Itinerary

1. Day 1: Arrival and Welcome

   • Meet your Bangladesh guide inside the airport upon arrival, and transfer to your hotel.

   Overnight at Dhaka (Hotel Civic Inn).

2. Day 2: Old Dhaka Tour & Embark on the Famous Rocket Steamer

   • You will be picked up from your hotel and start the tour at 08.00 H.

   • Visit key tourist attractions in New and Old Dhaka the whole day, including Dhakeshwari Temple, Lalbagh Fort, Armenian Church, Star Mosque, Ahsan Manjil, and Sadarghat River Station. 

   • Ride rickshaw on the narrow streets of Old Dhaka, where cars can’t reach. 

   • Pass through attractive Bazaars.

   • Enjoy a short boat ride at river Buriganga in the evening on a wooden boat to feel the rhythm of the live and vibrant river and enjoy the sunset.

   • Embark on a Rocket Steamer at Sadarghat River Station at 18.00 H. A memorable overnight journey in Rocket Paddle Steamer to Hularhat.

   Overnight in the Rocket Steamer (Sleeping Cabin).

3. Day 3: UNESCO World Heritage City of Bagerhat

   • Enjoy the riverine beauty of Bangladesh from Rocket Steamer in the morning.

   • Disembark from Rocket at Hularhat around 09.00 H. 

   • Drive towards Bagerhat (1 hr) in an air-conditioned car and visit the Mosque City of Bagerhat, a 15th-century Muslim city once called Khalifatabad, which is the present-day Bagerhat and is a UNESCO protected world heritage site. 

   • Visit most of the remaining mosques from the 15th-century city Khalifatabad the whole day, including the 60 Dome Mosque, 9 Dome Mosque, Rono Bijoypur Mosque, and Singair Mosque.

   • Also, visit the shrine of Khan Jahan Ali, the saint general from Turkish origin who came to spread Islam in this region and founded this great city; and Kodla Moth – a very beautiful Hindu temple from the 17th century.

   • Drive to Khulna (1 hr).

   Overnight at Khulna (Hotel City Inn).

4. Day 4: Sundarbans (Harbaria and Kochikhali by Boat)

   • Start at 6.00 H and drive to Mongla (1.5 hrs).

   • Transfer to a boat upon arrival, and head toward Sundarbans immediately. Breakfast will be served on the ship. You’ll be inside the forest within 15 minutes of starting the journey.

   • Halt on a forest station on the way to complete formalities, and continue toward Kochikhali. Go through many small canals and rivers with small boats where big boats cannot go because of their size and shallow canals. Taking you through these rewarding narrow canals is the main point of this private tour on a small boat, where it is your best chance to spot a tiger and other animals.

   • Stop at Harbaria Eco Park and walk on its 30 mins trail for the first experience of Sundarbans. People on day tours at Sundarbans end up visiting up to this point, doing which is never recommended.

   • Before sunset, explore a small canal on a noiseless wooden rowboat searching for wildlife. The animals come to drink water in the evening and morning on the creeks and canals. You’ll sit on the boat quietly and float by in a breath-taking environment listening to many birds singing and the animals calling. 

   • Reach Kochikhali in the evening and stop for the night hold.

   Overnight on the boat in a sleeping cabin

5. Day 5: Sundarbans (Kochikhali Tiger-Point and Kotka Wildlife Sanctuary)

   • Ride a noiseless wooden rowboat on a canal in the morning, searching for wildlife.

   • Back to the main boat, and have breakfast at 07.30 H.

   • Start walking toward Jamtola beach, the quietest, nicest, and cleanest beach in Bangladesh. Enjoy the beach for an hour, and walk toward Jamtola tourist spot. The entire trail will be about 10 km.

   • Transfer to the waiting boat, which already arrived here from Kochikhali through an inside canal. Lunch on the boat and have an hour of rest.

   • Visit Kotka Wildlife Sanctuary, and if high tide, have a rewarding boat ride on a canal near the sanctuary. Go to the watchtower at Kotka before the sunset and sit quietly for half an hour. This is a feeding ground of animals, and lots of deer and other wild animals come here in the evening to eat grass and drink water. You never know what surprises can be waiting for you here!

   • After sunset, start the boat to another suitable forest station based on the tide for the night.

   Overnight on the boat in a sleeping cabin.

6. Day 6: Sundarbans (Karamjol Wildlife Rescue Center and Khulna)

   • Go for a boat ride on the noiseless wooden row-boat at 06.00 H and explore a canal near the forest station.

   • Return to the main boat at 07.30 H and have breakfast.

   • Start your return journey toward Mongla from here through other small rivers and canals. 

   • Visit a fishing village and Koromjal Crocodile Breeding Center on the way.

   • Reach Mongla in the late afternoon, and drive to Khulna (1.5 hrs).

   Overnight at Khulna (Hotel City Inn)

7. Day 7: Khulna - Rajshahi by Train, and Temple Village Puthia

   • Transfer to Khulna Railway Station, and depart for Rajshahi on 06.30 H on 715 Kapotaksha Express.

   • Arrive in Rajshahi around 12.20 H, transfer to hotel. 

   • After check-in, freshen up, and lunch, drive to Puthia (22 km, 30 mins) and visit its beautiful temples and palaces. The largest number of historical temples of Bangladesh is located in Puthia.

   • Back to Rajshahi in the evening.

   Overnight at Rajshahi (Hotel Nice)

8. Day 8: Kusumba Mosque, Somapura Mahavihara, Mahasthangarh

   • After breakfast, drive to Kusumba (50 km, 1.5 hrs).

