With the holidays approaching fast, you might be confused about the best place to spend them. Why not explore the hidden beauties of Bangladesh and learn more about your own country. For our top picks for this season, read on.
Ratargul
About 35km northwest of Sylhet lies Ratargul, Bangladesh's only freshwater swamp forest, formed by the spilling over of the Gowain River into a 200-hectare jungle basin shaded by innumerable evergreens. The water level in this 'Amazonian' swamp peaks at about 7.5m in the rainy season, dropping to about 3m during winter. A variety of trees, including the readily recognisable millettia or koroch, stand with their trunks immersed in water and provide refuge to bird species such as kingfishers, cormorants, cranes and herons, as well as a large assortment of snakes.
Activities: Boat Tour
Exploring Ratargul's swamps on a skiff-like country boat can be an experience straight out of a Lara Croft movie. Winding in and out of several meandering water channels, rowing around trees and ducking to avoid creepers that hang low from the branches above, you can navigate these silent and still marshes and spot resident wildlife through the better part of a day. If you keep your eyes trained, you might even see a surefooted fishing cat go about preying on the fish in the water. However, stay on board your boat at all times.
Srimangal
Sylhet may be the primary city in the eponymous division, but sylvan Srimangal is the undoubted star of this region. Blessed with rolling hills carpeted with endless tea plantations, dense forest sanctuaries and a sprinkling of tribal villages, this place is bound to rank among your most treasured experiences in Bangladesh. The town itself is small, friendly and easy to manage, but it’s the surrounding countryside that’s the real draw, with hiking, wildlife-watching and, of course, tea-drinking all high on the agenda.
Sights: Tea Estates
The outlying region around Srimangal is covered with lush tea estates as far as the eyes can see. The closest ones of significance are Zareen Tea Estate and the British-owned Finlays Tea Estate, both of which you can walk or take a CNG to. Of academic and scientific importance is the Bangladesh Tea Research Institute, also within walking distance, where you could get up close and personal with the many nitty gritties of tea production.
Feature: Hum Hum Falls
For an off-the-beaten-track adventure, set aside a full day and try hiking from Srimangal to Hum Hum Falls.
Hidden in the depths of tropical forests, this tall waterfall is only a truly impressive sight during and just after the rainy season. During the rest of the year, it's dry but still makes an excellent hike through farmland and villages, the gardens of Champarai Tea Estate and finally through the beautiful jungles of Rajkandi Forest Reserve. Like Lowacherra National Park, the forests here are home to macaques and a few hoolock gibbons, although felling of trees and bamboo is sadly quite common. The walk is steep at times, and part of it involves wading through a river. Take plenty of water and packed lunch.
The walk from Kulmaghat to the falls takes around three hours one way. There are two routes to the falls, so don’t be alarmed if your guide walks back along a different track.
To get to Kulmaghat, take a bus from the Lowacherra bus stand in Srimangal to Upazilla (Tk 25, 45 minutes, 8am to 4pm) then change for Kulmaghat (Tk 30, 45 minutes). The last bus back to Upazilla is at 4.30pm. The last bus from there to Srimangal is at 6pm. If you get stranded, a shared CNG from Upazilla to Srimangal will cost Tk 50 per person.
A private CNG from Srimangal to Kulmaghat and back will cost at least Tk 1000 including waiting charges. You may be able to get your CNG driver to drive all the way to Kolabagan village, saving you about an hour of walking time each way.
Bagerhat
A fantastic open-air museum of medieval architectural heritage, Unesco-protected Bagerhat sends a shiver of excitement down the spines of archaeology buffs. Hidden among the green folds of the surrounding countryside of this sleepy town are more ancient mosques and mausoleums than anywhere else in Bangladesh (except Dhaka).
Bagerhat was built in the 15th century by one of the most revered saints in Bangladeshi history, Khan Jahan Ali, and is a significant cradle of Islam in Bangladesh. The crowning jewel of its fabulously little-known architectural collection is the Shait Gumbad Mosque – a multi-domed medieval masterpiece. Several other mosques and mausoleums, complemented by a spectacular landscape of tranquil paddies, tropical trees, ponds and birds, are a joy to explore.
The town, about 4km from the main sights, lacks decent hotels and restaurants, so it’s sensible to visit Bagerhat as a day trip from Khulna, which is a short bus ride away.
Feature: The Crocs of Thakur Dighi
The mausoleum complex of Khan Jahan Ali overlooks a placid pond known as Thakur Dighi, which until recently was home to two gigantic crocodiles reportedly more than 100 years old. Fondly named Dhalapahar and Kalapahar (literally 'white mountain' and 'black mountain' respectively), these languid creatures were a hit with camera-toting tourists as well as pilgrims, who fed them live chicken in return for divine blessings. Following their deaths in 2011 and 2014, local authorities released a fresh family of crocodiles in the water with the objective of keeping the fanfare alive. However, the new reptiles quickly earned a reputation for snapping at humans. Do not step into the water at any time.
-Lonely Planet
