Visit all the famous and most visited places, including all UNESCO world heritages in Bangladesh. The single largest mangrove forest, historical Paharpur & Bagerhat, tea valley with a lot of adventures and the lifestyles of different people all over the country are worthy to visit in a single trip.
Start your exploration from Dhaka City, the most resonant place to experience with a lot of historical monuments. Enjoy an overnight ship journey to observe riverain Bangladesh. Sixty Domes Mosque (World heritage) along with other places in Bagerhat and 3 days of exploration to the largest Mangrove forest Sundarbans (World Heritage) is expensive sites. Sundarbans, are the only place for man-eating tigers along with spotted deer, crocodiles, and thousands of fauna species. The silence and thrill of the forest are satisfactory. After, visit the north Bengal area. Visit Paharpur Buddhist Bihar (World heritage) and Puthia Temple City for your archaeological exploration. Spend wonderful times in the tea capital Srimangal covered by more than 163 tea gardens. Pineapple and rubber gardens and the rainforest make a holiday space. At last, visit the old capital Sonargaon. Enjoy a river cruise at Meghna River, and visit abandoned Panam city and Folklore Museum. If you want to visit all the best places in a short time, this itinerary is for you.
Duration :
12 Nights / 13 Days
Locations :
Dhaka, Sonargaon, Bagerhat, Sundarbans, Paharpur, Puthia, Rajshahi & Srimangal
Attractions :
Dhaka City
⊕ New & old Dhaka ⊕ Overnight Ship Journey.
Sonargaon
⊕ Panam Nagar ⊕ Folklore Museum.
Bagerhat
⊕ Sixty Dome Mosque ⊕ Shrine of Khan Jahan Ali ⊕ Nine Domes Mosque ⊕ Kodla Mauth ⊕ Singair Mosque.
Sundarbans
⊕ Kochikhali wildlife sanctuary ⊕ Kotka wildlife sanctuary ⊕ Harbaria Eco-tourism center ⊕ Jamtola sea-beach ⊕ Fishing village ⊕ Deep forest walking ⊕ Small boat trip.
Paharpur & Rajshahi
⊕ Paharpur Buddhist Bihar ⊕ Puthia temple city ⊕ Rajshahi ⊕ Mahasthangarh ⊕ Kusumba Mosque ⊕ Navaratna Temple Hatikumrul
Srimangal
⊕ Tea Gardens ⊕ pineapple, lemon & rubber Gardens ⊕ Manipuri & Khasia community ⊕ Lawachara rainforest ⊕ Madhabpur Dam.
Tour Available :
Round the year.
Best time to go:
October to March.
Tour Highlights:
- Visit all three UNESCO world heritage sites of Bangladesh & most popular places.
- Visit the largest mangrove forest and UNESCO heritage Sundarbans with 3 days of adventure.
- Visit UNESCO world heritage Sixty Dome Mosque in Bagerhat including the Shrine of Khan Jahan Ali and more.
- Visit the UNESCO Heritage Paharpur Buddhist Bihar and the ruins of the ancient city Mahasthangarh.
- Explore the temple city Puthia covered by many temples including Pancharatna Gobinda Temple, Shiva Temple, Jagannath Temple, Bara Anik Temple, and more.
- Visit the Kusumba Mosque, a construction from the Afgan ruling period in the Bengal region.
- Visit the traditional Navaratna Temple in Hatikumrul which is the second largest such temple in this region.
- Make an adventure to the Lawachara rain forest the national reserved forest with lots of birds, animals, and rare trees.
- Visit the tea capital Srimangal covered by around 163 tea gardens. Walk inside the tea gardens, Rubber Garden, Pineapple & lemon gardens. Enjoy Seven Layer tea on traditional tea stall ‘Neel Kantha’. Hike on Madhabpur Dam.
- Enjoy an overnight ship journey to experience riverain Bangladesh.
