Best of Bangladesh: 18 Days tour to visit the best sights and attractions with a local operator

Tour Duration: 18 Days / 17 Nights
Location: Sundarbans, Paharpur, Srimangal, Hill-Tracts, Sonargaon
Tour Attractions: Best attractions of Bangladesh
Best time to go: October – March
Tour Availability: September – May / Any day start except Sunday
Next Scheduled Tour: Please Check Bellow

Price: Starting from $2,395 US*per pax

Book Tour

Bangladesh travel package to take you to the best places and attractions in Bangladesh, recommended by popular travel guides like BRADT and Lonely Planet. Starting with a full-day tour of Dhaka city and in the evening boarding Rocket Paddle Steamer for a once-in-a-lifetime overnight journey, you’ll visit the 15th-century Muslim city Bagerhat, and spend 3 days in Sundarbans to explore its wildlife. Next, we’ll take you to visit the most impressive archaeological sites in Rajshahi Division.

After that, we’ll take you to the tea capital of Bangladesh – Srimangal to visit its numerous tea gardens, national parks, and tribal villages. From there we go to the hill-tracts area in Chittagong Division. Starting with a full-day boat ride at beautiful Kaptai Lake, you’ll explore the beautiful hills in Bandarban and experience the lifestyle of its many different tribes. Visit Chittagong Ship Breaking Yards before returning to Dhaka. If you want to experience the best places and attractions of Bangladesh on a single tour, this tour is for you.

A tribal family in Bandarban

Chittagong Ship Breaking Yard. ©Photo: John Burton

Golden Temple in Bandarban

Bengal tiger of Sundarbans

Kaptai Lake

Lawachhara National Park

A Mru festival in Bandarban

Monks praying at Rangamati

Tour Highlights

Visit all 3 UNESCO world Heritage sites in Bangladesh.
Explore the largest mangrove forest on earth – Sundarbans, for full 3 day.
Overnight journey on a century old paddle wheel steamer called Rocket.
Visit historical sites at Bagerhat, a UNESCO world heritage city from 15th century, including 60 Dome Mosque.
Visit Sompur Mahabihara, a Buddhist monastery from 8th century, and another UNESCO World Heritage site.
Visit beautiful temples, palaces, and historic mosques of Rajshahi.
Visit a Santal tribal village and experience their lifestyle.
Spend three day at Srimangal, the tea capital of Bangladesh, in the middle of endless tea plantations.
Trek inside Lawachhara National Park, and visit tribal villages.
Walk through the trails inside tea plantations.
Full day tour of Old Dhaka including rickshaw ride on narrow streets and boat ride on Dhaka’s busy Buriganga river.
Experience simple life of farmers on the islands of Meghna and Jamuna river.
Ride 3 Bangladeshi train – a unique experience.
Visit beautiful hills and tribal villages in Chittagong Hill-Tracts area.
Boat ride on beautiful Kaptai Lake at Rangamati.
Visit Chittagong Ship Breaking Yard by a boat from the river and photograph the ship-breaking activities.

Itinerary of Best of Bangladesh

Day-1: Arrival

A guide of us will meet you inside the airport upon arrival, and transfer you to your hotel.
Overnight at Dhaka (Hotel Civic Inn)

Day-2: Old Dhaka and Rocket

Check-out from hotel and start at 08.00 H. Visit key tourist attractions in New and Old Dhaka the whole day, including Dhakeshwari Temple, Lalbagh Fort, Khan Mohammad Mridha Mosque, 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 interesting 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 sunset.
Embark Rocket Steamer at Sadarghat River Station at 18.00 H. A memorable overnight journey in Rocket Steamer to Hularhat.
Overnight at Rocket (Sleeping Cabin)

Day-3: UNESCO World Heritage City 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 an UNESCO protected world heritage site.
You’ll visit most of the remaining mosques from the 15th-century city Khalifatabad the whole day, including the 60 Dome Mosque, 09 Dome Mosque, Rono Bijoypur Mosque, and Singair Mosque. Also, we’ll take you to visit the shrine of Khan Jahan Ali, the saint general from the 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)

