Ratargul Swamp Forest

Ratargul Swamp Forest is the only freshwater swamp forest and wildlife sanctuary in Bangladesh, located in Goainghat, Sylhet. The forest area is 3,325.61 acres, of which 504 acres of forest was declared as a wildlife sanctuary in 1973.

There are only 22 freshwater wetlands in the world. There are two in the Indian subcontinent. One in Sri Lanka, another in Ratargul, Bangladesh. This beautiful vast forest can only be compared with the Amazon. Like the Amazon, the trees here are under water for 4 to 7 months a year.

Although this forest is originally a natural forest, the Bangladesh Forest Department has planted various types of water-tolerant trees including cane, kadam, hijal, murta. Besides, in this waterlogged forest there are Hijal, Karach and Varun trees, there are Pithali, Arjuna, Chatim, Guti Jam, there are also Banyan trees. There are many snake habitats in this forest. Besides, there are monkeys, snakes, white bucks, kana bucks, mashrangas, tias, bulbuls, pankauris, dhupis, doves, chiles and hawks.