Tour Duration: Full Day Tour
Location: New & Old Dhaka
Tour Attractions: Street Photography in mega city Dhaka
Best time to go: October-March
Tour Available: Year Round Except Fridays, Saturdays, and Holidays
Next Scheduled Tour: Contact us
Dhaka is a megacity of more than 16 million people – one of the most densely populated cities in the world and full of activities. It has many interesting streets and bazaars, especially in Old Dhaka, which are paradise to photographers who like street and portrait photography.
In the Dhaka Photography Tour, we’ll take you to some of the most interesting back-streets and bazaars of New and Old Dhaka for a whole day in search of some interesting subjects to shoot. You’ll be amazed to see how friendly are people here. They’d love their photos to be taken by you, and will never ask for money, unlike other countries.
If you are passionate about street or portrait photography, this tour will be perfect for you! You can take this tour over and over again in search of some fantastic photos to enrich your portfolio. Book this tour if you have just one day. For two days, book the Dhaka (East) Photography Tour & Dhaka (West) Photography Tour instead, which include the same places with other sites added with them.
A fish seller in Kawran Bazar ©Photo Credit: Ian Coles
An young girl in Kawran Bazar ©Photo Credit: Daniel Whitfield
Boatmen of river Buriganga ©Photo Credit: Daniel Whitfield
The clothing street of Old Dhaka ©Photo Credit: Daniel Whitfield
A chicken seller on the chicken market ©Photo Credit: Ian Coles
Vegetable sellers at Kawran Bazar ©Photo Credit: Ian Coles
Dhaka Shipyards
The sewing-men of Old Dhaka ©Photo Credit: Ian Coles
Tour Highlights
- Photograph the activities of megacity Dhaka.
- Visit some of the most interesting back-streets and bazaars of New & Old Dhaka.
- Boat ride on Dhaka’s live and vibrant Buriganga river.
- Visit the shipyards of Dhaka.
- Taste some authentic local food in a local restaurant.
Itinerary of Dhaka Photography Tour
- 07.00 – 07.00 AM: Pick-up from the hotel and drive to Kawran Bazar.
- 07.30 – 08.20 AM: Photography at Kawran Bazar – the largest wholesale market of Dhaka city. Trade happens in this market overnight, which generally gets finished around 8.30 AM. That is the reason for an early start for this tour.
- 08.30 – 09.00 AM: Breakfast at a local restaurant with authentic local food.
- 09.10 – 09.50 AM: Walk through the railway tracks to Tejgaon Railway Station, a small train station in Dhaka city full of people with a character. Also, visit the largest wholesale market of chicken and ducks in Dhaka city.
- 10.50 – 11.10 AM: Photography at Showarighat – a busy boat station on river Buriganga, which is used for transportation of the goods sold at the nearby Chawk Bazar and Moulovi Bazar, and people living on the other side of the city.
- 11.10 – 11.50 AM: Photography at Chawk Bazar – the most exciting market of Dhaka city where you can get almost anything you need. This is the largest wholesale market for street vendors who come here from every corner of the country to purchase the products for their shops. Also, visit Mowlovi Bazar – the largest wholesale market in Dhaka city for the grocery items.
- 12.10 – 12.40 PM: Photography at Islampur Road – the largest wholesale clothing market of Dhaka city, and Sakhari Bazar – a heritage street which is famous for the culture and heritage of the Hindu community of Dhaka city, also known as the Hindu Street.
- 12.55 – 01.40 PM: Lunch at a local restaurant with authentic local food.
- 01.40 – 02.00 PM: Walk to Sadarghat river station through a narrow street and photograph the activities on the way.
- 02.10 – 03.10 PM: Take a ride on a wooden rowboat and visit the shipyards on the other side of the river Buriganga. These are ship repairing yards, who generally repair and paint the passenger ferries of Sadarghat River Station. Check out our Ship Breaking Yards Tour for a day tour to the infamous ship-breaking yards in Chittagong (250 km away from Dhaka), which people get confused with these repairing yards.
- 04.40 – 05.00 PM: Drop-off at the hotel. End of Dhaka photography tour.