Day-4: Sundarbans: Harbaria Eco Park & Kochikhali

Start at 6.00 H and drive to Mongla (1.5 hrs). Transfer to our waiting boat upon arrival, and head toward Sundarbans immediately. Breakfast will be served on the boat. You’ll be inside the forest within 15 minutes of starting the journey. Stop on a forest station on the way to complete formalities, and continue toward Kochikhali.
We’ll go through many small canals and rivers with our small boat where big boats cannot go because of their size and the canals being shallow. Taking you through these rewarding narrow canals is the main point of this private tour on a small boat, where is your best chance to spot a tiger and many wildlife.
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 we never recommend.
Before sunset, explore a small canal on a noiseless wooden row-boat in search of wildlife. They come to drink water in the evening and morning on the creeks and canals. You’ll seat on the boat quietly and float by on a breath-taking environment listening to many birds singing, and the calls of many animals. We’ll reach Kochikhali in the evening and stop for the night hold.
Stay overnight on the boat in a sleeping cabin, anchoring in the middle of the river in front of Kochikhali forest station.

Day-5: Sundarbans: Kochikhali & Kotka Wildlife Sanctuary

Today is going to be your busiest day at Sundarbans.
Ride a noiseless wooden row-boat on a canal in the morning in search of wildlife.
Back to the main boat, and have breakfast at 07.30 H. Start walking toward Jamtola beach, which is the quietest, nicest, and the cleanest beach in Bangladesh. Enjoy the beach for an hour, and walk toward Jamtola tourist spot. The total trail will be about 10 km. Transfer to our 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 watch-tower at Kotka before the sunset and seat quietly for half an hour. This is a feeding ground of animals. 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 for our onward location to another suitable forest station for the night hold, based on the tide.
Stay overnight on the boat in a sleeping cabin, anchoring in the middle of the river in front of the forest station.

Day-6: Sundarbans: Fishing Village & Crocodile Breeding Center

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. We’ll start our 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).
Go for an evening walk on some busy points of the city if you are interested.
Overnight at Khulna (Hotel City Inn)

Day-7: Khulna - Rajshahi by Train, and Puthia

Transfer to Khulna Railway Station, and depart for Rajshahi on 06.30 H on 715 Kapotaksha Express. Arrive 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. Largest number of historical temples of Bangladesh are located in Puthia. Back to Rajshahi in the evening.
Overnight at Rajshahi (Hotel Nice)

Day-8: Kusumba Mosque, Somapura Mahavihara, Tribal Village

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 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)

Day-9: Chars 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). Lunch on a highway restaurant en route.
Overnight at Dhaka (Hotel Civic Inn)

Day-10: Srimangal: Tea Plantations, Pineapple and Lemon Gardens

Pick up from the hotel at 06.30 H, transfer to Airport Railway Station. Depart for Srimangal at 07.00 H on 709 Parabat Express. Arrive Srimangal around 11.00 H, transfer to the resort.
In the afternoon, walk through the trails inside tea gardens, visit some pineapple gardens and lemon orchards. Also show you the tea deposit activities on a tea garden before sunset (if available) when female workers gather to deposit their tea leaves which they collected during the whole day, which is photogenic.
Visit a colony of tea workers if time permits.
After dinner, we’ll take you to Nilkontho Tea cabin to taste the famous 7 layer tea of Srimangal.
Overnight at Srimangal (Nisorgo Eco Resort)

Day-11: Srimangal: Lawachara National Park, and Bird Watching

Early morning, go for a rewarding wildlife trekking through the Lawachara National Park. We’ll take the 3 hours trail for the maximum opportunity to see wildlife, especially the Hollock Gibbons for which this forest is famous for.
In the afternoon visit Baikka Beal, a wetland sanctuary for the migratory birds and paradise for the bird lovers.
Overnight at Srimangal (Nisorgo Eco Resort)

Day-12: Free Morning, Srimangal - Dhaka by Train

Morning is free to do anything you like on your own.
Transfer to 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, transfer to hotel.
Overnight at Dhaka (Hotel Civic Inn)

