Gajni Obokash Kendraগজনী অবকাশ কেন্দ্র

Gajni sits in Kangsha union of Jhenaigati, right where the plains end and the red hills of the Garo range begin; Meghalaya is a few hundred metres north. The district administration opened it in 1993 on about 90 acres of hillside forest, and over thirty years it has grown into the busiest picnic ground in greater Mymensingh.

The road in from Rangtia Bazar runs under a canopy of gajari and sal and ends at the lake, made by damming a hill stream between two ridges. A swinging bridge crosses to a pentagon pavilion on an island, pedal boats and painted boats go out from the bank, and a floating bridge was added across the water recently. From the rest house on the ridge a winding stair called the Padma Siri drops to the foot of the hill, past an artificial waterfall and a tunnel locals call Patalpuri.

The watchtower is the thing to climb: from the top you see the whole centre, the forest running up into Meghalaya's ridges and, if you are lucky, wild elephants on the border slopes. For the rest there are concrete dinosaurs, a dragon tunnel and a giraffe for the children, a cable car and a zipline over the valley, a mini zoo with about forty kinds of animals, an aquarium, a Liberation War memorial with a small museum, and an "Adivasi Palli" of sculptures showing Garo village life.

Getting there: From Shapla Chattar in Sherpur town, a local bus or CNG to Jhenaigati and on to Rangtia Bazar, then the park road; or reserve an auto or microbus for the day, which most people combine with Madhutila.