Bangladesh adventure holiday
This two week Bangladesh holiday crosses the country by paddle steamer, train, plane, boat and on foot, allowing you to cover plenty of ground – but also get up close to wildlife and people.
Dhaka Mahastangarh Buddhist monastery Chars of the Jamuna River Paharpur Buddhist archaeological site Sundarbans boat cruise Bagerhat Sixty Domed Mosque Otter fishing village Sylhet Jaflong Meet Khasia tribal people Srimongal Lawachara Forest Reserve Hail Haor Wetland Sanctuary Dhamrai
Price
£3225To£3550excluding flights
More info
Price includes: Accommodation • transfers • guiding (We ONLY use LOCAL GUIDES) • meals as shown (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)• Maximum group size 12 people • ABTA and ATOL bonded • Single Supplement - from £295
Description of Bangladesh adventure holiday
The sprawling city of Dhaka is the starting point for this in depth Bangladesh adventure holiday, which follows the river south, by paddle steamer, all the way to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Sundarbans. This world’s largest mangrove forest shelters some 260 bird species – as well as the Bengal tiger. En route, you’ll visit palaces, Hindu temples, mosques, Buddhist monasteries and impressive archaeological sites, giving a unique insight into the past and present culture of Bangladesh, and its spirituality and religion.
As well as the big draws, this Bangladesh adventure holiday is packed with lower-key but no less special treats, such as meeting fishermen who used trained otters to round up fish, the stone collectors of Jaflong and Khasia tribal people who live close to the Indian border. Stretch your legs with a hike through the Lawachara Forest Reserve, home to birds, monkeys and rare gibbons, and spend two days cruising through the Sundarbans, winding your way along the wider rivers and narrow channels in search of the thriving wildlife.
Map
Price information
£3225To£3550excluding flights
Price includes: Accommodation • transfers • guiding (We ONLY use LOCAL GUIDES) • meals as shown (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)• Maximum group size 12 people • ABTA and ATOL bonded • Single Supplement - from £295
Check dates, prices & availability
Travel guides
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Reviews
2 Reviews of Bangladesh adventure holiday
4 out of 5 stars
Reviewed on 10 Feb 2020 by Laurie Montague
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Visiting the community on the Chars on the Jamuna river, the beautiful Hindu Terracotta temples at Rajshahi and finally the stone crushing women at
Jaflong and the border post meeting Bangladeshi and Indian soldiers together.
Standing close to the Imam when he made the calling of prayer at the Star Mosque in Dhaka.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Take pens,pencils and any spare toileteries from hotels for the Char people. Sterling is easily changeable at an excellent rate at the myriad
of bureaux at Dhaka airport.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, eating and drinking at small restaurants en route and buying snacks and fruit from vendors. Entrance fees to monuments,etc helps to maintain them. Riding on manual rickshaws has no pollution impact.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent. Bangladesh is a beautiful , diverse country, from chaotic Dhaka to the serenity of the Sunderbans , populated by the most friendly people imaginable , curious but polite on meeting foreign tourists, who, are a rarity on this relatively unexplored country
Read the operator's response here:
Thank you for the kind feedback. Bangladesh is a very special country to travel in and we are delighted that you enjoyed the tour.
Reviewed on 31 Jan 2019 by Antony Griggs
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
We found the Bangladeshi people one of the friendliest who wanted their photos taken and for us to be included in the photos they took. They were curious about us and wanted to chat, but obviously sometimes impossible because of the language. The horrendous traffic, traffic jams and horn honking has made a lasting impression along with the terrible litter everywhere.
How difficult life is and hard working the Bangladeshi people are was reflected so much in what we saw, the stone collecting people near Jaflong in particular.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
This cannot be categorised as a holiday but rather an adventure or experience. Because the country is so poor and undeveloped, one has to be prepared to travel on dusty, rough roads, tolerate the pollution and stay in very basic hotels with very few tourist sights set up (see below). The 'cruise' in the Sundarbans on the boat we went on was more suitable for the backpacker generation with less than basic accommodation and facilities.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Our holiday benefited the local people only in so far as interacting with them. We related our concern to several people about the litter and pollution problem that needs addressing now.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
We did enjoy the Bangladeshi experience. We felt, however, that we could have seen different aspects of their lives other than walking through yet another bazar. Because of the lack of historical sights available, we would have been interested in visiting other things like a garment or a brick factory. We felt that even the local guides thought that the wildlife walks were pointless as they joked repeatedly about maybe seeing a tiger or a gibbon or particular bird. We enjoyed the walks for what they were in the Sundarbans , but one would probably have been enough, not 3, The Lawachara National Park had a major busy road running through the middle and many, large noisy tourist groups. Our guide diverted our walk when he saw a group from the hotel arriving but really what hope was there of seeing any wildllife. Again they joked about seeing the Gibbon.
