Tongi travel guide
The Bishwa Ijtema grounds on the Turag, at Dhaka's northern gate
An industrial township on the Turag River at Dhaka's northern edge, just north of the main airport. It hosts the Bishwa Ijtema each January, one of the world's largest Muslim gatherings. Most visitors are here on business, and Uttara next door is the better place to stay. A day costs roughly ৳3,000 to ৳12,000, with a visa on arrival for some nationalities.
Tongi has marked the northern limit of Dhaka since 1786. Here the highway and the railway cross the Turag River into Gazipur District. It is now a dense factory and commuter township inside Greater Dhaka, with a large BSCIC industrial estate and garment and textile factories along the highway. Tongi Junction is where the railway to Bhairab and the east leaves the Mymensingh line.
Each winter, usually in January, the Bishwa Ijtema puts the town on the world map. The Tablighi Jamaat gathering on the Turag riverbank, held in two or more phases since 2011, draws Muslims from across Bangladesh and abroad and ranks among the largest religious assemblies anywhere. During those days roads and trains around Tongi are close to unusable for anyone not attending.
Outside the Ijtema there is little to sightsee. The compound of Tongi Shahid Smrity High School holds a mass grave from the 1971 Liberation War. Business visitors usually sleep in Uttara, just south, where the hotels are better and the airport is close.
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Top things to do in Tongi
The Ijtema grounds on the Turag, a Liberation War memorial site and quick access to the airport.
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Best time to visit Tongi
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Dry, mild weather, apart from the Ijtema crowds in January.
Heavy rain and waterlogged roads around the industrial areas.
During the Bishwa Ijtema, usually in January, roads and trains around Tongi are packed for days; plan flights and road trips north of Dhaka around it.
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Getting there
Turag bridge, Tongi Junction and the airport next door
On paper, few towns in Bangladesh are better connected. Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport lies a few kilometres south, the main railway north from Dhaka runs through Tongi Junction, and the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway crosses the Turag on the Tongi bridge. In practice, traffic decides everything. From the airport, a taxi or a ride-hailing car (Uber and Pathao both operate here) is quick late at night and painfully slow at rush hour. Many trains from Kamalapur call at the Airport station, and a good number also stop at Tongi Junction, which beats the road when the highway is jammed. Buses running north to Gazipur pass through town, and many city routes terminate at Abdullahpur, just south of the bridge.
- Air
- Dhaka Hazrat Shahjalal (DAC), a few kilometres south
- Rail
- Tongi Junction, on the lines to Mymensingh and towards Bhairab and Sylhet
- Road
- Dhaka-Mymensingh highway over the Turag bridge, with city buses to Abdullahpur
- During the Bishwa Ijtema, special trains run to Tongi and the highway is often closed to through traffic.
Where to stay
Sleep in Uttara
Tongi has few hotels suited to visitors, and those it has mostly serve traders and Ijtema pilgrims. Uttara, just across the Turag to the south, is where business travellers sleep, and which end of Uttara you pick matters more than the hotel.
- Uttara, near Uttara North station
- Better hotels and restaurants, and the quickest start for trips into central Dhaka on the metro
- Uttara, airport end
- Handy for early flights and a quick hop to Tongi over the bridge, though the highway outside is loud day and night
- Tongi itself
- Basic lodgings only, useful mainly for Ijtema attendees and factory visits, with little to do in the evening
Getting around
CNG to Uttara North, then Metro Line 6 south
Short trips around Tongi are done by cycle-rickshaw or CNG auto-rickshaw; meters are not used, so agree the fare first. For Uttara and central Dhaka, the fastest route is often a CNG or ride-hailing car to Uttara North, the northern terminus of Metro Line 6, then the train south past Agargaon and Farmgate to Motijheel, clear of the road jams. Buy a one-way ticket from the station machines or a rechargeable card. Highway buses are cheap but crowded, and awkward with luggage.
- Rickshaw and CNG
- Short hops in town and across the bridge to Uttara
- Metro Line 6
- From Uttara North south to Motijheel
- Ride-hailing
- Uber and Pathao, cars and motorbikes
Know before you go
Tongi is an industrial town best known for the Bishwa Ijtema.
Why travelers love it
- The Bishwa Ijtema, when the Turag riverbank fills with worshippers from across the Muslim world.
- The 1971 mass grave at Tongi Shahid Smrity High School, a sober piece of Liberation War history.
- Being minutes from the airport, handy for an early flight if you stay in Uttara.
Good to know
- Ijtema week changes everything: expect road closures, packed trains and long delays around the airport.
- Highway traffic is heavy through Tongi at rush hour, so leave a wide margin before flights.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Tongi, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Tongi are being researched.
A morning across the Turag bridge
A few hours cover Tongi. Base yourself in Uttara, cross the Turag bridge in the morning before factory traffic peaks, and visit the 1971 mass grave at Tongi Shahid Smrity High School with permission, then the open Ijtema grounds by the river. Return to Uttara for lunch and take Metro Line 6 into central Dhaka.
