Tangail, Dhaka
A sal forest on the red-soil Madhupur tract, home to monkeys, birds and the Garo and Koch communities, with walking trails under the trees.
The Garo (Mandi) community of Madhupur is matrilineal and largely Christian, and keeps its own language and traditions. Wangala, the post-harvest festival, is celebrated in late autumn; Christmas is also a big occasion in the forest villages.
The Madhupur tract is an area of slightly raised, red-soil land between the Jamuna and the Old Brahmaputra. It was once covered by a broad sal forest, and the national park protects part of what remains.
The forest has long been home to the Garo (Mandi) and Koch communities, whose villages, churches and fields lie around and inside it. Much of the old forest has been lost to farms and plantations, and the area’s pineapple and banana gardens are famous.
The park is a quiet place of tall sal trees, birdsong and rhesus and capped langur monkeys, with roads and footpaths to walk along.
Take a morning bus from Tangail town to Madhupur.
Walk the roads and paths near the park entrance and watch for monkeys and birds.
Eat in the bazar and, in season, buy pineapples.
Head back to Tangail town in the afternoon.
October to February; the forest is green after the monsoon and the trails are dry in winter.
On the Tangail–Mymensingh road north of Madhupur town. Take a bus from Tangail town to Madhupur (about 1.5–2 hours), then a CNG or local bus towards Rasulpur and the park entrance.
