Sylhet

Sylhet has had a long and eventful history. The area was inhabited long before the dawn of recorded history. While a vast tract of the delta region of Bangladesh was under water there were people living in hilltops overlooking the seas which are today the pools of water or haors of Sylhet. Some 75km south of Sylhet, Srimangal (or Sreemongal) is the tea centre of Bangladesh.

 This hilly area, with tea estates, shade trees, lemon orchards and pineapple plantations everywhere, is one of the most picturesque parts of the country. For miles around you can see tea estates forming a perennially green carpet on the sloping hills. It's the one area besides the Sundarbans where in certain parts you can look around and not see a single human being. This is particularly true of the dense Lowacherra Forest Reserve, 8km east of town. In short, if you're feeling overwhelmed by people everywhere, spend a few days in Srimangal. Visits to the rainforest and several of the tea estates, plus the slightly cooler climate, are the main attractions, although getting here by train from Dhaka is often half the fun.