Tongi rewards a few hours, not a full day. Base yourself in Uttara and cross the Turag bridge in the morning, before the factory traffic peaks. Start at Tongi Shahid Smrity High School, whose compound holds a mass grave from the 1971 Liberation War; ask at the gate and keep the visit quiet and respectful. From there, head down to the Turag riverbank and the Ijtema grounds. Outside January the site is a wide, open field by the water, and seeing its scale empty helps you picture the crowd that fills it.
Head back to Uttara for lunch, where the sectors near the metro station have far more choice than Tongi's roadside canteens. In the afternoon, either take Metro Line 6 from Uttara North into central Dhaka or rest up for an early flight. The airport is close, but leave a generous margin at rush hour: the highway past Tongi is one of the slowest roads in the capital.
Akheri Munajat and the canopies on the Turag
Tongi hosts the Bishwa Ijtema, one of the largest Muslim gatherings in the world, organised by the Tablighi Jamaat on open ground along the Turag, usually in January and sometimes into February, in phases of three days. Each phase ends with the Akheri Munajat, when crowds fill the roads and traffic around Tongi and the airport stops.
Once a year, Tongi becomes the scene of one of the largest Muslim gatherings in the world. The Bishwa Ijtema is organised by the Tablighi Jamaat, a missionary movement, on open ground along the Turag. It usually takes place in January, sometimes running into February, and is split into two or more phases, each lasting three days, with worshippers camping under vast canopies for sermons and prayers.
Each phase closes with the Akheri Munajat, a final collective prayer. This is when crowds peak: people pray on the roads, the bridge, rooftops and railway platforms, and traffic around Tongi and the airport comes to a standstill. Special trains and buses bring participants from across Bangladesh, and food stalls spring up along the approaches selling rice, lentils and tea.
Visitors attending should arrange transport and lodging well in advance, carry water and dress modestly. Everyone else flying in or out of Dhaka on the final day should check the dates and allow several extra hours.
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How we research our Tongi travel guide
Bishwa Ijtema dates are announced each year, and we update Tongi when they are. Train stops at Tongi Junction and metro services from Uttara North are checked with the operators; climate uses Bangladesh Meteorological Department normals.
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Checked against trusted sources:
UNESCO World Heritage CentreBangladesh Meteorological Department climate normals
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- UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Bangladesh
- Bangladesh Meteorological Department climate normals
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Tongi questions about the Ijtema and getting there from Dhaka.
Timing & weather
Usually in January, sometimes spilling into February, in two or more three-day phases on the banks of the Turag River. Exact dates are announced each year.
A short CNG or ride-hailing trip south across the Turag bridge. Tongi has no metro station of its own.
November, December and February. January is dry too, but the Ijtema usually falls then.
Heavy at morning and evening rush hours on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway. Allow plenty of extra time when heading to the airport.
The best time to visit Tongi is Nov to Feb. Dry and mild; avoid the January Ijtema dates unless you are attending.
- Best overall: November - February (Dry, mild weather, apart from the Ijtema crowds in January)
- Monsoon: June - September (Heavy rain and waterlogged roads around the industrial areas)
Getting there
Yes, it lies just north of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The drive is short at night and crawls at rush hour, so time your departure accordingly.
On paper, few towns in Bangladesh are better connected. Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport lies a few kilometres south, the main railway north from Dhaka runs through Tongi Junction, and the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway crosses the Turag on the Tongi bridge. In practice, traffic decides everything.
General
Uttara, immediately south of Tongi, has the best choice of hotels and is close to both the airport and Metro Line 6.
A good share of intercity and local services do, since this is where the line east to Bhairab leaves the Mymensingh line. Check the timetable, as some expresses run straight through.
The final collective prayer that closes each phase of the Bishwa Ijtema. Crowds are at their largest, and roads around Tongi and the airport are effectively closed.
It belongs to Gazipur District but sits within Greater Dhaka, and it has marked the capital's northern edge since 1786.
Inside the grounds of Tongi Shahid Smrity High School. It is a working school, so seek permission from the staff first.
Short trips around Tongi are done by cycle-rickshaw or CNG auto-rickshaw; meters are not used, so agree the fare first. For Uttara and central Dhaka, the fastest route is often a CNG or ride-hailing car to Uttara North, the northern terminus of Metro Line 6, then the train south past Agargaon and Farmgate to Motijheel, clear of the road jams. Buy a one-way ticket from the station machines or a rechargeable card.
Visa & documents
Arrange a visa before you travel unless your passport is exempt, and make sure the passport is valid for at least six months beyond arrival. Some nationalities can get a visa on arrival at Dhaka airport, but confirm with an embassy.
Health & safety
Violent crime against visitors is rare. Your main risks are pickpockets in crowds, chaotic traffic and occasional political strikes (hartals) that shut roads at short notice. Call 999 for police, fire or ambulance.
