9 DAYS 
$1,170 US*
Tour Duration: 9 Days / 8 Nights
Location: Chittagong Hill-Tracts, Cox’s Bazar
Tour Attractions: Best attractions of Chittagong & Cox’s Bazar
Best time to go: October – March
Tour Availability: September – May / Any Day Start
Next Scheduled Tour: Please Check Bellow
Location: Chittagong Hill-Tracts, Cox’s Bazar
Tour Attractions: Best attractions of Chittagong & Cox’s Bazar
Best time to go: October – March
Tour Availability: September – May / Any Day Start
Next Scheduled Tour: Please Check Bellow
Price: From $1,170 US* per person
Holiday package to experience Chittagong, the most diverse region of Bangladesh, and containing some of the lesser-visited highlights of the country. Stretching from the world’s longest unbroken sandy beach to the hill country bordering Burma. One thousand meters high and a thousand stories thick, Chittagong is the home of numerous indigenous groups. If you’ve spent time absorbing the ruler-straight horizons elsewhere in Bangladesh, it will be a pleasure to stare at the ruffled peaks and valleys and experience the fascinating lifestyle of the indigenous groups who live here. A boat ride on the beautiful Kaptai lake or a journey through the Sangu river will be a memory of a lifetime for anyone.
On the Treasures of Chittagong tour, we’ll take you to experience some of the highlights of the Chittagong region and Cox’s Bazar. Starting with visiting the controversial ship-breaking yards, you’ll have a pleasant boat ride at Kaptai lake, visit its beautiful Buddhist temples, tribal villages, and bazaars, and see how their lifestyle differs from other parts of Bangladesh. Then experience the beauty of the Sangu river on a boat trip and move to Cox’s Bazar where you’ll discover some of the hidden treasures of the beach city besides enjoying its famous beaches.
A memorable experience in one of the most fascinating areas of Asia unknown to the outside world. If you’ve ever visited Bangladesh with us except the Chittagong Hill-Tracts area and Cox’s Bazar, this is the tour you should come back for!
Tribal Children in Chittagong Hill-Tracts
Monks praying at Rangamati
Women from Mru tribe working
Old ships getting dismantled at Chittagong ship breaking yards. © Photo Credit: John Burton
An woman from the Mru tribe.
An woman from Tripura tribe
Fishing at Cox’s Bazar
Tour Highlights
- Visit the controversial Chittagong Ship Breaking Yards.
- Ride boat on beautiful Kaptai lake in Rangamati.
- Visit beautiful hills of Chittagong Hill-Tracts.
- Visit tribal villages and Bazaars of Chittagong Hill-Tracts.
- Ride boat on Sangu river, the most naturally beautiful river in Bangladesh.
- Enjoy the world longest unbroken sandy beach in the world at Cox’s Bazar.
- Visit the fishing port of Cox’s Bazar – a place full of activities and ideal for photography.
- Visit a fishing village and the endless dry fishing yards of Cox’s Bazar.
- Optionally visit a camp of the Rohingyas fleeing from Myanmar.
Itinerary of Treasures of Chittagong
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: Dhaka - Chittagong on Flight, Ship Breaking Yard
- Pick-up at 5.30 H from hotel and transfer to the airport. Fly to Chittagong at 7.15 H. Arrive Chittagong around 8.10 H.
- Visit Chittagong Fishing Port, which is the main harbor for all the seagoing fishing vessels of Chittagong and the largest fish market in that area. A place full of activities and very photogenic.
- Drive to Chittagong Ship Breaking Yards (30 mins) after late breakfast at a local restaurant. 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 city and check into the hotel. Visit Commonwealth World War – II Cemetery en route.
- Overnight at Chittagong (Hotel Grand Park)
Day-3: Chittagong - Rangamati
- After breakfast, drive to Rangamati (102 km, 3.5 Hrs).
- After check-in, freshen up, and lunch, enjoy boat ride at Kaptai Lake rest of the day. Visit a Buddhist temple before sunset. Visit some tribal handicraft markets in the evening.
- Overnight at Rangamati (Parjatan Hotel)
Day-4: 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-5: 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 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-6: Free Morning, Drive to Cox's Bazar / Rohingya Camp Visit
- Morning is free to enjoy nature from the resort. Drive to Cox’s Bazar (121 km, 3 hrs) around 10.00 am, check into hotel.
