Bangladesh River Tour | Bangladesh Individual Travel | Pyala Travel - Travel Program

Day 1 Arrival Dhaka / visit Sonargaon

You will be picked up from the airport and then visit the ancient capital of the Bengal empire (13th - 17th century): Sonargaon, the ‘Golden City’. The city has some fantastic and monumental buildings from this time. We will have a look at the former royal palace and walk around at the old main street. You can see the ancient richness of this city by looking at the dilapidated buildings.
On the way back to Dhaka you will visit a weaving village where the locals use the ancient Jamdani weaving techniques. They sit next to each other and work together on large sari’s and other materials.
In the late afternoon you will arrive in Dhaka.

Day 2 Dhaka

The experience of a visit to Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, is overwhelming. What a city, love it and hate it, at the same time. You stand hours in traffic, but once in the Old Town, youare blown away by the sights surrounding you. "Welcome to the 'Rickshaw Capital of the World ". And not those motorized tuk-tuks which infest the streets of Delhi and Bangkok, these are the old-fashioned, nostalgic cycle rickshaws. Only in Dhaka, there are four hundred thousand. Of course you will make a trip by rickshaw through the old city, there is no better way to explore the city. Like you are sitting in a movie, so much happening, so much life on the streets, so many street vendors, many shops and above all, a lot of people going through the narrow streets of this magnificent city.

Of course you will also make a boat tour on the river. Bangladesh in the ends means water, and Dhaka is no different. The craziness and crowds move here continues, but over water. Hundreds of boats in as many shapes and sizes sail together, brush past each other on the water. Small boats take passengers to the other side, passenger boats that sail throughout the country, cargo boats loaded with bananas and coconuts, giant tankers, yachts and yes, you can also see some rocket steamers. In de late afternoon you will go to the Sadarghat guay, where you board the rocket steamer. You will be welcomed neatly and transferred to your first class cabin. Two beds, a sink and fan. Simple, but the best rooms there are. The rooms are set around dining room, a long dining table that invites you to be part of a film about life in the roaring twenties. Slowely in the dark you will leave Dhaka.

Day 3 Rocket steamer - Khulna via Bagerhat

In themorning you will wake up in a world of difference to Dhaka, such a peaceful moment. The boat is sailing slowly through the water, the landscape is green and tropical, far away you can see people working in the rice fields, here and there you see men lugging stoned at the many brick factories, egrets fly over. Who knows, maybe you spot some freshwater dolphins. You can also explore the boat itself. On board there is, with its many passengers en vendors, as many to see as the surrounding landscape. Around 10:00 you will arrive in Hularhat, where you disembark. The boat sails a little further to his final destination Morelganj.  

You drive towards Bagerhat. On your way you will stop (if on a good day) at the market of Badam (biweekly on Sundays and Wednesdays), a particularly colourful market known for its betel nuts that are sold there. Another attraction is sugarcane. By rickshaw you explore the villages around Bagerhat, in search of an ancient Hindu temple, the Khodla Math temple . An imposing temple, made of finely crafted bricks, but the journey to it is an experience itself and offers a wonderful glimpse into the country life of Bangladesh. Then you will visit some of the many mosques of Bagerhat, one of the holiest cities of Bangladesh and then on the way to Khulna.

Day 4 Khulna - Sundarbans

In the morning you will visit a project of the Grameen Bank, world famous for its micro-credit projects. Then you drive two hours to Mongla. Here you step aboard the boat to begin the cruise through the Sundarbans. Enjoy the beautiful surroundings and a first lunch on board. The cook cooks up a delicious meal of fresh fish and shrimp for you on the table. Overnight on board in small two-person cabins, most of which have air conditioning. You make an afternoon hike through the forest of Kotka, looking for wildlife.

Day 5 SUNDARBANS - MONGLA

The Sundarbans is the world's largest mangrove forest. Here you will find an exotic wildlife, including the Bengal tiger. The Sundarbans even has the highest tiger density of all the national parks in the world. Almost 10% of the wild tigers live in the Sundarbans, where they are notorious for regularly consume people who live here! Besides tigers, there are more than 300 species of birds, otters, monkeys, crocodiles, deer, boars and river dolphins. Along the way during the boat trip you will leave the boat several times to take a walk through a village or switching on a small boat to reach the canals. Especially early in the morning, this is a breathtaking journey on such a small boat. Enjoy the tranquillity and beauty of the park. Spot the many species of birds and deer and with a lot of luck you might see a tiger. At night, the boat sails back towards Mongla while you are sleeping on board.

Day 6 MONGLA - BARISAL

In the morning you disembark the boat and continue travelling overland. It is a four-hour drive to Barisal. Along the way, you can enjoy the rural life in Bangladesh and visit some villages. Overnight in the port town of Barisal.

Day 7 BARISAL / BACKWATER TRIP

After breakfast, you drive half an hour to Banaripara / Jhalokathi. Here you board a boat to explore the backwaters, a labyrinth of canals, rivers and streams. There are many villages, floating markets and the whole area is full of life. It is somewhat similar to the backwaters of Kerala in South India, but without tourists! The most beautiful part is from the Sandha river to Attghar - Kuriana and Jagadishpur.  

During the afternoon you will return to Barisal.

Day 8 BARISAL - DHAKA

In the morning you can visit Barisal and then it's time to go back to Dhaka. Along the way you pass the Padma River, better known as the Ganges.

day 9 depart Dhaka