Best Time to Visit Sylhet

Winter: the best time to go

From November to February, Sylhet is at its best. Days are dry and sunny, and rain is rare. December and January are the coolest. Nights drop to about 12°C in January, so you'll want a jacket in the tea gardens early in the morning. By February it's warmer, and you'll still get mostly clear skies.

This is the season for the hills. Walk the tea estates around Malnicherra, near the city, and the Lalakhal river trip is at its clearest. Ratargul Swamp Forest is best reached in the wetter months, when boats can glide between the trees, but the dry months suit Jaflong and the Bholaganj stone-collecting area, where the water is lower and the roads are easier. Winter is also high season. Weekends fill up with Bangladeshi families, so book hotels early if you're going on a Friday or Saturday.

March to May: warm, then stormy

March is a good in-between month. It's hotter, with some rain, but still fairly pleasant. Then April changes things. Rain falls on most days, and May is wetter still. Sylhet sits close to the Meghalaya hills, one of the rainiest areas on earth, so storms here can be heavy and sudden.

Pohela Boishakh, the Bengali New Year in mid-April, is a lively time to see local life. Expect street fairs and plenty of panta ilish (rice with fish) elsewhere in the country. Just be ready for wet afternoons.

June to October: the monsoon

From June to September it rains almost every day. June is the wettest month, with 842 mm. July and August are close behind, with rain on all 30 days. It's also sticky, and the sun barely shows. Roads can flood, and some trips to Jaflong or Lalakhal may be hard.

Is it worth it? If you love green, moody landscapes and don't mind plans changing, yes. The haor wetlands, the huge seasonal lakes of the northeast, fill up and look like inland seas. Hotels are quieter and cheaper then. October is still wet, but the skies slowly clear. Come November, the dry season is back, and the tea hills look their best.