Ratargul Swamp Forest, Sylhet
Photo: Tawkir.ahmad · CC BY-SA 4.0

Sylhet District · Sylhet Division · রাতারগুল জলাবন

Ratargul Swamp Forest travel guide

The country's only freshwater swamp forest; boat among the trees in the monsoon.

🗓️ Best time to visitJuly–October (the forest is flooded in the monsoon)
⏱ How long it takes3–4 hours
💰 Estimated costDinghy ৳800–1,500 (4–5 people); CNG hire from Sylhet ৳1,500–2,000

At a glance

Area
About 504 acres (the protected area is larger)
Location
Gowainghat, about 26 km from Sylhet city
Protection
1973, wildlife sanctuary/reserved forest
Under water
About 4–5 months in the monsoon

History and details

Ratargul is Bangladesh's only recognised freshwater swamp forest. The name is thought to come from the 'rata' or murta plant in the Sylheti language; murta is used to weave shitalpati mats.

In the monsoon the forest floods with water from the Gowain River and Chengi canal; the trunks of hijol, koroch, barun, cane and kadam trees sit 20–30 feet under water. Then you can glide among the trees in a dinghy — something possible nowhere else in the country. In the dry season, when the water recedes, it looks like an ordinary forest.

The forest has monkeys, monitor lizards, snakes, egrets, kingfishers and many kinds of fish. A Forest Department watchtower gives a view over the whole canopy. Boat numbers and movement are controlled to protect the forest from too many visitors.

Things to do

  • Tour inside the forest by dinghy
  • See the forest from above from the watchtower
  • Eat local food near Motorghat

How to get to Ratargul Swamp Forest

In Gowainghat; about 26 km from Sylhet city by CNG, then a boat.

Sylhet is about 240 km from Dhaka; the journey takes 5–6 hours.

  • 🚌 By bus: Green Line, Ena, Hanif, Shyamoli from Sayedabad/Fakirapul; non-AC ৳650–750, AC ৳1,200–1,600.
  • 🚆 By train: Parabat, Joyontika, Kalni, Upaban Express from Kamalapur; fare about ৳375–1,100.
  • ✈️ By air: Biman, US-Bangla, Novoair; one way ৳3,500–6,000, 45 minutes.

Where to stay

  • Rose View Hotel
  • Nirvana Inn
  • Grand Sylhet Hotel & Resort
  • Mid-range hotels at Dargah Gate and Zindabazar (৳1,500–3,500)

What to eat

Meat with satkora, bhorta-rice at Panch Bhai/Panshi restaurants, tea

Good to know

  • Keep balanced in the small dinghy; take a life jacket
  • There may be snakes on branches — don't touch
  • See the whole forest from the watchtower

More to see nearby

  • Bichanakandi (30 km)
  • Panthumai Waterfall (35 km)
  • Lakshmanchhara (8 km)
  • Sylhet city (26 km)

More places to visit in Sylhet district

  • Jaflong — The Piyain River, stones and clear water below India's Meghalaya hills; Khasia punjis nearby.
  • Bichanakandi — Clear water flowing down from the hills over a bed of stones; most beautiful in the monsoon and autumn.
  • Lalakhal — A river of blue-green water and tea gardens; boat trips.
  • Sada Pathor, Bholaganj — White stones and cold clear water from the hills at the mouth of the Dhalai River.
  • Shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (R) — One of the country's main spiritual pilgrimage sites.
  • Malnicherra Tea Garden — The subcontinent's first commercial tea garden (1854).
  • Panthumai Waterfall — A big waterfall coming down from the Meghalaya hills, seen from the river.

Location on the map