Harbaria Eco Tourism Center is the biggest littoral mangrove forest in the world. It’s located in the Khulna Division at Sundarban .This center has been set up under the initiative of Forest Department under Chandpai Range. The distance of this center from Khulna is about 70 kilometers. Golden/ green and red nameplate of eco-tourism center is on the banks of Harbaria canal. A little ahead is the forest office. This Tourism center has a hanging bridge over a small canal. A large pond is in front across the hanging bridge. In the middle of the pond is a resting place with a little house or canopy of Golpata. There are benches to sit around the house. A wooden bridge runs from the edge of the pond to the house. The pond was dug in 1997- 98in the memory of Birshrestho Sipahi Mostafa Kalam under the Forest Department project. The wooden walking path of about one kilometer ends in a deep forest.
The canal in front of the Eco Tourism Center is a crocodile sanctuary. Saltwater crocodiles are often seen this center. Crocodiles can be seen in the sun during the winter in the mud char. The best time to see a crocodile is from December to February.
Moreover, Deer, Wild Boar, Monkeys, various kinds of Birds and Madantak (one kind of bird) etc can be seen here. The rare Maya Deer of the Sundarbans is seen in this eco- tourist center. The Tigers are also seen here. The Harbaria eco- tourism center is a tiger sanctuary. Fresh tiger footprints are often seen here. So do not enter the forest outside the wooden walking path. Take armed forest rangers from the forest office before entering the forest. In the small canals here there are different species of birds including Kingfishers. The endangered mask finfoot or black- faced para bird can also be seen in the Harbaria canal.
Here tourist can see lots of monkeys as well as beautiful trees. This place is ideal place for those who want to take a day trip in the Sundarban. There are various facilities for the tourist to visit this eco-tourism center as well as there is a system to see the wildlife.
If you want to know about tourist spots in Sundarban (Sundarban- Natural World Heritage Site), please click here.
Ticket Price:
Entrance fee for tourists at Harbaria Eco- Tourist Center:
Domestic tourist: TK.70.
Foreign tourist: TK.1000 with 15% VAT applicable.
How to go?
From Mongla port youcan go to Harbaria in the morning and come back in the evening. Mongla can be reached by bus from Khulna or Bagerhat. It will take 2 to 3 hours to go from Mongla to Harbaria by engine boat. From Mongla you can find different types of engine boats suitable for 5 to 30 people. The rent of the boat for the whole day varies from TK.1500-3500. The boats leave from Mongla Ferry Ghat.
Where to stay?
There are different types of hotels and resorts in Mongla, Bagerhat and Khulna. The best arrangement is staying in Mongla. There are a few resorts present in Mongla to stay at night such as Sundarban Eco Resort, Gol Kanan Eco Resort etc. There are some hotels in Mongla town. Rooms will be available at these hotels for TK. 300-2000. A good quality hotel is in the Motel Pasur of the Tourism Corporation. The non AC double room will be TK.1200-1500 and the AC double room will be TK.2000-2200. Economy bed will be TK.600-800.You can choose your own according to your budget.
Where to eat?
If you stay at resort/local hotel, you can order food per their food menu.
Note:
- Do not disturb the wild animals.
- Do not enter into the deep forest.
- Do not smoke in the forest.
It is our Responsibility to keep our tourist spots clean. Let’s keep the spots neat & clean as we go around. Happy Travelling 😉