Two Day Srimangal Tour

Srimangal was my favorite place in Bangladesh and one that is often overlooked by the few tourists that do venture out to Bangladesh. Srimangal lies in the Sylhet Division of the country, just four hours east of Dhaka by train. Not only is Sylhet considered the most scenic region in the country, but it is also the wealthiest. In fact, most overseas Bengalis, especially those in the U.K, come from this region. I came here for one reason however, to see the famous tea gardens, which accounts for around 3% of the world’s tea production!

How to Plan for Srimangal

I went through Pathfriend Tour to set up my two day Srimangal tour. For a single person it costs 16,000 taka or $188 USD, which includes everything (hotel, food, transport, etc).

Mohan, my tour guide, was the coolest tour guide I’ve ever had in all my years of travel. Having him alone was worth the tour. Despite being born and raised in Bangladesh, he knew so much about the U.S. and American culture. We bonded over music and played Curren$y and Biggie Smalls on my bluetooth speaker cruising through the streets as he rapped along. The man was that cool. With Mohan, there is no need to plan really, Mohan will handle any concerns you may have.

The Journey in Srimangal

Mohan picked me up from my hotel in Dhaka at 6:00 AM and we made our way to the train station. Waiting at the train station was entertaining, you could see tons of people sitting on top of the trains as if it was nothing.

Not a soul paid them any mind, but for me, I thought it was cool. The quality of the train was decent, nothing special, but the views along the way were memorable. Vast green fields, the countryside, and little children playing cricket, kind of what I envisioned beforehand.

We arrived four hours later. Coming from Dhaka, this town was a huge change of pace, way less crowded and air you could breathe.

We checked in our hotel, grabbed some lunch and were off to the tea gardens, which was just about a 20 minute drive away from the city center.

The tea gardens were massive and surprisingly empty…..Did I mention Bangladesh doesn’t get much tourism? Anyway, the fields were beautiful, just rows and rows of tea. To think this place accounts for 3% of the world’s tea production is amazing. Mohan and I spent hours roaming the gardens and the surrounding areas.

The tea gardens are interesting; it’s enclosed within a community as well. Not only did I get the benefit of seeing the gardens and tea production process, but I was able to see minority communities and villages in the process. This was absolutely one of my favorite parts of the journey.

Afterwards, we headed over to Adi Nilkantha Tea Cabin, home of the world-famous 7 layer tea. This tea consists of three different types of locally produced black and green tea, cinnamon, cloves, lemon, and condensed milk. What makes this place special is it’s the only one in the world that serves it. After a long trek through the tea gardens, it was refreshing to sit down and have a glass, even better knowing the tea was made from the freshest leaves grown right here.

After tea, we walked through the town and ended the day watching a local cricket match. Not a bad first day in Srimangal.

Day 2 in Srimangal

The second day in Srimangal was much shorter than the first, in reality, it was more so half a day. Our first stop was Lawachara National Park.

Lawachara is a semi-evergreen forest, which consists of over 400 different species. Mohan and I arrived before the park even opened, but seeing how I was a foreigner, the guards let us in for a small fee.

Fun fact: Lawachara was one of the filming sites for the 1956 movie Around the World in 80 Days.

The park was ok, nothing too special, but it made for a relaxing way to start the day.

We didn’t stay in the park too long, maybe an hour and a half max.  Our next destination was across the other side of town to see this lake, which lies nearby the Indian border.

This was our final stop for the day before heading back to the city center for lunch. Mohan and I boarded the bus bound for Dhaka at 2, arriving in the evening.

Thoughts?

I enjoyed my time in Srimangal and recommend a visit here if you have the time. Life here is slow-paced, simple, and laid back. After being in Dhaka for a few days, I needed a break from all the chaos and traffic. Srimangal offers scenic views, clean air, and an authentic glimpse of life outside the city.