Unseen Bangladesh
Sunamganj District · Sylhet Division · টাঙ্গুয়ার হাওর
Tanguar Haor travel guide
A Ramsar site; sea-like water in the monsoon, hijol-koroch forest and migratory birds in winter.
At a glance
- Area
- About 100 sq km (larger in the monsoon)
- Distinction
- Ramsar site (2000)
- Location
- Tahirpur and Dharmapasha
- Birds
- 200+ species in winter
History and details
Tanguar Haor, at the foot of the Meghalaya hills, is one of the country's biggest freshwater wetlands. It is made up of about 46 villages and over a hundred large and small beels. Locals describe it as 'nine score kandas, six score beels'.
In 1999 the government declared it an ecologically critical area, and in 2000 it was recognised as the country's second Ramsar site (a wetland of international importance) after the Sundarbans. The fishing-lease system once damaged the haor's natural resources; later community-based management was introduced.
In the monsoon the haor grows as vast as a sea and the hijol-koroch forest stands under water; in winter, as the water falls, hundreds of thousands of migratory birds arrive. In recent years spending a night on the haor in a wooden houseboat has become one of the country's most popular travel experiences.
Things to do
- Spend a night on a houseboat
- Swim in the hijol forest near the watchtower wearing a life jacket
- See migratory birds in winter
- Combine Niladri Lake, Barikka Tila and the Shimul Garden from Tekerghat
How to get to Tanguar Haor
From Sunamganj to Tahirpur, then by boat/houseboat.
Sunamganj is about 300 km from Dhaka; the journey takes 6–7 hours.
- 🚌 By bus: Sunamganj buses from Sayedabad/Mohakhali (Mamun, Shyamoli, Ena), non-AC ৳700–800.
- 🚗 By road: About 2 hours by bus from Sylhet to Sunamganj.
Where to stay
- Houseboats (Joler Gaan, Dulki, Lal Bajra etc. — book ahead)
- Basic rest house at Tekerghat
What to eat
Fresh haor fish, duck curry
Good to know
- You can swim in the hijol forest near the watchtower — life jackets are compulsory
- Don't throw plastic or rubbish in the haor
- Mobile network is weak — tell your family in advance
More to see nearby
- Niladri Lake, Tekerghat
- Barikka Tila and the Jadukata River
- Shimul Garden
- Lakmachhara (near Tekerghat)
More places to visit in Sunamganj district
- Niladri Lake (Tekerghat) — A blue lake in an old limestone quarry, at the foot of the hills.
- Barikka Tila — Views of the Jadukata River and the Meghalaya hills from the hillock.
- Jadukata River — A river of clear blue water and white sand.
- Shimul Garden — A garden of hundreds of silk-cotton (shimul) trees; covered in red flowers in Falgun.
- Hason Raja Museum — The house and memorial museum of the mystic poet Hason Raja.