Sylhet

Land of tea and saints

The holy land of Hazrat Shah Jalal. Jaflong, the Ratargul swamp forest, Bichanakandi, Sada Pathor and tea gardens top every travel list.

Places to visit

• Jaflong — The Piyain river, its stones and Meghalaya's hills across the border.
• Ratargul Swamp Forest — Boat rides through a forest standing in water during the monsoon.
• Bichanakandi — Clear hill water flowing over a bed of stones.
• Sada Pathor, Bholaganj — White stones and blue-green water on the Dhalai river.
• Hazrat Shah Jalal's shrine — The Sufi saint's shrine at the heart of Sylhet.
• Lalakhal — The turquoise Sari river beside tea gardens.
• Malnichhara Tea Estate — The country's first commercial tea estate, founded in 1854.

Famous food

• Akhni — A spiced Sylheti pilau.
• Chunga pitha — Sticky rice baked inside a bamboo tube.
• Beef with satkora — Sylheti beef cooked with the fragrant rind of the satkora citrus.
• Shidol — A mash of fermented dried puti fish.