- Leisure on the longest unbroken sandy beach in the world rest of the day.
- Optionally we can take you to visit the Rohingya camps in Teknaf (1.5 hrs drive) if you like, for extra charges. Book with us in advance if you want to do this.
- Overnight at Cox’s Bazar (Long Beach Hotel)
Day-7: Cox's Bazar: Fishing Activities
- People come to Cox’s Bazar for its beaches, but it’s actual treasures lie somewhere else, which is its massive fishing industry. Today we will give you an overview of the whole fishing industry of Cox’s Bazar.
- We’ll start by visiting the fishing port in the late morning, which is the main harbor for all the seagoing fishing vessels of this region. An exclusive place full of activities and very photogenic.
- After lunch, go to visit a fishing village and experience the lifestyle of the fishing community of Cox’s Bazar. About 30,000 families are directly involved with the fishing industry in Cox’s Bazar.
- Also visit the endless dry fishing yards where they make and sell dry fishes in large scale and supply all over the country. These yards have been built on 200 acres of land. Around 2,000 traders have invested here and several hundred have set up more than 50 wholesale shops.
- Return to the hotel in the evening. Your guide will say you goodbye from here.
- Overnight at Cox’s Bazar (Long Beach Hotel)
Day-8: Cox's Bazar - Dhaka on Flight
- Morning is free to do anything you like on your own.
- Transfer to airport, and fly to Dhaka on 11.30 H flight. Arrive Dhaka around 12.35 H, transfer to hotel, say goodbye!
- If you like, you can take an early flight and book an extra day’s activities with us in Dhaka for this day, on which case we’ll pick you up from the airport and directly take you on the tour, and drop you at your hotel after the tour. Book with us in advance if you want to do this.
- End of the Tour.
Day-9: Departure
- Transfer to airport in the morning according to your flight, say good bye.
- End of the tour.
A map of 9 days Treasures of Chittagong Tour with Nijhoom Tours to visit the very best of Hill-Tracts, Cox’s Bazar, and the ship-breaking yards
Price of Treasures of Chittagong
Inclusions and Exclusions
Tour includes:
- All airport transfers in Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar.
- Dhaka-Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar-Dhaka economy class flight tickets.
- 8 Nights accommodation in hotels as mentioned in the itinerary with complementary breakfast on twin sharing basis.
- All boat rides mentioned on the itinerary.
- All site entrance tickets.
- Air-conditioned car, driver, and English speaking guide.
- All tips except our guide and driver.
Does not include:
- Any food or drinks other than mentioned above.
- Any personal item.
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Important Notes on Treasures of Chittagong
Availability
- This tour is available to start on any day outside the schedule – year round.
- Booking this tour at least 6 weeks in advance is advised.
Private & Group Tour Price
- The 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.
Rohingya Camp Visit
- A special permit is required for visiting the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar which is not possible to arrange in advance. Visitors need to be present in the office of the authority in Cox’s Bazar physically to take the permit on the day of the visit. On day-6, we’ll go directly to the office in Cox’s Bazar and take the permit. If for any unexpected reason they refuse to provide the permit, we’ll refund you the money you paid for visiting the Rohingya camps.
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 restricts 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 Long Beach Hotel in Cox’ Bazar is 5*.
- 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 Hillside Resort in Bandarban are 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 in your hotels too. Hotels will normally spray aerosol in 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 do their best to resolve the issue.
- You can book your hotels in Dhaka online to more upscale ones if you like. In that case, you need to arrange the transfers to and from the airport with your hotel. We’ll deduct the price for Civic Inn 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 or any situation arises.
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.
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 Chittagong Hill-Tracts area and Cox’s Bazar will be by Tuk-Tuk. However, these trips on Tuk-Tuk are short distance.
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 a 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. The 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 are included on the trip. You need to pay for 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.
- Tea and soft drinks are very cheap. Mineral water is widely available.
- 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 in 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, has 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 a long tour in Bangladesh may result in 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 Treasures of Chittagong
This is a brand new tour of us, which was actually a part of our longer tours. We’ve just recently released this as a stand-alone tour, so we do not have any review of this tour yet. Check out the reviews of our Best of Bangladesh, Exploring Bangladesh, and Discover Bangladesh tour to know about the experience of our previous clients on this tour.