Day-13: Old Capital 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 school fully made of bamboo for disadvantaged children of the neglected Hindu society, and abandoned merchant city Panam Nagar. Also you’ll visit a char (small river island) of river Meghna, to experience the traditional lifestyle of the farmers.
Overnight at Dhaka (Hotel Civic Inn)

Day-14: Dhaka - Chittagong on Flight, Rangamati

Transfer to airport, and fly to Chittagong at 7.15 H. Arrive Chittagong at 8.10 H, drive to Rangamati (102 km, 3.5 Hrs).
Enjoy 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)

Day-15: Rangamati - Bandarban

Drive to Bandarban after breakfast (82 km, 3.5 Hrs). Visit a small tribal museum en route.
Visit Golden Temple, Nilachal, and other popular tourist sites in Bandarban rest of the day. To reach Golden Temple, you need to climb a 60m / 200ft hill through paved stairs.
Overnight at Bandarban (Hillside Resort)

Day-16: Bandarban: Tribal Villages and Sangu River

Visit villages of different tribes in the morning to see their lifestyle. You’ll be able to see how they hand-make their own clothes, and also will be able to buy some if you like from small outlets directly run by the tribal people, which will be a big support for them.
Boat ride at beautiful Sangu river in the evening, which is the most naturally beautiful river in Bangladesh.
Overnight at Bandarban (Hillside Resort)

Day-17: Bandarban - Ship Breaking Yard - Fly to Dhaka

Drive to Chittagong Ship Breaking Yard (103 km, 4 hrs) after breakfast. Visit ship breaking activities with 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, which are converted to pieces of steel here. You’ll also visit shops of scrap materials coming from those ships, which is a good place to collect souvenirs.
Drive to Chittagong airport (40 km, 1.5 hrs), and fly to Dhaka on 16.20 H flight. Arrive Dhaka around 17.15 H, transfer to hotel.
Visit Commonwealth World War – II Cemetery en route at Chittagong if time permits.
Overnight at Dhaka (Hotel Civic Inn)

Day-18: Departure

Transfer to airport in the morning according to your flight, say good bye.
End of the tour.

A map of 18 days Best of Bangladesh Tour with Nijhoom Tours to visit the best sights & attractions as recommended by popular guide books, and beyond

Price of Best of Bangladesh

Group Size	Tour Price
-	USD Per Person
2 Pax	$3,065
3 Pax	$2,690
4 Pax	$2,395
Single Supplement	$305

$100 Early-Booking Discount for the first 2 travelers to join any scheduled tour 6 months in advance.

$180 Off-Season Discount for everyone to book anytime from April to September.

Journey toward a remote island

At the hanging bridge of Rangamati

On a fishing village inside Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest on earth

At Pink Palace in Dhaka

At Puthia Temple Complex in Rajshahi

At Sundarbans Mangrove Forest

In Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest on earth

Riding a tuk-tuk

Inclusions and Exclusions

Tour includes:

All airport transfers in Dhaka and Chittagong.
17 Night accommodation in hotels and boat cabins as mentioned in the itinerary with complementary breakfast on twin sharing basis.
All meals, drinking water, tea, and coffee while on the boat at Sundarbans for three day on Day-4, 5, and 6.
1st class cabin on Rocket Paddle Steamer to Hularhat on twin sharing basis.
Dhaka-Chittagong return flight tickets.
All train and boat rides.
All site entrance tickets.
Air-conditioned car, driver, and English speaking guide.
5,500 BDT per person forest permission fee for Sundarbans.
All tips except our guide, driver, and boat crew.

Does not include:

Any food or drinks other than mentioned above.
1,200 BDT fee for video camera in Sundarbans (if any).
Any personal item.

Important Notes on Best of Bangladesh

Availability

This tour is available to start on any Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, or Friday outside the schedule – round the year.
Booking this tour at least 6 weeks in advance is advised.

