One-day Trip to Barishal
If you want to visit Barisal in one day, I hope it will be helpful for you cause I will share with you the best travel places in Barishal. I went to Barisal in October month, 2019. Actually, I wanted to see Shapla Bill (Water Lily Lake). After searching, I found Shapla Bill of Satla village in Barisal. Then I decided to go to Barisal. So apart from Shapla Bill of Satla village, I started looking for other places. Then I Found a few more places. We visited Satla Bill, Durga Sagar Lake, and Guthia Mosque in one day. So Now I will share the plan of one-day trip to Barishal.
How to go to Barisal-
You can travel to Barishal in two ways-
By bus and launch
How to go by bus – Bus goes directly from Gabtali/Sayedabad bus terminal. Fare 600-1400 Tk. It takes 6 to 8 hours. The bus will drop you at the Nathullabad bus stand in Barisal. You can go to Satla village, Dudhsagar Dighi, and Guthia Masjid by Mahindra/CNG/bus from the Nathullabad bus stand. The fare will be around 20-30 Tk per person. You can reserve CNG also.
How to go by launch – Many launches leave for Barisal from Dhaka’s Sadarghat between 8 pm and 9 pm. Our launch was the Kirtankhola-10. Hire an auto from the Barisal launch terminal to the Nathullabad bus stand. It will take 10-15 taka fare per person. From there you can go to your destination. (Buy launch ticket from here)
where to eat in Barishal-
You won’t find good quality food hotels around Satla village or Durga Sagar Dighi. If you want, you can arrange food at any local people’s house. There are hotels around Guthia Mosque. You can try luchi, puri, and tea here as an afternoon snack.
Satla’s Shapla Bill (water Lily Lake)-
The distance of this village from Barisal City is about 60 km. This lake of Satla village belongs to Uzirpur and Agailjhara Upazilas. Satla Bill is built on an area of about 200 acres. August, September, and October, basically these three months are the best season for Shapla(water Lily). So try to come at this time. And if you don’t come early in the morning, you won’t be able to see the flower. It happened in our case. After leaving Barisal at night, it was about 8 o’clock for us to go to Satla village the next day. At that time the sellers plucked flowers and sold them to the market. If you want to see the blooming flowers, you have to go to Satla Lake before sunrise. Otherwise, you can spend one night in a local people’s house and enjoy Shapla Lake. You must hire a boat to see the flowers in Satla. The boat fee will depend on the time. You will get two types of boats. Engine-driven boats rent 400-500 taka. 9-10 people can go in one boat. And normal boats fare 200-250 Tk.
Durga Sagar Lake –
It is located at a distance of 14 km from Barisal City. It is the biggest lake in the Barisal district. The entry fee is Tk 20 per person. After buying the ticket, I saw some small shops on the right side. There were children’s toys, clay showpieces, vases, and home decoration items. A little further ahead you will see a huge banyan tree. This lake has a beautiful ghat. You can enjoy some good moments sitting on the stairs of the ghat. There is a small island-like place in the middle of the lake. This makes this lake the most beautiful and different. There is a fishing spot here. Visitors enjoy the beauty of the lake on foot. There is an opportunity to explore the entire lake by boat. You will get lost in nature surrounded by green trees and the chirping of birds. While walking, I saw a mini zoo. There are deer, emu birds, peacocks, monkeys, pigeons, etc. There is a small park for children’s recreation. It is open for tourists from morning till evening.
Guthia Mosque of Barisal – It is a beautiful mosque in Guthia Union of Ujirpur Upazila of Barisal District. Its original name is Baitul Aman Jame Mosque and Eid Complex. Local people called it Guthia Mosque. The builder of the mosque is S. Sharfuddin Ahmed. The area of the mosque is 14 acres. The construction cost of the mosque is 20 crore taka and its capacity is approximately 1500 people. In the outer part, another 5000 Muslims can pray. It has a tower and 20 domes. The height of the tower is 58 meters or 190 feet. As soon as you enter inside, you will see the main mosque on one side and a pond on the other side. There is a seating area on the bank of the pond. The water of the pond is clear, so many people were soaking their bodies in the water. Many people were performing ablution in the water. The mosque is modeled on Middle Eastern mosques. The Quran Sharif verses are written in calligraphy inside the mosque.
There is a two-storied building on the north side of the mosque. It is used as the complex’s office, muezzin’s quarters, orphanage, and Hafezia madrasa. Next to it is a place for women to pray. There is a space for car parking here. Also, there is a helipad. The complex is surrounded by lakes. There is a beautiful road beside the main gate. Both sides of the road are surrounded by green trees. It is very nice to walk this street in the afternoon. In the evening, the whole complex turns into a different look. I don’t know if there is such a beautiful mosque anywhere in Bangladesh. The pillar of the mosque is made of Zamzam well water and soil from different holy places in the world. The entry schedule is from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm and from 4:30 pm to 8:00 pm. On the opposite side of the mosque, there are some showpieces and home decoration shops. You can buy your favorite things as souvenirs.
Travel Tips for One Day Trip to Barishal-
1) First go to see Shapla of Satla Bill. Go before 7 am for the best view.
2) Keep an umbrella, food, and water with you. There is a lot of sunshine
3) The day and night views of the Guthia Mosque are both beautiful. So it is recommended to visit the mosque and its surroundings in the afternoon.
4) Women are not allowed to enter the pond inside the Guthia Mosque.
If you have any questions please comment. Thank you.