Ratargul Swamp Forest
রাতারগুল জলাবন
A freshwater swamp forest where you glide by boat between half-submerged trees in green, silent water.
Ratargul is one of the few freshwater swamp forests in Bangladesh. In the rainy season the forest floor floods several feet deep, and small wooden boats slip between the trunks of hijal, koroch and other water-tolerant trees. The light is green and the water dark and still, and you may spot kingfishers, monkeys and snakes in the branches. In the dry months the water drains away and the forest is much less striking.
How to get there
From Sylhet city take a CNG to Motorghat (about 1 hr), then a boat into the forest.
Good to know
Go early in the morning; carry an umbrella; keep hands inside the boat because of snakes. Avoid during flood warnings.
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