Jaflong is a popular tourist destination from the Sylhet district. It is located near the border of Bangladesh and India. It is situated beside the transboundary river named Piyain rivers. There is a waterfall located inside India but tourists can get the full view of it from the zero point of the border. As the water is coming from the upstream hills, thus they are slightly greenish or bluish in color and clear.
And thus how it became popular?
Once upon a time Jaflong was the a tourist destination (from very few) when any traveler went to Sylhet. It was a very tranquil place having scenic beauties that time. Local people used to collect stones from the shallow river. The water was pristine and overall activities of the workers were beautiful. That time lot of Bangla TV drama and movie picked Jaflong as a location for their set. And thus later it became overwhelmingly popular amongst the local tourists. Even when I was a kid I always wanter to visit this place.
Did you see doing stone quarry before?
Jaflong could be a nice place to see the activities about how people are doing the sone quarry. They do it from the Piyain river. Those various sized stones are coming from the hills of India through the river and gather under the water of the river. Inside Bangladesh people do the collection of the stones from there. When the stones are soaked with water they look much colorful. You could collect one or two colorful stones as a souvenir.
Boat riding at Jaflong is a must.
Although it is a bit expensive to hire a boat in Jaflong as a lot of tourists use to be there all the time. But, doing a boat riding in Jaflong is must. You could take the boat near the zero point and watch the nearby waterfall from there from a close proximity. But be careful about the border. Do not go inside the Indian territory. Also, if you do not know swimming then do not show any bravado there. Take proper precaution before riding a boat.
When we have reached there, it was almost near to the sunset. Most of the tourists were returning to Sylhet town after enjoying their day there. It’s a huge picnic spot now a days. Lot of school and college picnic parties go there as a part of their study tour. We have walked around the shallow Piyain river and enjoyed the process of stone quarrying.
Khashi village is nearby.
In Jaflong the other side of the river there is a Khashi village (where Khashi people live there) located. If you have time you could walk through the village to experience the lifestyle of those tribal people. You could spend around two hours around the Khashi village.
How to go:
1. Using any private or hired vehicle you could easily go to Jaflong. It would take around one and half hour of ride.
2. You could use the local bus service from Sylhet town to Jaflong (as we did). Bus fare is 50 Taka per person. It would take around 1 hour and 45 minutes. Use the Birotihin Bus Service. This one is better with less stoppages in between.
3. GPS coordinate of the Jaflong is (25°10’47.53″N, 92° 0’47.32″E).
Do not fall in sleep during your bus or car ride. The road goes through the Tamabil which is a very lovely place mostly during rainy season and a bit less during winter. During your journey you could see the plain land from Bangladesh on your left and the beautiful landscape of hills from India on your right side.
Where to stay:
It is better to stay at Sylhet town and visit Jaflong. Most of the people take Jaflong as a part of their day trip from Sylhet. There are few hotels and guest houses available in Jaflong but you have to book in advance as they filled very quickly during peak season. That’s why I always stay in Sylhet town during my visit. Check here for list of hotels from Sylhet.
Best time to visit:
It is a bit hard to say when is the best time to visit Jaflong. Cause during winter and rainy season this place look totally different. During the winter lot of tourists use to gather here but the river is shallow and clear that time. And during rainy season you’d find a bit less crowd here. Also during weekends (Friday, Saturday) Jaflong is very crowded whereas during weekdays it is a bit less in terms of number of people.
What else is nearby:
Lalakhal is near to Jaflong. In fact it would be on your way to Jaflong. If you want you could visit that beautiful blue river before or after your Jaflong trip. Read and see more picture of Lalakhal from my other post.
Jaflong,
Gowainghat,
District: Sylhet,
Country: Bangladesh,
GPS coordinate: (25°10’47.53″N, 92° 0’47.32″E)
This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://alonelytraveler.com/
Saturday, 24 December 2011
Nice
Nice and Informative