Moulvibazar, Sylhet
Rainforest trails and the home of the hoolock gibbon, with a railway line running through.
A Khasi village lies inside the forest, where families grow betel leaf on vines climbing the trees. Nearby, the villages of Kamalganj are home to the Manipuri community, known for its dance and handloom weaving. Visit respectfully and ask before photographing people or homes.
Lawachara National Park, near Sreemangal in Kamalganj upazila, is one of the best-known rainforests in Bangladesh. It is a patch of tall, mixed evergreen forest on low hills, protected as a national park since the 1990s, and much of it was planted or managed in the British period.
It is above all the home of the hoolock gibbon, the only ape found in Bangladesh, whose loud whooping calls echo through the forest in the early morning. Capped langurs, macaques, many birds, and insects and reptiles of every kind live here too.
One odd feature is the railway line that runs straight through the forest, part of the Dhaka–Sylhet line; seeing a train emerge from the trees is part of Lawachara’s charm, and a scene from the 1956 Hollywood film Around the World in 80 Days is said to have been shot here. Inside the park there is also a Khasi village, where families grow betel leaf.
Take a CNG to the park gate as early as it opens.
Walk one of the marked trails slowly and quietly, listening for gibbons and birds.
See the line cutting through the trees — from a safe distance, off the tracks.
Return to Sreemangal for breakfast or an early lunch and a cup of seven-layer tea.
October to March for dry trails; the forest is lushest in the rainy season but muddy, with leeches. Go early morning for wildlife.
About 8 km from Sreemangal town on the Kamalganj road: 15–20 minutes by CNG.
The park is explored on foot. From the entrance, marked trails of different lengths — from a short loop of under an hour to a walk of a few hours — lead through the forest. Ask at the entrance which trails are open and whether a guide is needed.