- Visit all the historical places in New and Old Dhaka including a shipbreaking yard.
- Visit the old capital Sonargaon and experience the island life.
Tour Itinerary
Day 1 : Arrival at Dhaka
- Arrive at Dhaka Airport. Our guide will meet you and transfer you to the hotel for the night's stay. Have rest for the day. Or let's make an introduction with Dhaka city by a Rickshaw ride.
Day 2 : Dhaka City and Overnight Ship Journey.
- Around 8:00 am-8:30 am, start the tour from your hotel or residence. Our responsible guide will pick you up in the car. Start with Kawranbazar Vegetable Market, the biggest bazaar in Dhaka. Visit the outside view of the National Assembly (Parliament Building), the largest legislative complex in the world designed by famous American architect Louis Kahn.
- Visit Curzon hall, Dhakeswari Temple, the national Hindu temple of Bangladesh built by Ballal Sen in the 12th century.
- Head to Lalbagh Fort, a key attraction for tourists. It’s an incomplete construction of the Mughal period in the 17th century started by Subahdar Muhammad Azam Shah. Visit Star Mosque, Armenian Church at Armanitola, and have your lunch.
- After, we will visit the famous Ahsan Manzil also known as Pink Palace in Sadarghat. It was the official residential palace of Nawab in Dacca in the 19th century. We will go to Sadarghat River Port by walking for 5 min (or by car) on a busy street. Experience the floating people and trading boats in the iconic Buriganga River. Enjoy a small bot ride to cross the river. Shipbreaking activities are interesting there for photography.
- We will accommodate ourselves at the Rocket Ship. It will start the cruise at 18:30 hrs onward to Hularhat under Bagerhat.
- Dinner & Night stay at the ship.
Day 3 : Historic Mosque city of Bagerhat & Mongla
- After a full night of cruising, the ship will arrive at Hularhat around 10:00 am. The sunrise and the beauty of rural Bangladesh are amazing.
- Upon arrival, we will drive to Bagerhat to visit the historical Sixty Dome Mosque which is one of the UNESCO world heritage sites in Bangladesh. Visit the Shrine of Khan Jahan Ali, who built more than a dozen mosques in Bagerhat including the Sixty Dome Mosque. Nine Dome Mosque, Singair Mosque, and Kodla Mauth are also on our bucket list.
- We will check into the hotel Pashur in Mongla. Have lunch and rest for a while or visit the nearby river ghat and the bazaars.
- Dinner and the overnight stay at Mongla.
Day 4 : Sundarbans National Forest.
- Early in the morning, our Sundarbans journey will start. Get your accommodation and breakfast on the boat.
- After the journey of two hours, the boat will stop at the Chadpai forest office to complete the formalities and to pick up an armed forest guard for security.
- We’ll cruise to visit Harbaria eco-center, a popular spot for Sundarbans. It 30 minutes of walking through the sanctuary.
- We will cruise again through the deep forest. Experience the silence of the largest mangrove. In the evening, we’ll anchor our boat near the Kochikhali Forest office. If time permits, we will make a small boat cruise through the canals.
- Overnight stay in Kochikhali.
Day 5 : Kochikhali & Kotka Wildlife Sanctuaries, Sea Beach and deep forest walking.
- Today is our biggest day on the Sundarbans. Very early in the morning, we will start with a boat trip through the small creeks. Spot wildlife especially different species of birds. The morning sound will satisfy you. At a point, we’ll get off the small boat for a long walk into the forest office area.
- We will cruise for Kotka. It takes 2 hours to reach Kotka station. On this journey, you’ll see wildlife including deers, crocodiles, birds, otters, and Bengal monitors.
- We need an hour of walking to visit Jamtola Sea beach. This is an adventurous journey through the deep forest. It's the Bay of Bengal where is our destination.
- After lunch, visit the Kotka wildlife sanctuary area. This is the major point to see the group of deers. We will take enough time to explore the sanctuary and enjoy the sunset on the beach.
