Sreemangal's tea gardens travel guide

At a glance

Nickname

The tea capital

Tea gardens

More than 40 in the upazila

Institution

Bangladesh Tea Research Institute (1957)

Best time

March–November

History and details

After commercial tea growing began in the Sylhet region in the mid-19th century, Sreemangal's hilly land proved ideal for tea. British companies brought workers from Bihar, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh to build the gardens; today's tea worker community are their descendants, with their own languages and culture.

Most of the country's tea is grown in Moulvibazar district, with Sreemangal at its centre. Here are the Bangladesh Tea Research Institute (BTRI) and the Tea Board's 'Tea Museum', which shows old machinery and documents of the tea industry.

Another Sreemangal attraction is the layered seven-colour tea invented by Romesh Ram Gour of Nilkantha Tea Cabin. Cycling or riding a CNG along the roads through the gardens and staying at a resort make it the country's main nature-tourism hub.

Things to do

• Have seven-layer tea at Nilkantha Tea Cabin
• Visit the Tea Museum and BTRI area (with permission)
• Watch tea leaves being plucked in the morning
• Stay a night at a tea garden resort

How to get to Sreemangal's tea gardens

All around Sreemangal town; tour by bicycle or 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
• Dusai Resort & Spa
• Tea Resort & Museum
• Many guesthouses in town

What to eat

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

Good to know

• Don't disturb tea workers while they work
• Permission is needed to enter BTRI

More to see nearby

• Lawachara National Park (8 km)
• Baikka Beel (15 km)
• Madhabpur Lake (20 km)
• Sitesh Babu's Zoo (near town)

More places to visit in Moulvibazar district

• Lawachara National Park — Evergreen rainforest; hoolock gibbons, monkeys and a railway through the forest.
• 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