Ratargul, the only recognized swamp forest in the country, is located in the Gowainghat of Sylhet. Gowain river is situated in the north, a large extensive marsh in the south, and In the middle there is the ‘water forest’ Ratargul which is known as the Amazon of Bengal.
I went to Sylhet city from Dhaka. You can come to Sylhet directly from Dhaka by road, rail and air. You can also come to Sylhet from Chittagong. From Dhaka, Greenline Paribahan, Sohag Paribahan, Saudia Paribahan’s AC bus goes to Sylhet. Rent from Tk. 800 to Tk. 1000. But I am a cheap tourist. I always find a cheap and comfortable way to travel. So I used the Upaban Express train for travelling. The Upaban Express leaves at 9:50 pm every day of the week except Wednesdays. The rent varies from Tk 150 to Tk 1,000. (USD 1 = 84.45 BDT)
From Amberkhana point in Sylhet I reached the motor ghat (via Saheb Bazar) by Leguna, the fare will be 100-150 BDT for a single person and it will take an hour. I was in a group. We hired full Leguna for the whole day travelling. Then We took a dinghy boat directly from the motor ghat to the forest, it will cost 800 BDT for 2 hours. 4 people can ride on a boat. This way is more time flexible and inexpensive.
There are many hotels to stay in Sylhet, in Sylhet you can find any type of hotel according to your needs and affordability. Some of the well known hotels are Hotel Hill Town, Gulshan, Dargah Gate, Surma, Kaikobad etc. However, there may be a seat crisis during the festival, so it is better to book in advance 2/3 days before departure. There are many quality rest houses at low rent in the Lala Bazar area, too.
There are several good hotels in sylhet town and Zindabazar. The hotels are Panch Vai (five brothers), panshi and palki etc. They have many traditional and local dishes to taste in. You don’t forget to taste “seven colors tea” in Red Kontho Tea Stall.
