From July to October, rain and upstream floodwaters submerge the paddy fields of Nikli, creating a freshwater sea with gentle waves extending to the horizon. Motorised wooden boats leave from the Nikli Beribadh embankment to cruise past elevated island villages, watchtowers and the submerged swamp forest at Chhirarchar. Visitors often swim in the clear open water and eat freshly caught river fish at simple restaurants along the embankment. As winter arrives the water drains away, exposing lush green boro rice seedlings.
- Best time
- July to October
- Give it
- Half a day
- Cost
- Engine boat hire roughly ৳800–1,500 for two hours; CNG from town about ৳70–100 per seat
How to get to Nikli Haor
About 27 km east of Kishoreganj town. Local CNG auto-rickshaws run regularly from Kishoreganj to Nikli Beribadh in roughly 45 minutes.
Kishoreganj town is about 130 km from Dhaka, around 3.5 hours by road. Every way to get there is in the Kishoreganj guide.
The haor is flooded only from July to October; in the dry winter months it becomes dry farmland.
More to see in Kishoreganj
Photo: Azimronnie, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Sholakia Eidgah Maidan শোলাকিয়া ঈদগাহ ময়দান
A historic seven-acre prayer ground on the Narasunda River where hundreds of thousands gather for Eid prayers.
- Best time
- Eid-ul-Fitr morning, or November to February
- Give it
- About an hour
- Cost
- Free to visit; rickshaw from town centre roughly ৳30
Photo: Generalrafiq, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Chandrabati Temple চন্দ্রাবতী শিব মন্দির
A 16th-century terracotta Shiva temple built on the Phuleshwari River by Chandrabati, the first woman poet in Bengali literature.
- Best time
- November to March
- Give it
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Entry free; auto-rickshaw from town centre about ৳40–60 each way
Photo: Tarunno, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Qutub Shah Mosque কুতুব শাহ মসজিদ
A five-domed 16th-century Sultanate brick mosque standing deep in the haor country of Austagram beside a saint's tomb.
- Best time
- July to October by boat, or December to February by road
- Give it
- Half a day
- Cost
- Entry free; boat or auto across the haor roughly ৳300–500