Ratargul Swamp Forest

Ratargul is a freshwater swamp forest north of Sylhet, one of very few in the country and among a small number of such forests in the world, where the trees stand in water for several months of the year as the monsoon raises the level by several metres and then falls again. In the wet season small wooden boats are paddled between the trunks with the canopy closing overhead and the water still and dark beneath, which is the reason to come and only works when the water is up; in the dry months it is a wood with a stream through it and boats cannot go far. Snakes, monkeys and a good bird list are present. The forest is small, a few hundred hectares, and it is under real pressure from visitor numbers.

What you actually see

• Trees standing in water - the flooded forest in the wet season.
• Paddling between trunks - small boats moving under the canopy.
• Still dark water - the surface beneath the closed canopy.
• A rare habitat - one of a small number of freshwater swamp forests.

When to go

July to September, when the water is high, which is the monsoon and otherwise the worst travel season; outside it the point of the place is gone. Half a day. Engine boats should be refused in favour of paddled ones.

Honest expectations

It only works in the monsoon, when travel elsewhere is difficult. Visitor pressure is damaging the forest and engine boats are used despite rules. It is small and the trip is short. Litter is a serious problem. Snakes are present.

Nearby

Sylhet is south; Jaflong and Bisnakandi lie north-east.