Ratargul Swamp Forest

Ratargul is the only swamp forest in Bangladesh (Ratargul Swamp Forest) . It is located in Goainghat upazila about 22 km from Sylhet district city. The Ratargul forest is spread over an area of ​​about 30,325 acres. 504 acres of this vast area is forested and the rest is full of small water bodies. But the entire area looks the same in monsoons.

Ratargul is known as 'Sundarban of Sylhet'. The Ratargul wetland remains under water for four to five months in a year. At that time, tourists from different parts of Bangladesh flocked to see the forest trees submerged in water. Many tourists refer to Ratargul as the 'Amazon of Bangladesh'. Different species of birds can be seen on the branches of trees during monsoons, and some wild animals also take shelter in the branches of trees. In addition, thousands of guests sit in Ratargul's reservoir during the winter. Generally July to October (end of monsoon) is the best time to visit Ratargul.

Ratargul is a natural forest, the local forest department planted several trees here including Hijal, Varun, Karach. Also, about 25 species of water tolerant plants including Kadam, Jalibet, Arjuna are seen here. In 1973, the Bangladesh Forest Department declared 504 acres of Ratargul forest as a wildlife sanctuary.

Sylhet-bound buses depart from Dhaka's Gabtali, Fakirapool and Syedabad bus terminals. Green Line, Saudia, S Alam, Shyamli, Ena etc. AC bus ticket price per person is Tk 1,000 to Tk 1,500 depending on the bus. And non-AC bus ticket price per person is 600 to 800 taka.

From Dhaka to Sylhet by train you can choose Upaban, Jayantika, Parabat or Kalni Express trains from Kamalapur or Biman Bandar railway station as your travel companion. Dhaka to Sylhet train ticket fare is from Tk 375 to Tk 1288 according to the class. You can also go to Sylhet from Chittagong by train, two trains named Paharika and Udayan Express run 6 days a week.

You can choose the air route to go from Dhaka in the fastest time and comfortably. From Shahjalal International Airport, flights of Biman Bangladesh, Novo Air, Air Astra and US Bangla Air ply Dhaka-Sylhet route.

The distance from Sylhet city to Ratargul is about 22 km. So you can go from Sylhet in the morning and come back in the afternoon. If there are a few people together, you can rent CNG or Laguna for the whole day. The rent for the whole day will be 1500 to 2500 taka. You can visit Bholaganj or Bichnakandi with Ratargul if you want. Be sure to bargain to reserve CNG. There is a government fee to enter Ratargul and small fishermen's boats are available to enter the forest. A small boat can seat 4-5 people. Boat fare is 750 Tk.

There are many quality residential hotels and rest houses at low rents in Lala Bazar area and Darga Road Where you will get different types of rooms for 500 to 1000 taka. Besides, you can stay in hotels like Hill Town, Gulshan, Darga Gate, Surma, Kaikobad etc. according to your needs and capacity.

Good serviced residential hotels include Hotel Holy Gate, Holy Inn, La Vista Hotel, Pansy Inn, Hotel Metro International, Britannia Hotel, etc. Staying in these hotels will cost from Tk 2,000 to Tk 10,000. Luxury hotels and resorts include Nirvana Inn, Hotel Noor Jahan Grand, Rose View Hotel, Nazimgar Resort, Grand Palace and some others. The cost per night will be between 8,000 to 30,000 taka.

Be aware that snakes usually take shelter in the branches of various trees after the forest is submerged in the monsoons. Apart from this, there is also an infestation of leeches. If you don't know how to swim, carry a life jacket. Take umbrella and raincoat if necessary.

Apart from Ratargul tour, the popular tourist places nearby are Bholaganj , Bichnakandi , Jaflong , Lalakhal and Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) shrine etc.