Private & Group Tour Price

Price of the tour mentioned in the price chart above is the starting price for the group tours, assuming you want to join with other people on the tour and reduce your cost. Price for an exclusive private tour will be different than what is provided on the chart above.
We will try to include other people on the tour once you book a group tour. If we find anyone to join the tour later, the price will go down for you accordingly. We’ll take a maximum of 5 people on this tour including you.
We’ll not include anyone else on the tour in case of booking a private tour. Contact us for the price of a private tour if you do not want to join with anyone else on the tour.

Early-Booking & Off-Season Discounts

Early-Booking discount is available for the first two travelers to join any scheduled tour six months in advance. Discount will not be applicable for any tour ourtside the schedule.
Use code “EARLY BOOKING” on the booking form to get the early booking discount.
Off-Season discount is available for everyone to book this tour anytime during April to September.
Use code “OFF SEASON” on the booking form to get the off season discount.
None of the discounts will be available for booking a private tour.

Airport Pick-up

On Day-1 upon arriving at Dhaka airport, after finishing with the immigration and collecting luggage when you come outside using the Green Channel Exit, you’ll find hotel staff and visitors waiting. Look for your guide there. He will be waiting there with a sign in your name, or with a placard with Nijhoom Tours logo.
Sometimes the authority restrict visitors inside the airport temporarily. On that case, the guide will be waiting outside on Terminal-2 (come using Exit-2).
For the domestic flights, our guide/driver will be waiting at the domestic terminal exit.

Hotels & Resorts

Hotels used on this tour are tourist standard hotels of mostly 2* and 3* standard, with standard facilities for the foreigners e.g. clean room, air-conditioning, hot water, western style toilet, and complimentary breakfast. Only Naz Garden Hotel in Bogra is 4*.
Govt. run Parjatan Hotels have all the standard facilities, but the hotels are poorly maintained. These are the best hotels in those areas, so we are sticking with them until better hotels develop there.
Cottages at Nisorgo Eco Resort in Srimangal are very basic without air-conditioning. They have fans on the rooms. They also have 2 rooms on the brick cottages with air-conditioning. Let us know in advance if you want to stay at one of these rooms. We’ll book them for you if available. You can also book Grand Sultan Tea Resort at Srimangal on your own, which is 5* and close from Nisorgo. We’ll deduct the price for Nisorgo on that case. You need to confirm this with us in the time of booking.
Cottages at Hillside Resort in Bandarban are also very basic, and they are located in a hilly area. You need to climb up some stairs to reach these rooms. Most of the cottages here have air-conditioning. There is no alternative hotel here to book though.
Bangladesh is full of mosquito. You may find some on your hotels too. Hotels will normally spray aerosol at your room to keep them away. But if they don’t, give a call to the reception instead of spending a sleepless night. They will come and spray as many times as you need. You can also bring a mosquito spray or buy one upon arrival on the beginning of your trip, which will cost less than $5 US and will cover your whole trip.
Hotels in Bangladesh try to provide their best possible service to the foreigners. If there is an issue with your room on any of the hotels, simply let them know while you are there. They will try their best to resolve the issue.
You can book your hotels in Dhaka online to more upscale ones if you like. On that case, you need to arrange the transfers to and from the airport and railway station with your hotel. We’ll deduct the price for Richmond on that case from the tour price. Please confirm during the time of booking, if you opt-in for this option.
Nijhoom Tours reserves the rights to change any hotel listed in the itinerary to a similar standard one if the actual hotel is not available to book.

Hotel Check-in & Check-out Times

On Day-1, the check-in time at Civic Inn is 14.00 H. If you have an early morning flight, we can arrange an early check-in for an additional half-day charge depending on availability.
We have set-aside Day-1 of the itinerary as an ‘arrival day’. For this reason and because tour participants are likely to be arriving at different times, and often from different countries, guided sightseeing or other activities are not included. If you are arriving early or before the start date of the tour and would like to organize some extra arrangements on a private basis, please contact us.
Check-out time on the last day at Civic Inn is 12.00 H. If you have a late flight, we can arrange late check-out for an additional half-day charge within 18.00 H, based on availability.

