Geographic Information

In a country where one third of all area can be termed as wetlands, the haor basin is an internationally important wetland ecosystem, spread over Sunamganj, Habiganj, Moulvibazar districts and Sylhet Sadar Upazila, as well as Kishoreganj and Netrokona districts outside the core haor area.

A haor is a wetland ecosystem in the north eastern part of Bangladesh which physically is a bowl or saucer shaped shallow depression, also known as a backswamp. During monsoon haors receive surface runoff water from rivers and canals to become vast stretches of turbulent water.

The total area of haor-type wetland ecosystem in Bangladesh is 80,000 square kilometres. The haor basin is bounded by the hill ranges of India – Meghalaya on the north, Tripura and Mizoram on the south, and Assam and Manipur on the east.

Conservation efforts

Bariar Haor is  extraordinarily beautiful. The word Akashi means sky blue color and the word Haor means inundated water body that is created due to overflowing of nearby river. So, combining the two words it means sky blue colored water body. And interestingly the color of the water was really bluish. The clouds from the sky easily reflect on the pristine water from the Haor.
Few places are occupied with water there. So local people usually do fishing, and probably they will continue until the area dried up totally. Most of the fishing nets are having same design and structure. Also, the style of fishing is a bit different from other area as well.

Master Plan of Haor Area

The Bangladesh Haor and Wetland Development Board (BHWDB) has taken the initiative to prepare a comprehensive Master Plan with a view to preserve, protect. 

Go to Nikli Haor if you want to have the pleasure of boating on the wide expanse of water. Nikoli Haor is located in Nikoli Upazila of Kishoreganj District. The distance from Kishoreganj headquarters to Nikli Upazila is about 25 km. small villages floating like islands in the water, clear water sports, fishermen busy in fishing, small wetlands like Ratargul and fresh fish of Haor for eating. If you want to experience all these, Nikli's amazing Howar trip will be a trip to remember in your life. And it is possible to travel from Dhaka in one day from Nikli Haor. Watch our video on  Nikli Travel on YouTube, Nikli Video Guide.

Good time to visit Nikli

If you want to see the form of water in Haor, you have to visit during or after the rainy season. So the best time to visit Nikli is July – September. However, in September the water is comparatively less. Besides, you can go any time of the year to see a different form of Haor.

The way out

Nikli Haor can be visited from around Dhaka or Kishoreganj district in one day. You can go to Nikli Howar from Dhaka by train or by bus.

How to go from Dhaka by train: If you want to travel by train from Dhaka in one day, you must take the Intercity Eleven Sindhu Prabhati train. Eleven Sindh Prabhati trains leave from Kamalapur station at 7:15 am and reach Kishoreganj via Airport, Tongi, Narsingdi and Bhairav stations on 6 days of the week except Wednesday. According to the class, the train ticket fare ranges from Tk 150 to Tk 200. If you come by train, it is best to get down at Gachihata station, the station before Poncha in Kishoreganj Sadar. By leaving Dhaka by train, you can reach Gachihata station by 11 am. From the station, you can easily go to Nikli Bazar, 15 km away, by easy bike or CNG. It will take about 1 hour to go to Nikli for an easybike fare of 35 taka per person or 250-300 taka if reserved. Taking CNG reserve will cost 300 to 320 taka and time will take about 40 minutes. But if you want to return on the same day, you have to go by bus.

How to get from Dhaka by bus: If you want to come from Dhaka by bus, you have to come from Golap Bagh in Dhaka or Ananya Super Bus Service. Buses depart daily from 5:30 am every 15 minutes. Bus fare is 270 to 300 taka per person. If you want to travel during the day and return by night, you must leave the bus before 7 am. By bus, it is best to get off at Katiadi bus stand before Kishoreganj. It will take 3 to 3 and a half hours to reach Katiadi from Dhaka. From there, you need to reserve CNG by paying 350 to 400 taka to go to Nikli, a distance of 22 km. And it will take about 1 hour and 20 minutes to go.

Nikoli from Kishoreganj: If you want to go to Nikoli from Kishoreganj district city, then come to Nikoli Gami CNG station adjacent to Kishoreganj railway station. The distance from Kishoreganj Sadar to Nikli is about 27 km. It takes about 1 hour to go to Nikli from CNG station locally or with reserve. The fare per person to go local is 70 taka and to take CNG reserve is 350-400 taka.

Bhairab to Nikli: Besides, you can go to Nikli from Bhairab with local or reserve CNG. Fare per person to go local is 120 taka and reserve is 600 taka. It will take about one and a half hours to go to CNG from Bhairav.

Gachihata, Katiyadi or Kishoreganj; No matter where Nikli comes from, you will like the view of the village of Bengal on both sides of the road. The closer you get to Nikli, the more beautiful everything will be. You will never know when you will reach Nikli just by looking at the scenery.

If you get off at Gachihata or Manikkhali station by train and get off at Katiyadi by bus, you can reach Nikli in less time.

Where to eat

There are quite a few quality food hotels near where Nikoli will land. Among them, Hotel Setu, Cafe Wave are notable. You can eat your fill of Haor's fresh fish for 100 to 200 taka.

How to get around

After eating and drinking and doing the necessary work, go to the end of the Beri Dam on an easy bike. Bargain there and fix the hourly boat to explore Haor. Renting a small boat costs Tk 400 to Tk 500 per hour and renting a slightly larger boat costs Tk 700 to Tk 800 per hour. And if you rent for a longer period, the cost will be slightly less. Up to 10-30 people can easily board a boat.

Rent a boat depending on how much time you have. Try to keep at least 3 hours in hand for the boat tour. You can first go to Chhatirchar village to see the charm of the surroundings by boat. You can close your eyes to see the enchantment of Sylhet's night-time waters and relax your body by immersing yourself in the cool water here. However, during full monsoon, the water is very high. So it would be wise to take a life jacket with you if you want to take a shower.

After seeing the beauty of the lagoon, he took the boat again to Char Manpura. If the water is high, although it sinks, if it is low, you can move around this pasture half-floating for some time. Then, to see the late afternoon sun in the open air, you have to come back to Nikli Bedi Dam and make your way back home.

If you want to return you have to return by bus. For this, Nikli came to the upazila junction and fixed CNG and went to Katiadi. The last bus to Dhaka leaves from Katiyadi bus stand at 7 pm. So be sure to pay attention to time.

Accommodation

There are no good residential hotels in Nikli. The newly launched chairman can stay in guest house or good upazila Dak bungalow. And if you want, you can go to Kishoreganj district headquarters and stay there. If you want, you can spend the night by boat or camping. But safety should be kept in mind. One should move carefully in the middle of Haor at night.

Some more places to visit in Nikli

Gurai Shahi Jame Masjid – can be easily visited by rickshaw or motorbike.

Nikoli Beri Dam – Beridabad starts from in front of Nikoli Upazila Office, so its beauty can be seen by walking.

Pahar Khar Mazar – Nikli upazila can be reached by trawler and motorbike.

Guri is the oldest arena – Nikoli upazila of Kishoreganj district