ferry jetty, the price was fixed at 15 Rs per person on a 4 pax rickshaw. Trains tend to be overcrowded and are definitely a challenge during Mela’s time.

Board a Kakdwip-bound bus from Esplanade to Harwood Point, a three-hour ride. Cross the river Muriganga by boat and reach Kachuberia. From Kachuberia a bus will take you to Sagardwip (30km) within an hour. Minibus and hired cars are available for the journey. It would take five hours to reach the island from Kolkata. As an alternative, you can take a bus to Namkhana from Kolkata to Namkhana (105) km. From Namkhana you can reach Chemaguri across the river Muriganga by launch and from Chamaguri to Gangasagar by bus (10km). Boats from Harwood Point and Kachuberia are available every hour.

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Ferry:- To reach Sagar Island one must cross the Muriganga river/creek by ferry service. Ferry service is available in both Harwood point and Namkhana and controlled by West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation. The frequency of crossings is more in Harwood’s point and it is once in every half an hour. The fare for a single crossing for a person is Rs. 8-10. The fare increases at the time of the Ganagasagar Mela Fair.

After reaching Sagar Island one has to cross the whole stretch of Sagar Island (30 Km.) by local bus or shared taxi. The fare should be around Rs.10. A private jeep charges around 800-900 Rs. for one way, so if shared by 9 pax a fare of 100 Rs. is a fair price. There is no accommodation available on the point of crossing (Kachuberia), so everybody has to travel the whole stretch of the Island and reach the southernmost part, where accommodations are abundant. Except from Namkhana and Harwood Point, there is also direct ferry service available to Kachuberia (Sagar Island) from Haldia. It is possible to go the entire length by private car or hired car from Kolkata. At Harwood Point, there is the provision to transport vehicles with the help of a barge locally known as LCT. There is no fixed time for the crossings because it is totally dependent on the water-level and thus, on the tides. The charge for a light or a medium vehicle is Rs. 250-300. The fare increases at the time of Ganagasagar Mela (The Fair). The rates are approximate only, chances for variation.

Rail:- Kolkata is well connected with the rest of India by Howrah and Sealdah station. Howrah Station is the largest and second busiest station in India while Sealdah station is the busiest station in India.

You can go by local train from Sealdah South terminus of Kolkata to Kakdwip station to visit Sagar island. In the morning hours three trains are available for Kakdwip (Namkhana Locals), at 4.00 am, 5.09 am and 7.15 am. These trains take about 2 hours 25 minutes to reach Kakdwip station. Kakdwip is 95 km far from Sealdah by train.

Therefore if you board the 7.15 am Namkhana local, you would reach kakdwip by 10 am and ferry ghat by 10.30 am. You are most likely to reach Kachuberiya on Sagar island by 11.30 am and at Gangasagar confluence by 12.30 pm. If you start back by 3.00 pm, you would reach Lot no-8 ferry ghat by 5.00 pm and at kakdwip station by 5.30 pm. Up Namkhana-Sealdah Local is available at 5.47 pm at Namkhana station and you will be back at sealdah station by 8.30 pm as of January 2017.

(Sealdah to Kakdwip and Kakdwip to Sealdah trains)

Air:- The nearest airport to Gangasagar is the Kolkata International Airport which is situated at a distance of around 129 km. It is well-linked with several cities. One can get regular flights from here. There are weekly helicopter services from the Behala flying club in Kolkata to Sagar Island which fly every Sunday. The service is facilitated by the government of West Bengal.

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