Rocket Paddle Steamer

Rocket journey is not guaranteed. Chances of riding a Rocket are very slim as they no longer are being able to maintain their schedule for occasionally being down because of the engine and other issues. We do not encourage anyone to book this tour for the Rocket journey as the main interest.
We’ll use traditional ferries up to Barisal most of the time instead of the Rocket, and drive to Bagerhat from there. If Rocket is running and we can manage the tickets for them, it will be a bonus.
1st class tickets of Rocket depends on availability. You might have to travel in the 2nd class if the 1st class is not available. The only difference between the 1st and 2nd class on the Rocket is, 2nd class is located on the backside, and have no air-conditioning. Other facilities are the same. Passengers of the 2nd class can use all the facilities of 1st class, e.g. dining area, toilets, and the sitting area on the front side.
On Monday and Thursday, a traditional ferry comes in service instead of the paddle steamers. If you book for these days, you have to travel on the traditional ferry instead of a paddlewheel steamer.
Even on the first-class cabins of Rocket, sometimes air-conditioning might be broken. We will try to move you in a cabin with working air-conditioning if available. If that is not possible, Nijhoom Tours will not have any responsibility regarding this, as this boat is not owned by us.
There is no shower on the Rocket paddle steamers.

Traveling on Trains

First class train tickets depending on availability. Sometimes they mysteriously disappear even before coming to the counter. We will try our best to get first class for you. But if that is not possible, second class tickets will be provided, which is without air-conditioning. Killing the guide or blaming Nijhoom Tours taking all of your money and not providing first-class tickets will not resolve the issue.
In case of traveling on the 2nd class of train, you’ll have a reserved seat.
The train from Bogra to Dhaka is an old train with limited first-class seats. It will almost always be without air-conditioning. But it will be safer to return to Dhaka on the train even on 2nd class. Also, you’ll be able to escape tremendous traffic on that road. But if you prefer air-conditioning, you can take the car.
The train from Srimangal to Dhaka is also an old train with limited first-class seats, and will almost always be without air-conditioning. However, there will be no option for the car on this route.
While traveling from Khulna to Rajshahi and Dhaka to Srimangal on the train, it will be very early for your hotel to provide breakfast that morning. We’ll buy breakfast for you on the train, which is a package of slices of bread and jam, a piece of fried chicken, couple of pieces of cutlet, a bottle of water, and tea.
It is common for the trains in Bangladesh to be 1-2 hours late. But no matter when they arrive, our drivers will always be waiting for you at the station to take you to your hotel.

Traveling on Car and Tuk-Tuk

We use a car only while it is not possible to avoid, e.g. no train, boat, or flight. Roads in Bangladesh are broken and with heavy traffic. Be patient while traveling on car.
Distance mentioned in the itinerary is taken from Google Maps.
Travel time mentioned in the itinerary is our best judgment. It could be delayed or earlier depending on traffic and road conditions.
While traveling on the hilly areas at Chittagong Hill-Tracts region, we sometimes need to turn off the air-conditioning temporarily to minimize the load on the car engine. Be patient with this.
Local transportation for Srimangal and Chittagong Hill-Tracts area will be by Tuk-Tuk. However, trips in these areas are short distance.

Sundarbans

Itinerary of Sundarbans Tour is just a general outline, and not fixed. It could be changed depending on the season, moon phase, tide, daylight hours, and fog. But we’ll try to include all the activities mentioned in the itinerary as much as possible.
The boat for Sundarbans is a very basic boat without air-conditioning, electricity, and running hot water (we will supply them on bucket). It has accommodation facilities for 8 people in max and one western-style toilet. But we have a larger boat too to arrange a tour for bigger groups.
The cabins in the boat at Sundarbans are lit by small lights running on battery. We’ll run the generator in the evening for a couple of hours every day to charge your devices.
You’ll get mobile phone signal of GrameenPhone on the first half of day-4. In Kotka, a new mobile phone tower of Teletalk opened recently, so you’ll get full network coverage of only Teletalk in Kotka with 2G internet facilities which are very slow. No other SIM card will work inside other parts of the forest.
For trekking in the forest on day-5, the land is flat and we will not go through very dense forest, so it will be easy for most of the people, as long as you can walk about 10 km. The trail is dry, not muddy. Bring covered shoes which are suitable for trekking and can protect you from small grass and trees with spikes.
If you do not want to walk, you can remain on the boat which will be still enjoyable, as it will go from Kochikhali to Kotka through small canals, which will be a ride of about 3 hours.
No binocular will be provided at Sundarbans. Bring your own.

