Sylhet
Streams tumbling down from the hills over boulders, at their best in the rainy season.
Bisnakandi is in Gowainghat, at a point where the hills of Meghalaya fold together and several streams come tumbling down. Layer upon layer of green hills rise behind one another, and the water runs fast and clear over a wide bed of boulders before spreading out into the river on the Bangladesh side.
Like Jaflong and Bholaganj, it has long been a place where people collect stone from the river bed, and the villages around it are quiet farming and stone-working communities. It became widely known as a tourist spot only in recent years.
What draws people is the water: in the rainy season the streams are full and white, and sitting in the shallow, rushing water among the boulders with clouds sitting on the hills is unforgettable. The boat ride from the ghat, across open water with the hills slowly getting closer, is part of the trip.
Hire a CNG or car for the day and set off soon after sunrise.
Agree a fare at the ghat and take the boat across the open water towards the hills.
Spend a couple of hours in the shallow water among the boulders, staying out of the strong channels.
Change, eat near the spot or the ghat, and head back to Sylhet before dark.
June to October, when the streams are full. In winter there is little water; right after very heavy rain the current can be too strong.
By CNG or car to Hadarpar in Gowainghat, 1.5–2 hours from Sylhet city, then a boat to Bisnakandi.
From the ghat, engine boats cross the open water to Bisnakandi. Once there, you walk over the boulders to the streams; the boat waits for the agreed time.
