About
Khulna is the third largest city in Bangladesh, set in the Khulna Division of the country's south-west. It is best known as the gateway to the Sundarbans, the mangrove forest that is the largest of its kind in the world. For many visitors, the city is the place where a journey into that landscape begins.
What the city offers
Khulna is also an important industrial centre, and its working character gives it a different feel from the quieter river towns of the region. Visitors who spend time in the streets will see a city that runs on trade and manufacturing, with the river and its traffic never far from view.
Why visit
- Access to the Sundarbans: Khulna is the usual launching point for trips into the mangrove forest, the world's largest mangrove ecosystem.
- A working city: As the third largest city in Bangladesh and a centre of industry, it offers an everyday view of urban life in the south of the country.
- A base for the south-west: Its position in Khulna Division makes it a practical place to plan wider travel through the region.
Planning your visit
Most people come to Khulna with the Sundarbans in mind, so it helps to arrange your trip into the forest before you arrive and to allow time for the boat journey itself. Whether you stay a night or several, the city is best treated as the starting point for a landscape that is far larger and more unusual than the city around it.
