It could have been a much faster journey if the road hadn’t grown narrower, bumpier, and dotted with rural culverts the closer I got to Bhimruli. Last Sunday, as I headed out from the Barisal divisional headquarters to Jhalakathi, it was not my first time visiting this small southwestern district, but it was certainly my first time traveling to its famous village, Bhimruli.
The area is renowned for its excellent network of river-fed canals, lush guava orchards, and traditional floating guava market.
It took about an hour's drive to cover the 30 km distance from Barisal. By the time I arrived at 10:15 AM, the initial morning rush of the floating market had subsided significantly.
Nevertheless, dozens of traditional wooden boats laden with orchard-fresh guavas were still actively trading. It would be at least another hour before business wrapped up for the day. While many boats sat empty, their produce already sold out, others continued their trade along the canal.
Jhalakathi, the third-smallest district in Bangladesh, is crisscrossed by rivers like the Sugandha, Gabkhan, Bishkhali, and the Dhanshiri—immortalized by the poet Jibanananda Das. It boasts Asia’s largest guava-producing region and floating market hub.
Guava cultivation spans over 9,000 acres across parts of Jhalakathi, Pirojpur, and Barisal. Together, this trio contributes one-sixth of the country’s annual guava output of 266,000 tonnes. The same region also grows a third of Bangladesh’s yearly 46,000-tonne hog plum output.
Swarupkathi in the Pirojpur district produces the highest volume of guavas, alongside extensive cultivation in neighboring Jhalakathi Sadar Upazila and Barisal’s Banaripara Upazila. Together, these interconnected wetlands form the largest guava hub in Bangladesh, with Swarupkathi holding the largest share of commercial orchards and famous trading points like Atghar and Kuriana.
Disembarking from my car at the Bhimruli waterfront, I hired a boat to explore the scenic waterways. It was drizzling under an overcast sky, leaving it unclear whether the sun would break through or heavier rains were on the way.
As my boat navigated the narrow canal lanes toward a lush green orchard, the boatman informed me that we had just crossed the district boundary from Jhalakathi into Pirojpur.
It was still raining when I stepped off the boat and took refuge under a shelter. I was at a rudimentary eco-park nestled within a guava orchard in Adamkathi, located in Pirojpur's Atghar Kuriana Union.
During the monsoon, tourists frequently pass through Adamkathi while traveling between Bhimruli and Kuriana to explore the orchards and the famous floating guava market. The orchard itself sits right on the border of the two districts.
Aside from a few poorly constructed raised walkways, a small shop, and a couple of photo spots, the eco-park offers very little to see. It holds so much untapped potential, but it remains underdeveloped because the authorities have failed to truly value the worth of tourism.
It was mesmerizing to admire the shores of the Kirtipasha Canal, which are characterized by dense, multi-layered tropical vegetation. Beyond the guava and hog plum trees, both banks of this expansive canal network are dotted with a wide variety of flora, ranging from coconut and betel nut palms to large shade and timber trees like Mango, Raintree, Mahogany, and Keora (Mangrove Apple).
I watched how the dense, bushy green foliage of the lower guava and hog plum trees thrived beneath the towering palm canopies.
Farmers in the villages of Banaripara, Swarupkathi, Kirtipasha, and Jhalakathi do more than just earn a living by growing massive volumes of guava and hog plum each season; they also sustain the livelihoods of hundreds of others in this southern backwater who depend on the fruit trade and its supply chain.
Furthermore, Bhimruli and nearby floating markets provide crucial employment for locals as boat operators and mechanics catering to visiting tourists. Ultimately, these floating guava markets serve as a major tourism driver, drawing several thousand visitors daily and providing a vital boost to the regional economy.