Seeing a tiger in Sundarbans

Although we’ve seen tigers in Sundarbans a few times on our tours, chances of seeing a tiger in Sundarbans are very slim, because there are only about one hundred tigers in the Bangladesh part of the forest (one tiger in about 60 sq km) and they are nocturnal animals who hardly come outside from their den during day time.
Being a mangrove swamp, there is no way to track tigers in Sundarbans. We’ll go through the narrow canals during our journey to the forest with our small vessel, and also will take you to the creeks and canals inside the forest early morning on a noiseless rowboat, which will maximize your chance of seeing a tiger. Other than that, there is nothing much the guide can do to show you a tiger there.
The main attraction of the forest is not seeing a tiger, rather enjoying its tranquility outside the human settlements. Please read the experiences of the previous travelers with us to understand what you can expect in Sundarbans. If seeing a tiger is your main purpose, please do not book this tour, because you’ll be disappointed at the end.

Single Supplement

Single supplement is applicable for the hotels only. You might not be provided separate cabins on Rocket and on the boat at Sundarbans, even if you pay for the single supplement, based on the availability.

Visa on Arrival

Citizens of EU, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Russia, Japan, Singapore, and some other Asian countries can get Visa on Arrival in Bangladesh, which is a pretty straight-forward process. Although there is a rule to take visa beforehand if you have a Bangladesh mission on the country where you are coming from, this rule is completely overlooked. They never check where you are coming from. They only check if you are a national of a country which is eligible for VOA, and directly issue the visa.
Unless there is a long Queue for VOA, it will take just 10 minutes of your time to get VOA. Fee for most of the countries is $51 USD. You’ll not require any previous application or anything else to get the visa. We will provide you a reservation confirmation letter for the hotel in Dhaka and a letter of invitation before your arrival. Present these on the immigration along with our trip document. They will be happy enough to provide you a VOA of maximum 30 days.
Once you’ve collected your visa, DO NOT GO BACK TO THE QUE AGAIN, rather proceed to the exit directly.
Check here for more information on visa on arrival for Bangladesh.

Foreign Exchange

ATM Availability: Although Bangladesh has many ATMs, some of these do not accept foreign cards – your guide can give advice on which ATM’s to use but we do not advise relying on ATM’s alone for money.
Credit and Debit Card Acceptance: Cards are generally only accepted in the more expensive shops and restaurants.
Local Currency: Taka.
Recommended Currency for Exchange: US Dollar.
Where to Exchange: There are a number of exchange houses in larger towns and cities. You can also exchange at Dhaka airport upon arrival, who provide good rates.

Eating and Drinking

All the breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 2 dinners are included on the trip. You need to pay for the rest of the lunches and dinners during your trip. A meal on a decent local restaurant will cost about $2-$5 US.
Options for vegetarian food on the local restaurants are very limited. You need to go to a more expensive Western restaurant to find good vegetarian food.
Options for food on the trains are very limited. Vegetarian food is non-existent. Bring your own food for the train if you are vegetarian.
Vegetarian food will not be an issue on our boat at Sundarbans.
Tea and soft drinks are very cheap. Mineral water is widely available.
While traveling in the Rajshahi region, there will be no decent restaurants for lunch on the way. Buy some dry food the previous day to bring with you for lunch.
Bangladesh is a secular Muslim country, and whilst the people are very liberal and friendly, alcohol is not widely available. There are only a couple of hotels on the trip which has a bar, and even at these establishments, you cannot usually drink in the restaurant. Local beer, when available, costs approx. $3 USD for a 300ml can, and a measure of spirits is similarly priced. Wine is not available. It may sometimes be possible to purchase alcohol outside the hotels, but it is prohibited to consume in public places.
The easiest way to get alcohol in Bangladesh is purchasing from the duty-free shop at the airport. You are allowed to buy 2 bottles per person from there.
In Dhaka, there are some wirehouses from where you can buy alcohol showing your foreign passport. But they only sell whole cartons of usually 24 bottles/cans.

