Bhawal National Park

Bhawal covers about five thousand hectares of sal forest on the low red laterite terrace north of Dhaka, part of what was once a much larger forest belt across the Madhupur tract, and it is the closest substantial woodland to the capital, which is what it is used for: Dhaka families come at weekends for picnics, walking and boating on the small lakes, and the park has facilities built for that. The sal is a deciduous hardwood and the forest is fairly open, with patches of plantation and scrub. Wildlife is limited compared with what the forest once held, with monkeys, jackals and a good bird list rather than large mammals, and a fenced deer enclosure holds spotted deer.

History

The forest was part of the Madhupur woods held by the Bhawal estate, once home to peacocks, tigers, leopards, elephants and sambar, and most of the area was still sal forest fifty years ago. It was set up and run as a national park from 1974 and formally declared one in 1982 under the Wildlife Act, with a core of 940 hectares within 5,022 hectares of surrounding forest, though much of the wildlife has gone and illegal felling has taken a large share of the original woods (Wikipedia, Bhawal National Park).

Highlights

• Open sal forest - the deciduous woodland of the Madhupur tract.
• Small lakes with boats - the water used by weekend visitors.
• A spotted deer enclosure - the fenced herd in the park.
• The nearest forest to Dhaka - forty kilometres from the capital.

When to go

November to March. Half a day. Weekends and public holidays are extremely busy with Dhaka visitors; weekdays are quiet. The drive out on the Mymensingh highway is slow.

Good to know

Wildlife is limited and large mammals are gone. The park is heavily used for picnics and litter is a serious problem at weekends. Facilities are dated. The forest is fragmented by roads and encroachment.

Nearby

Gazipur is south; Madhupur National Park lies north.

Key facts