- Then, we’ll start the journey back. We will anchor the boat at the middle point of Sundarban in Chadpai/Jaimoni. Enjoy B-B-Q Dinner on the boat and make the day fulfilled.
Day 6 : Fishing Village and Khulna.
- Early in the morning, we will make a small boat trip through the small creeks.
- We will visit a fishing village today. The village also produces a lot of Shimp firms. Meet people to know their lifestyle. Spend an enjoyable moment with happy children.
- After lunch, make yourself ready to depart from the boat. We will start the car journey to Khulna.
- Overnight at the hotel in Khulna.
Day 7 : Train journey to Rajshahi & Puthia Temple City.
- Early in the morning, we will take the train to Rajshahi (6:00 am). Experience the local train journey through the beautiful landscape. We will check into the hotel first.
- After lunch, visit the temple city Puthia, renowned for the largest number of historically important Hindu structures in Bangladesh. The Shiva Temple is the largest such Hindu temple in this region. The Govinda Temple, decorated with intricate terracotta designs is in one of the country’s finest old Rajbari courtyards.
- We will spend the sunset time on the Ganges (Padma) river bank.
- Overnight staying at Rajshahi.
Day 8 : Sompura Mohaviahara at Paharpur, Kushumba Mosque and ruins of ancient city Mahasthangarh.
- Today, we will drive to Paharpur to visit our third World Heritage site. The green vegetable-fruit fields are amazing to stop for a while. Especially the betel leaf gardens are interesting to have photographed. On the way, visit the famous Kusumba Mosque, built during the Afgan rule in Bengal.
- Finally, we will visit Paharpur Buddhist Bihar, dating from the 8th century AD. It's also known as Sompura Mohavihara which is the most impressive archaeological site in Bangladesh also recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was once the largest Buddhist monastery in the south of the Himalayas.
- After lunch, we will drive to Bogra. Visit the oldest known city in Bangladesh Mahasthangarh, dating back to at least the 3rd century BC. Today, the archaeological site consists mainly of foundations and hillocks hinting at past glory. In the Mahasthangarh site museum, an interesting collection of recovered pieces is on display. The Behula Bashor Ghor is a key site to visit in Mahasthangarh.
- We will spend the evening at Vasua Vihara Buddhist ruins. The sunset from this place will refill you with the beauty of the rural landscape.
- Overnight in Bogra.
Day 9 : Vegetable Bazaar, Jamuna River Cruise, Navaratna Temple & Dhaka.
- In the morning, we will visit the biggest vegetable bazaar in Bogra. The trading experience and fresh vegetables are satisfactory.
- After, we will drive to Jamuna River to enjoy a river cruise after visiting the beautiful Navaratna Temple in Sirajganj. This is the second largest Navaratna-style temple in Bangladesh after Kantajew Temple.
- We will arrive in Dhaka in the evening.
- Have your dinner before halting for the night's stay in Dhaka.
Day 10 : Sreemangal Tea Estates, Madhabpur Lake and Manipuri Para.
- Around 7:00, our responsible guide will meet you. We will start a drive toward Srimangal for 4:30 hrs approximately.
- On arrival, visit the nearest tea gardens. If we get the chance will visit the tea factory where you can see the processing of making drinkable tea.
- We will drive to visit the Madhabpur dam (lake) covered by small hills and tea gardens. We will stop at some pineapple and rubber gardens on the way back.
- We will go to the Manipuri Tribal community village. Learn their present lifestyles and weaving method of their own traditional clothes. Mostly they are living a modern lifestyle nowadays.
- Taste the famous ‘7 layer tea’ in a tea stall called Neel Kantho in the evening. We will stop for the day in Sreemangal.
Day 11 : National Rainforest of Lawachara, Birdwatching in Baikka Beel and Dhaka.