Luggage on Tour

Your luggage should not exceed 20kgs (44lbs). One large suitcase/rucksack, and one small hand luggage/rucksack is acceptable.

Clothing & Toilet

You should bear in mind that Bangladesh tends to have a conservative attitude towards dress. Women, and also to a certain extent men, will find that the way they dress will often determine the degree of respect they receive from both men and women.
Mosques, temples, churches and synagogue are places of worship and visitors should be modestly dressed. Admission might be denied to men and women wearing short pants/skirts, sleeveless t-shirts/blouses. Bare shoulders and midriffs are not permitted and should be covered with shawls. You also need to remove shoes while entering one of these places.
It will not be appropriate in Bangladesh for women to hide behind bushes for a pee. Any time you need to use a toilet, ask your guide. He will arrange a nearby toilet for you in someone’s house or in a public place.

Electric Supply & Plugs

Generally electrical supply is 230V/50 Hz and plugs have two round prongs. Many places also have the English 3 pin sockets. Our advice is travel with an adapter and to check the voltage locally.

Wi-Fi & Mobile Internet

Wi-Fi internet is widely available in Bangladesh. You’ll find free Wi-Fi on most of the hotels on this tour. Upscale restaurants will also have free Wi-Fi.
Mobile phone operators have 3G coverage on most of the places in the country. 4G Service started in February 2018 and is supposed to be available on all the big cities shortly. Mobile internet speed is not satisfactory however on any of them.

Buying Local SIM Card

ONLY place to buy local SIM card for the foreigners would be at the arrival lounge inside the airport (International Arrivals) where you’ll meet your guide. You’ll find booths of all the mobile phone operators there. From them, you can buy a SIM card with talk time and data. Grameen Phone has the widest network coverage in the country. If you need a local SIM card, remember to buy from there during your arrival. It will not be possible to buy a local SIM card afterward.

Tipping / Bakshis

Tipping is common practice in Asia. In Bangladesh, most workers will expect a small tip, anything from 50 Taka upwards depending on the service provided. At the end of the tour, if your principle guide, together with the driver and the boat crew have been helpful then you could think about tipping them. The amount can obviously be left to you.

Miscellaneous

Bangladesh is a third world country with poor infrastructure. Nothing works here perfectly and as planned. Organizing such a long tour in Bangladesh may bring some inconvenience occasionally. Be patient and flexible while traveling Bangladesh.
While traveling on a group, be co-operative and tolerant with the interests and difficulties of your co-travelers.
Your guide is not your enemy. He is with you to protect you and assist you in every way possible. In case of any issue with anything, simply let him know instead of trying to kill him. He will do his best in association with the whole Nijhoom team to resolve the issue.
Bangladesh is not for every regular tourist. Do enough research about Bangladesh, the tour, hotels on the tour, and everything else possible before booking this tour, so that you do not have unrealistic expectations and end up disappointed after the tour.

Departures and Availability

Departure Dates	Total Places	Available Places	Booking Status
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Reviews of Best of Bangladesh

Did not expect to see so many diverse cultures and ethnic groups

- Kawe Safavi-Bayet, Linz, Austria

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18 Day Best of Bangladesh Tour

- Deirdre Cockcroft, Salisbury, United Kingdom

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Best of Bangladesh: 18 days

- Susan Bicknell, London, United Kingdom

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Bangladesh – a beautiful country with colourful, friendly, smiling people

- Judith Colston-Jones, Netherlands

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18 days Tour throughout Bangladesh

- Simon Roozendaal, Rotterdam, Netherlands

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