Bhawal National Park has been developed in the shadow of Joydevpur in Gazipur, 40 kilometers away from the capital Dhaka. It is also known as Bhawal’s Gajari Madha by many due to its abundance of gajari trees. Spread over an area of about 5022 hectares, Bhawal National Park was recognized as a National Park in 1982. Among the 221 species of plants in the park are 43 species of trees, 19 species of shrubs, 3 species of palms, 27 species of grasses, 24 species of vines and 104 species of medicinal plants. There are also 64 different species of animals including 13 species of mammals, 9 species of reptiles, 5 species of birds and amphibians. Many people organize picnics and various events in this park, full of natural beauty and biodiversity remains.
Entering through Gate No. 3 of Bhawal Garh, the first thing you will notice are the two elephant sculptures at the terracotta entrance. Inside the park there are 31 picnic spots, 19 beautiful cottages, state-of-the-art rest houses, butterfly garden, turtle breeding center and children’s park. If you are tired of walking among the rows of trees in the park, there are benches or canopies for rest. Green paddy fields, ponds or small lakes can be seen in the midst of this extensive forest. Along with a boat ride on the lake, there is a towering watch tower to view the entire park.
Fares and Entrance Fees
Bhawal National Park can be visited from sunrise to sunset. Entry fee is Rs 20 per person. Entrance fee includes charges for children park, watch tower, mini zoo and public toilets. If you want to enter by private car, microbus or bus, you have to pay Tk 60, Tk 100 and Tk 200 respectively.
Communication
To rent a picnic spot or rest house, advance booking is required from the Mahakhali office of the Forest Department. Apart from this, booking of Bhawal National Park can also be taken from the range office of Rajendrapur National Park located a little away from Bhawal Garh by paying the prescribed fee. Mobile: 01781-733000, 01713-575055
How to go
The distance between Gazipur Sadar and Bhawal Ghazari, ie Bhawal National Park, is only 3 km. After crossing the Jaidebpur intersection and moving a little further, the main entrance of Bhawal Garh will be noticed on the right hand side. You can go to Bhawal Udyan by your own car from Dhaka or by any bus bound for Mymensingh via Dhaka-Mymensingh highway from Mahakhali, Bimanbashar or Rajendrapur intersection. Again, if you take a Prabhati or Banshri Paribahan bus from Gulisthan and get off at gate number 3 of the National Park, you can directly get off at the main gate of Bhawal National Park. The bus fare is 80 to 100 taka per person.