   • Visit Kusumba Mosque, a beautiful stone-built mosque from the medieval period. This is one of the six remaining stone-built mosques from the Sultanate period in Bengal, which is very well preserved. 

   • Drive to Paharpur (60 km, 1.5 hrs) and visit Somapura Mahavihara, a Buddhist monastery from the 8th century and a UNESCO world heritage site. This is the most impressive archaeological site in Bangladesh.

   • Drive to Bogra (70 km, 2 hrs).

   • Visit a Santal tribal village en route to experience their lifestyle; also visit a local bazaar.

   Overnight at Bogra (Hotel Naz Garden)

9. Day 9: River Island of Jamuna/Free Morning, Drive to Dhaka

   • After breakfast, drive to Sariakandi (42 km, 1 hr).

   • Visit some chars (river islands) of river Jamuna and see how people live on those small islands struggling with natural disasters. If you need some free time, you can skip visiting this Char, as you will visit another Char at Day-13. 

   • Drive to Dhaka (180 km, 7 hrs).

   • Have lunch at a highway restaurant en route.

   Overnight at Dhaka (Hotel Civic Inn).

10. Day 10: Sreemangal by Train (Tea Plantations, Lemon & Pineapple Orchards)

    • Pick up from the hotel at 06.30 H, and transfer to Airport Railway Station.

    • Depart for Srimangal at 07.00 H on 709 Parabat Express.

    • Arrive at Srimangal around 11.00 H, and transfer to the resort. 

    • In the afternoon, walk through the trails inside tea gardens, visit some pineapple gardens and lemon orchards.

    • See the tea deposit activities on a tea garden before sunset (if available) when female workers gather to deposit their tea leaves collected during the whole day, which is photogenic.

    • After dinner, go to Nilkontho Tea cabin to taste the famous seven-layer tea of Srimangal.

    Overnight at Srimangal (Nisorgo Eco Resort).

11. Day 11: Sreemangal (Wildlife of Lawachara National Park, Tribal Village)

    • Early morning, go for a rewarding wildlife trekking through the Lawachara National Park. Take the 3 hours trail for the maximum opportunity to see wildlife, especially the Hoolock Gibbons for which this forest is famous.

    • Enjoy a meal with a tribal family.

    Overnight at Srimangal (Nisorgo Eco Resort).

12. Day 12: Free Morning, Sreemangal - Dhaka by Train

    • Enjoy the morning on your own. 

    • Transfer to the railway station, and depart for Dhaka at 10.31 H on 718 Jayantika Express (Thu Off)/at 09.10 H on 774 Kalani Express.

    • Arrive Dhaka around 16.00 H/13.55 H, and transfer to hotel.

    Overnight at Dhaka (Hotel Civic Inn).

13. Day 13: Visit Old Capital of Sonargaon

    • After breakfast, drive to Sonargon (37 km, 2 hrs), the old capital of the Bengal region. 

    • Visit Folk-arts and Crafts Museum, medieval period Goaldi Mosque, a bamboo school for disadvantaged children of the neglected Hindu society, and abandoned merchant city, Panam Nagar.

    • Also, visit a char (small river island) of river Meghna to experience the traditional lifestyle of the farmers.

    Overnight at Dhaka (Hotel Civic Inn)

14. Day 14: Dhaka - Chittagong on Flight, Rangamati

    • Transfer to the airport, and fly to Chittagong at 7.15 H.

    • Arrive at Chittagong at 8.10 H, and drive to Rangamati (102 km, 3.5 Hrs). 

    • Enjoy a boat ride at Kaptai Lake rest of the day, and visit a Buddhist temple before sunset.

    • Visit some tribal handicraft markets in the evening.

    Overnight at Rangamati (Parjatan Hotel).

15. Day 15: Rangamati - Bandarban (Golden Temple, Nilachal)

    • Drive to Bandarban after breakfast (82 km, 3.5 Hrs).

    • Visit a small tribal museum en route. 

    • Reach Golden Temple by climbing a 60m/200ft hill through paved stairs.

    • Visit Nilachal and other popular tourist sites in Bandarban for the rest of the day.

    Overnight at Bandarban (Hillside Resort).

16. Day 16: Bandarban: Tribal Villages and Sangu River

    • Visit villages of different tribes in the morning to see their lifestyle. See how they hand-make their clothes and buy some if you like, from small outlets directly run by the tribal people.

    • Enjoy a boat ride at the beautiful Sangu river in the evening, the most naturally beautiful river in Bangladesh.

    Overnight at Bandarban (Hillside Resort).

17. Day 17: Bandarban - Chittagong Ship Breaking Yard - Dhaka

    • Drive to Chittagong Ship Breaking Yard (103 km, 4 hrs) after breakfast.

    • Visit shipbreaking activities on a boat from the river for a couple of hours. This is a graveyard of the giant commercial scrap vessels brought from all over the world, converted to pieces of steel. You’ll also visit shops of scrap materials coming from those ships, which is an excellent place to collect souvenirs. 

    • Drive to Chittagong airport (40 km, 1.5 hrs), and fly to Dhaka on 16.20 H flight.

    • Arrive at Dhaka around 17.15 H, and transfer to the hotel.

    Overnight at Dhaka (Hotel Civic Inn).

18. Day 18: Departure and Farewell

    • Pick up from your hotel, transfer to the airport according to your flight schedule and say goodbye.

    End the Best of Bangladesh Tour.