Price of Dhaka Photography Tour
| Group Size | Tour Price |
|---|---|
| - | USD Per Person |
| 1 Pax | $110 |
| 2 Pax | $70 |
| 3 Pax | $60 |
| 4 Pax | $55 |
Inclusions and Exclusions
Tour includes:
- Pick-up from North Dhaka area (Uttara, Nikunja, Gulshan, Banani, and Baridhara area), Hotel InterContinental, Hotel Pan Pacific, Best Western Plus Le Vinci Hotel, and Suktara Hotel.
- Air-conditioned car and driver.
- English speaking guide.
- Breakfast & Lunch on a local restaurant with authentic local food.
- Two 500ml bottles of mineral drinking water.
- All site entrance tickets.
- All boat rides.
- All tips except our guide and driver.
Does not include:
- Pick-up from South Dhaka area (Hotel 71, FARS Hotel, Asia Hotel & Resort, Ambrosia Guest House, White House Hotel, Hotel Sky City, and the nearby area).
- If you stay at any of the above-mentioned hotels or the nearby area, you can meet the guide in front of the Best Western Plus Le Vinci Hotel at Kawran Bazar. We’ll drop you off at your hotel at the end of the tour alright.
- Any food or drinks other than mentioned above.
- Any personal item.
Watch video of Kawran Bazar, the largest wholesale veg market of Dhaka, which you’ll visit on this tour
Important notes
Tour Availability
- This tour is not available to book on Fridays, Saturdays, and govt. Holidays, because all the bazaars will be closed during weekends and holidays.
- In case of booking a private tour, pick-up and drop-off will be available from any part of Dhaka city.
- Booking of any of our day tours in Dhaka is possible maximum one week in advance. An exception could be made in case of a group of 5 people or more, depending on our schedule.
Photography
- It is NOT recommended to book this tour unless you are a serious photographer, and have a keen interest in photographing people and street life. Booking other general day tours e.g., Old Dhaka Tour or Old Capital Tour, will bring better experience instead. You’ll get plenty of photo opportunities on these tours too.
- There will be no photography lessons from pro photographers on any of our photography tours. A general English speaking guide will be provided on the tour, who will simply take you to all the places listed in the itinerary, which are very much photogenic if you have enough interest.
Tour Price & Payment
- The price of the tour mentioned in the price chart above is the starting price for the group tour, assuming you want to join with other people on the tour. This price will go down according to the price chart when more people join the tour later.
- We will try to include other people on the tour once you book a group tour, and refund you in cash BDT accordingly during the tour if we find anyone. We take a maximum of 6 people on our tours.
- The price for an exclusive private tour will be different than what is provided on the chart above. We’ll not include anyone else on the tour in case of booking a private tour. Contact us for the price if you do not want to join with anyone else on the tour.
- We’ll require the full payment in advance to book this tour. You can pay us online on a secured website with any Visa or MasterCard. Details of our online payment system could be found here: How to pay us.
Food and Drinks
- Although you’ll find many attractive street foods during the tour, they, in general, are prepared in a difficult hygiene condition. That is why we do not recommend tasting any street food during the tour. Do it at your own risk if you want to try some. However, the guide will be able to suggest any safe street food on a case by case basis.
- The specialty of Bengali food is they are spicy, which is the main difference between Indian food. Khichuri (made of rice, lentil, and meat) and Biryani (rice and meat cooked specially with added spice) are two of the most famous foods of Old Dhaka, especially Biryani.
Other Notes
- The itinerary of the tour is just an outline and not fixed. It will be adjusted during the tour based on the traffic.
- Dhaka officially ranked as the second least livable city in the world. There could be incredible traffic in Dhaka sometime when everything stops at every intersection. You could be stopped in the same place for a long time without even moving. Be patient while traveling in the car.
- This is a complete walking tour. We will transport you to and from the start and end location and one long-distance in the middle with an air-conditioned car. The rest of the sites will be covered on foot. Be prepared to walk a lot and wear shoes accordingly.
- Ladies friendly toilets are almost absent in Dhaka. You’ll be able to find a suitable bathroom only in the restaurant and in a couple of other places. Any time you need to use a toilet, tell your guide in advance. He will arrange a nearby place for you.
