Lawachara National Park, Moulvibazar
Photo: Pallabkabir · CC BY-SA 4.0

Moulvibazar District · Sylhet Division · লাউয়াছড়া জাতীয় উদ্যান

Lawachara National Park travel guide

Evergreen rainforest; hoolock gibbons, monkeys and a railway through the forest.

🗓️ Best time to visitOctober–March; better chances of seeing animals early in the morning
⏱ How long it takes2–4 hours
💰 Estimated costSmall entry fee; guide ৳500–1,000 (depending on the trail)

At a glance

Area
About 1,250 hectares
Declared
1996
Famous animal
Hoolock gibbon
Location
Kamalganj, 8 km from Sreemangal

History and details

Lawachara is part of the West Bhanugach Reserved Forest and was declared a national park in 1996. It is one of Bangladesh's remaining mixed evergreen forests and one of the most studied forests in the country.

The forest has hoolock gibbons (Bangladesh's only ape), slow lorises, capped langurs, Phayre's langurs, barking deer and many other animals, plus about 250 species of birds. The Dhaka-Sylhet railway runs through the forest; a scene of the 1956 Hollywood film 'Around the World in 80 Days' is said to have been shot here.

Inside the forest is the Khasia community's Magurchhara Punji, where betel leaf is grown. In 1997 a blowout at the neighbouring Magurchhara gas field damaged part of the forest.

Things to do

  • Walk a half-hour, one-hour or three-hour trail with a guide
  • Try to hear the gibbons call at dawn
  • Take photos beside the railway (check the train times)
  • Visit the Khasia punji

How to get to Lawachara National Park

About 8 km from Sreemangal; by CNG.

Moulvibazar is about 200 km from Dhaka; the journey takes 4–5 hours.

  • 🚌 By bus: Sreemangal/Moulvibazar buses from Sayedabad (Hanif, Shyamoli, Ena), non-AC ৳500–650.
  • 🚆 By train: Parabat/Joyontika/Upaban from Kamalapur to Sreemangal, fare ৳300–900 (the most comfortable).

Where to stay

  • Grand Sultan Tea Resort & Golf (luxury)
  • Dusai Resort & Spa
  • BTRI/Parjatan tea resort
  • Many cottages and guesthouses in Sreemangal (৳1,500–4,000)

What to eat

Nilkantha's seven-layer tea, Khasia paan, hill pineapples

Good to know

  • There are half-hour, one-hour and three-hour trails — take a guide
  • There may be leeches — wear long socks
  • Keep quiet and you'll hear the gibbons call

More to see nearby

  • Madhabpur Lake (15 km)
  • Sreemangal tea gardens and Tea Museum (8 km)
  • Nilkantha Tea Cabin (10 km)
  • Baikka Beel (20 km)

More places to visit in Moulvibazar district

  • Sreemangal's tea gardens — Green tea gardens to the horizon, the Tea Museum and tea workers' life.
  • Madhabkunda Waterfall — The country's best-known waterfall, falling from about 200 feet.
  • Madhabpur Lake — A lake among tea-garden hillocks, where blue lotuses bloom in summer.
  • Hamham Waterfall — A waterfall deep in the Rajkandi forest; for adventure lovers.
  • Baikka Beel — A sanctuary in Hail Haor; a watchtower for winter migratory birds.
  • Hakaluki Haor — One of the country's biggest haors; hundreds of thousands of birds in winter.

Location on the map