- Early in the morning, get ready to visit the Lawachara National Park. It is the last remaining tropical rainforest in this country. Also, home to a large variety of rare and endangered species, the most prominent of which are the Hallock Gibbons.
- After, we will drive to Baikka Beel wetland for watching birds. This is the place of thousand of migrated birds in winter.
- Spending some time, have lunch, and drive to Dhaka. In the evening, we will visit a weaving village if time permits.
- Overnight in Dhaka.
Day 12 : Old capital Sonargaon: Museum, Panam Nagar & Meghna River Cruise.
- In the morning, we will drive toward Baidder Bazar (bank of the Meghna river). Immediately, we will start a boat cruise on the Meghna river. After an hour of a journey, visit a village & a school, based on the island. Be free with the people. Know their ordinary lifestyle and explore some peanut, and vegetable gardens there. Live fishing on the river is interesting enough to fill you day.
- After lunch, we will visit the Sonargaon folklore museum (folk arts & crafts museum), Sardar Bari. It will introduce you to the old tradition from the pre-Muslim period to the Bangladesh period.
- we will visit the abandoned Panam city from the early 20th century. There are more than 50 ruined buildings in a row that are too impressive.
- In the evening, we will drive back to Dhaka.
- Overnight in Dhaka.
Day 13 : Departure
- Your Bangladesh trip will be over today. We will drop you at the Dhaka Airport. Fly with wonderful experiences and memories.
Includes:
- Airport pickup and drops.
- All Accommodation in 3 stars hotels or resorts on a twin share basis. (Upgrades of accommodation and single supplements are available)
- All transportation like the air-conditioned car, Tuk-tuk, Ship cabin, air, and small boats as per itinerary.
- All meals at local restaurants with quality food and mineral water for drinking.
- 1st class cabin bed on the ship for Dhaka to Hularhat.
- 1st class train ticket for Khulna to Rajshahi.
- 24X7 Tea or coffee for the Sundarbans trip.
- 10,500 TK forest revenue & Forest Gaurd for the Sundarban trip.
- All permissions, Entry fees, and tax for the entire trip.
- English-speaking guide for the entire trip.
Excludes:
- Personal expenses
- Tips
- Insurance.
Notes:
- Timing and assembling for the places are flexible; we could change them because of traffic or timing during the tour. But we will cover all the places mentioned in the itinerary.
- Bengali local food is spicy. Plain rice, vegetables, fish & meat are available in restaurants. Biriyani & Khichuri made of Rice, lentils, meat, and special spices are the famous food of old Dhaka also available in other cities. (Non-spicy food is possible to order at most of the restaurants if you like.)
- It requires modest clothes to visit any mosque. It does not allow shorts for the purpose, and especially, women have to cover their hair and arms with clothes.
- The dress of shorts is not a problem in Sundarban, Srimangal area.
- Ahsan Manzil is closed on Thursday and opens Fridays after 3:00 pm. Lalbagh Fort is closed on Sundays and open on Mondays after 2:00 pm.
Sundarbans:
- The itinerary could be changed because of tides, daylight hours, moon phase, and weather. But we always try to cover all the mentioned places.
- The small boats are best for the Sundarban cruise. We organize a private basis tour with the accommodation of 4-10 people by these boats. The room size is quite smaller, no running hot water, electricity is supplied by the battery, and a small generator to charge up the electrical devices. But it’s comfortable to spend days with the facilities.
- We make the food on the boat by the experienced chef during the trip.
- The quantity of mosquitoes is more sometimes. You must carry the mosquito repellent for the trip.
- No phone signal works inside the deeper forest, but at some point, you will get a phone signal to call an emergency. If you use Bangladeshi TeleTalk SIM, we’ll get better coverage in a remote area like Kotka.
- The chance of seeing tigers is very rare in the Sundarbans. The lucky one gets the chance of it.
- Make yourself silent for the boat trip or walking into the forest. The best way to explore Sundarban is to keep silent and look.
