Declared a national park in 1996, Lawachara preserves one of the last remaining tracts of moist tropical rainforest in eastern Bangladesh. Giant ficus, bamboo groves, and tall chapalish trees provide habitat for barking deer, slow lorises, and small family groups of Western Hoolock gibbons. Marked trails range from a short half-hour stroll to a three-hour hike following an old colonial railway line that cuts across the reserve. Walk early in the morning with a registered local eco-guide to hear the distinctive calls of gibbons.
- Best time
- November to March
- Give it
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Entry roughly ৳50 for adults; registered forest guide about ৳400–600 per trek
How to get to Lawachara National Park
About 8 km east of Sreemangal town along the Kamalganj road. A local CNG auto-rickshaw reaches the park entry gate in about 20 minutes.
Moulvibazar town is about 190 km from Dhaka, around 4.5 hours by road. Every way to get there is in the Moulvibazar guide.
Trains still run across the track cutting through the reserve; take care when walking along the rails.
More to see in Moulvibazar
Photo: David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Madhabpur Lake মাধবপুর লেক
A winding freshwater lake framed by terraced tea garden slopes and seasonal blue water lilies in Kamalganj.
- Best time
- October to March
- Give it
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Entry roughly ৳30; round-trip CNG auto-rickshaw from Sreemangal about ৳500–700
Photo: Hasan Iqbal from Stockholm, Sweden, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Baikka Beel বাইক্কা বিল
A 170-hectare permanent wetland sanctuary in Hail Haor featuring two observation watchtowers and winter waterfowl.
- Best time
- November to February
- Give it
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Entry roughly ৳30; CNG auto-rickshaw return from Sreemangal about ৳600–800
Photo: e_kechichian, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Madhabkunda Waterfall মাধবকুণ্ড জলপ্রপাত
A dramatic 49-metre waterfall dropping over a dark rocky precipice into a large natural plunge pool in Barlekha.
- Best time
- July to November
- Give it
- Half a day
- Cost
- Entry roughly ৳30; private vehicle or CNG hire from Moulvibazar town about ৳1,200–1,500 return
Photo: Mahmud Fahmi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Hum Hum Waterfall হামহাম জলপ্রপাত
A secluded double-tiered waterfall hidden inside the Rajkandi Reserve Forest, reached by a demanding stream-bed trek.
- Best time
- August to November
- Give it
- A full day
- Cost
- No official entry fee; local village guide roughly ৳500–700; transport from Sreemangal about ৳1,500–2,000