Bhawal National Park

Bhawal National Park is situated in a forest of large timber trees, about 40 km away from Dhaka, on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in the district of Gazipur. It was established in 1974 on an area of 12,404 acres land (both upland and lowland). Shal (shorea robusta) is the main tree species in this protected park. It has about 221 types of botanical species: 43 species of trees, 19 species of shrubs, 3 species of palm trees, 27 species of grass, 24 species of climbers and 104 species of medicinal plants.

Bhawal National Park

Besides, there are about 64 species of wild animals of which 13 are mammals, 9 snakes, 5 avis and 5 amphibians. Notable animals are crocodile tigers, monkeys, porcupines, foxes, pythons and wild cats. There are also different kinds of birds. The Park has different facilities for recreations and amusements, such as: 20 picnic spots, 6 rest houses, few artificial lakes and a number of pedal boats. The Park authority maintains a system of advanced booking for the visitors to avail these facilities. Every year almost 200,000 sightseers visit this park. [Helal Uddin Ahmed]