Tengra Giri Eco Park, a wildlife sanctuary, has been built in Sonakata Union, 24 km away from Taltali Upazila of Barguna district, with a large forest area of a part of Sundarbans. Another tourist attraction is the Sonakata Beach located next to the Tengragiri Ecopark. Declared as a reserved forest on July 12, 1960, this forest area is known by different names as Fatra Forest/Patharghata Forest/Haringhata Forest etc., but in 1967, the forest area was renamed as Tengragiri Forest. It is the second largest tropical forest in Bangladesh after the Sundarbans, which is flooded by the tides twice a day. Due to the wonderful mixture of saline and sweet soil, this forest has numerous rows of extinct species of trees, birds and reptiles. The green dense mangrove forests of Tengragiri, the scurrying of red crabs on the beach shoreline, the chirping of birds and the beautiful view of sunset on the horizon in the late afternoon are sure to mesmerize any tourist. And that’s why many travelers come from far and wide to get lost in the natural beauty and vastness of the sea, avoiding the urban noise.
The Tengragiri forest stretches for 9 km in east west and 4 km in north south over an area of about 4048 hectares. To the east of the forest lies Kuakata, to the west the Sundarbans and Harinbaria, to the north Rakhine and to the south the open Bay of Bengal. This naturally created forest is rich in various breathing plants including Keora, Garan, Singra, Hetal, Gewa, Ora. Besides, there are fresh water ponds, numerous small canals, forest department rest houses and picnic corners. Heading south through the undergrowth of the Tengragiri/Fatra forest, the 4 km long quiet golden beach comes into view. Standing on the beach, the beautiful view of sunrise and sunset will enchant anyone who loves beauty. And if you want, you can enjoy the biodiversity of Gohin forest and the excitement of sea waves by trawler.
In the year 2011-12, under the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Sonakata Ecopark Tourism Center has been established at Sakhina Bit of Tengragiri Reserve Forest. In addition to a crocodile breeding center, this ecopark is home to various species of wildlife such as deer, pigs, leopards, pythons, monkeys, monkeys and forest cats. Currently this forest has been declared as a vulture safe zone.
How to go
Barguna can be reached by road and sea from Dhaka. You can take a bus from Dhaka’s Sayedabad or Gabtali to Taltali in Barguna and from there you can go to Sonakata Ecopark by motorcycle. Besides, Barguna can be reached by boat from Sadarghat launch terminal on Patuakhali route. Then you can go to Sonakata by motorbike or easybike by bus from Barguna to Amtali. Besides, there are arrangements to go to Tengragiri Ecopark/Fatra forest from Kuakata by local trawler or reserve.