We enjoyed seeing the different parts of the country, the countryside with rice paddies, the Sundarbans and wouldn't have wanted to miss seeing it. However, the roads and distances were painful. The long drive to Bogra then back to Rajshahi and to Sylhet were tedious. The long drives should have been well organised with stops of interest planned in as well as comfort stops which was lacking on our tour.
Our guide was a lovely chap with a good sense of humour, helpful, always had water and snacks for us, but he didn't seem prepared with information about the places we were being taken to. We visited these places but often we didn't know what we were looking at, eg tribal villages, pottery village people. We always had to ask. The comfort stops were never pre-planned. The driver sometimes stopped for himself, but we were never thought of. Coffee/tea breaks were sometimes taken by the guide and driver and we were told to stretch our legs.
Accommodation varied. The usual breakfast discussions about what worked in the rooms and what didn't, took place. We have to report that The Nice Hotel, Rajshahi, was really sub standard. The room really tiny, no hot water, the wardrobe was only part of a wardrobe - no front or back- and the sheets questionable. Luckily we took your advice and took a sleeping sheet, which we used on several other occasions when the duvet had no cover. The Sundarbans boat was lovely in concept but quite small and dirty. There was nowhere to sit other than at the table, or on your bunk in your tiny cabin, and actually the crew stood watching us eat before they could sit down and eat themselves. The crew and cook were great. Coffee/tea always available. The quiet cruises on the smaller boat in the Mangrove Forest were magical. The walk on the beach was lovely.
The Nishorgo EcoLodge was very tired and has lost its charm. The mats are curling up, gaps widening between the floorboards and didn't feel very clean.
We are well travelled and don't mind basic accommodation so we hope you don't think we are being over critical, but we do feel cleanliness should have been better.
Train journey was good. It was a welcome relief from another car journey.
We are afraid that we wouldn't recommend this holiday to anyone as it is currently structured but Bangladesh is a Photographer's paradise and we did take some great photos. Perhaps it should be marketed as that!!
Responsible Travel
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we've screened this (and every) holiday so that you can travel knowing we've worked to maximise the benefits of your holiday to local people and places, and minimise any negative impacts.
Planet and people
We are proud of our involvement in Bangladesh. Being pioneers in the development of the country’s tourism we take our responsibilities seriously and are determined to set the standard for other operators to follow.We have been working with our locally owned operator Abdur for many years. We have helped Abdur with initiatives that can be taken to sustainably grow his business, not just with us, but with other operators. When visiting the tribal people of the Chittagong Hill Tracks we have insisted that you are accompanied by a local tribal guide as well as your main guide. This means that the money you spend is going directly to the people that benefit the most.
When visiting the Sundarbans, a World Heritage Site, we are accompanied by a park ranger. We use the services of the Divisional Forestry Office responsible for and protecting the delicate ecological balance of the Sundarbans. The fees you pay as part of the trip directly support these activities and the preservation of this unique environment. At the end of the journey travellers may donate any unwanted clothing, medicine and books, which are distributed to appropriate local charities.
We only employ local staff and unlike many operators we believe that to send a foreign Tour Leader along to accompany your trip is an unnecessary burden on your wallet and our carbon footprint. We believe that locals know best. Our local operators only use locally owned accommodation. This means your money stays in the area to benefit the local community. When possible we use local transport, (i.e. rail or bus) and we always use local restaurants, markets and shops. In doing this your travels are supporting and encouraging the development of local services.
We only work with operators who are as committed as we are to putting something back into the communities we visit. This may include giving a percentage of the profits from each tour to a foundation to help street children or local conservation projects. Furthermore, in order to allow our clients to make an informed decision on where a greater proportion of their money should be spent, we avoid including pre-paid full board meals where possible. Local restaurants and cafes then benefit.
Our groups average only six clients, and many tours operate on a private basis with just two travellers. This has much less impact when travelling through rural areas, reducing our environmental and social affects. Finally to emphasis our commitment to Responsible Tourism all clients will receive a copy of our Travellers Code of Conduct with their travel documents.
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