Forest and mangrove, Bagerhat
Harbariaহাড়বাড়িয়া
- Time needed
- A full day from Mongla, about two hours each way by boat.
- best months
- Nov–Mar
- Cost
- Forest entry ৳150 a day for Bangladeshis and ৳2,000 for foreigners outside the sanctuaries, plus the boat, the guard and a camera fee; a tour operator or boatman arranges the permit.
The deep-forest day trip: a kilometre of boardwalk ending at a watchtower in the Chandpai range, two hours down the Pasur from Mongla, with a permit and an armed guard.
Plan your visit
- Opening
- Two ticketed slots a day, 9:00–13:00 and 13:00–17:00; closed June to August.
- Best time
- November to March, the morning slot.
At a glance
- Range
- Chandpai, Sundarbans East division
- Trail
- About 1 km of boardwalk to a tower
- Permit
- Forest Department permit and an armed guard
About
Harbaria is where the Sundarbans stops being a park. The eco-tourism centre sits on the Pasur's east bank about 20 kilometres below Mongla, inside the Chandpai range, and the boat ride alone, past Karamjal and on down the widening river with nothing but forest on both sides, is half the experience. From the jetty a wooden trail runs a kilometre into the trees, across a pond, to a viewing tower; the ground around is pocked with crab holes, the sundari trees push their breathing roots up through the mud like spikes, and now and then there are pugmarks on the bank. Tigers are here. You are unlikely to see one, and a forest guard with a rifle walks with every party, which is both reassuring and a reminder.
It is quieter and far wilder than Karamjal, and the forest department limits visitors by ticketing two slots a day. Birds are the realistic prize: kingfishers of several kinds, herons, brahminy kites, and in winter migrants on the river. Most people do it as a day trip from Mongla or Khulna, often combined with Karamjal on the way back.
Getting there: By boat only, about 20 km down the Pasur from Mongla ghat; roughly two hours by engine boat, less by launch.
Things to do
- Walk the trail slowly and look down as much as up: crabs, mudskippers, pugmarks.
- Watch the river from the tower at the turn of the tide.
- Stop at Karamjal on the way back if the light holds.
Good to know
- Book through a Mongla or Khulna operator; they handle the permit, guard and a boat that can take the river.
- Wear dull colours, bring water and a hat; there is nothing to buy past Mongla.
- Mobile signal fades past Karamjal.
