Nestled amidst dense greenery on an alluvial island at the southern edge of Dacope, the Kalabogi Eco-Tourism Centre in the Sundarbans offers tourists the chance to experience the beauty of nature from a tall watchtower.
This distinct structure attracts the attention of groups of excursionists on a mission to explore the mangrove forest while cruising over the turbulent Shibsha, Sutarkhali, and Bhadra rivers.
Photo: Noor-A-Alam
The Forest Department of Bangladesh has created the eco-tourism center on 7132.85 hectares of the West Sundarbans under the Khulna Range—located 186km southwest of the capital city Dhaka.
According to Forest Department officials, the center is rich in abundance of Sundri (Heritiera fomes), Passur (Xylocarpus granatum), Bain (Avicennia officinalis), Keora (Sonneratia apetala), Gewa (Excoecaria agallocha), Goran (Ceriops decandra), Kankra (Bruguiera gymnorhiza), Jhana (Rhizophora apiculata Lam), Golpata (Nypa fruticans), Hetal (Phoenix paludosa) and some other mangrove trees.
Photo: Noor-A-Alam
Kazi Ishtiaque Rahman, Kalabogi Forest Station Officer, tells Bangladesh First, “Visitors will enjoy spending time at the eco-tourism centre.”
This tourism spot is decorated with a one-kilometre elevated walkway, a foot trail, a watch tower, two enclosures for some spotted deer and crocodiles, some benches for perching and separate washrooms for male and female visitors.
Spotted deer forage at a particular daytime. So, a sudden appearance of a free herd of spotted deer is very common in the eco-tourism centre premises during early morning and dusk.
Photo: Noor-A-Alam
Often in the blink of an eye, the vertebrate animals–shy or frightened of human presence—rush beneath the concrete walkway.
Sometimes, wild boars follow the suits.
Besides spotted deer and wild boars, this particular forest part often exhibits the Royal Bengal tiger, barking deer, lizards, monkeys, otters, and snakes.
Photo: Noor-A-Alam
At any time in the day, birds like adjutant storks, kingfishers, herons, and finfoots fly over the visitors’ heads or are seen perched on high branches of trees.
Visitors of different ages will need to pay Tk20-40 as the entry fees for the centre. However, a foreigner will be charged Tk500 before visiting the organised eco-tourism place.
There is an arrangement of Dingi Tourism (cruising by country boat). Four visitors can avail of a country boat and its two operators for two hours at Tk1,200.
On a rented country boat, visitors can navigate the nearby canals Haddora Khal, Kalabogi Khal and Baintala Khal. They may spot crocodiles silently resting on the shore or peeking from the water.
Photo: Noor-A-Alam
Visitors from Dhaka on a bus can reach Kalabogi Eco-Tourism Centre via Khulna City, Chalna Bazar, and Kalabogi Bazar before the last phase of a boat trip.
A rented launch [from Mongla of Khulna] carrying groups of visitors can anchor in front of the centre. Visitors will enjoy a night's stay there for sure.
The next day, they can cruise 20km south [from Kalabogi Eco-Tourism Centre] to see a Mughal-era temple at Shekhertek Eco-Tourism Centre inside the dense Sundarbans.
Photo: Noor-A-Alam
Forest officer Ishtiaque, inviting tourists to visit Kalabogi, however, recommended that visitors carry all the day's meals as there is no food shop on the route.
“Another thing to keep in mind is that the telecommunication network is weakest here,” Ishtiaque cautioned.