Getting There & Away

It's worth taking a day trip by bus or train between Dhaka and Sylhet, as it's an interesting journey through varied countryside, with bits of seemingly wild jungle in the hills. Day buses sometimes make a brief stop in Brahmanbaria, although many do not stop at all.

Air GMG, Biman and Air Parabat all have frequent flights between Dhaka and Sylhet. GMG charges Tk 1770.

The Biman office (t. 717076) is about 1km north of Amberkhana Rd on Airport Rd. The GMG office (t. 711225) is in the Feroz Centre just to the east of Chowhatta intersection on Manikpur Rd. Air Parabat (t. 715999) is in the Monru Shopping City building, next to the Feroz Centre.

Bus Buses for Dhaka, Zakiganj and Fenchuganj leave from the large bus station south of the river, most often referred to as Dhaka terminal, even though there are actually several separate terminals. Non-stop air-con chair coaches to Dhaka cost Tk 250, Tk 140 for an ordinary chair coach, and Tk 110 for an ordinary bus. The last bus departs around 11.30 pm. The trip takes about 6 hours (7 hours by ordinary bus). Buses to Fenchuganj cost Tk 10 and take about one hour, with the last bus departing from Sylhet around 8 pm. Buses to Zakiganj (Tk 35) take two hours, departing between 6 am and 7 pm.

In Dhaka, buses for Sylhet leave from Sayedabad bus station. There are lots of bus companies; one of the better ones is SylCom.

There are no direct buses to Chittagong. Those to Comilla leave from Comilla terminal on Dhaka-Sylhet Rd, south of the railway station. Fares are Tk 100 for ordinary buses and Tk 125 for a chair coach.

Buses north-east to Tamabil, Jaintiapur and the Indian border leave from the small Jaintiapur bus station on Jaintiapur Rd, several kilometres east of the centre of town, just beyond a UCB bank branch. They depart between 6.45 am and 5.35 pm. The trip to Jaintiapur (Tk 22) takes just under three hours; the Indian border is 8km further.

If you're headed west for Chhatak or Sunamganj, you'll find the bus station for these towns on Amberkhana Rd. It's possible to travel from Sunamganj to Mymensingh via Mohanganj, which involves a seven-hour boat ride from Sunamganj to Jaysiri and hiking or taking rickshaws from there to Mohanganj (see under Bicycle later in this section).

Train The train station (T. 717036 for reservations) is on the south side of town. There are three express trains a day for Dhaka, departing at 7.30 am, 2.30 and 10 pm (winter hours). The trip normally takes about seven hours. There are also two daily trains to Chittagong, departing from Sylhet at 11.30 am and 10.30 pm and taking about 9 and 1/2 hours. Only the night train to Dhaka has a sleeper car (Tk 470/650 fan/air-con). Fares are Tk 270/135 to Dhaka, Tk 180/95 to Comilla and Tk 320/170 to Chittagong in 1st class/sulob. Departures are reasonably punctual, so don't arrive late.

Car If you rent a vehicle at the Parjatan or Polash hotels, it'll cost you between Tk 1500 and Tk 2000, with petrol and driver. You can save money by negotiating with one of the taxi or minibus drivers at the airport, or in town on Airport Rd at the Chowhatta intersection, where they all hang out. A fair price would be Tk 1000 a day plus petrol. The easiest way to calculate petrol usage (vehicle petrol indicators rarely work) is to agree to pay for one litre for every eight to 10km travelled in the van (slightly more kilometres in a car).

Bicycle If you want to cycle in Sylhet, consider coming here by train from Dhaka with your bike, cycling around the Sylhet region and then cycling back to Dhaka via Mymensingh. The best route for this is the less-travelled route to Mymensingh via Chhatak, Sunamganj and Mohanganj. The trip takes three or four days to Mymensingh, depending on whether you stop the first day in Chhatak. There are hotels in all of these towns.

The really fun section is between Sunamganj and Mohanganj, where the route virtually disappears from the maps. At Sunamganj you can take back roads and dirt tracks south-west to Mohanganj (you'll have to ask directions every few kilometres) or, much easier, you can catch a launch on the Surma River all the way to Jaysiri (an interesting and fun seven-hour trip), which is 15km or so from Mohanganj. Along the short route between Jaysiri and Mohanganj, you'll pass through Chandrabara and some very pleasant countryside.

From Mohanganj, which is a major town, and the halfway point between Sunamganj and Mymensingh, you can continue cycling south-west to Mymensingh (about 60km) or catch a train if you'd prefer.

To/From India It takes 2 and 1/2 hours to get to Tamabil from Sylhet by bus, and a 15-minute hike to the border. It is then a further 1.5km walk to Dawki in India, from where buses run to Shillong, a 3 and 1/2-hour trip. From Cherrapunji, 58km south of Shillong on a different road, the views over Bangladesh are superb.