Itinerary
- Day 1
Dhaka
You'll arrive in Dhaka and connect with your guide for the drive to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to settle in after traveling. If your arrival gives you some time, there are a few optional stops worth considering. The National Museum holds sculptures and ancient artifacts that give context to the region's history. The Liberation War Museum covers the 1971 independence war with detailed exhibits. And if architecture interests you, the National Parliament Complex designed by Louis I. Kahn is visually striking and represents modern Bangladesh. Depending on when you land, you might tackle one of these or simply rest at the hotel.
Optional Activities
- Visit National Museum (closed Thursdays and Friday mornings) - sculptures, paintings and ancient artefacts
- Visit Liberation War Museum (closed Sundays) - documentation of 1971 war of independence
- View National Parliament Complex from outside - Louis I. Kahn design completed 1982
Landmarks National Museum Liberation War Museum National Parliament Complex - Day 2
Dhaka to Chattogram
Driving south toward Chattogram, you'll stop to see Mainamati's archaeological zone. There's Salban Vihara, a Buddhist monastery from around the 8th to 12th centuries, and the Jagannath Temple to visit. If time allows, you can stop at workshops near Kumira where artisans use recycled steel from ship-breaking to make tools.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Salban Vihara (Buddhist monastic site with archaeological museum)
- Visit Jagannath Temple (Sateroratna Mandir)
Optional Activities
- Stop at local workshops near Kumira to observe steel repurposing crafts
Landmarks Salban Vihara Jagannath Temple - Day 3
Chattogram to Cox's Bazar
Start at the hilltop Andarkilla Shahi Jame Masjid, a 17th-century mosque with striking views. From there, head to Chattogram War Cemetery, which honors Commonwealth soldiers from World War II. In the afternoon you'll drive along the coast toward Cox's Bazar.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Andarkilla Shahi Jame Masjid
- Visit Chattogram War Cemetery
Landmarks Andarkilla Shahi Jame Masjid Chattogram War Cemetery - Day 4
Cox's Bazar
Your morning's open to relax on the longest natural beach in the world or just take it easy. Later in the afternoon, you'll drive south to Himchori National Park to see the waterfall and forested hills. After lunch at a local Bengali restaurant, head to Inani Beach to catch the sunset over the Bay of Bengal.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch at a local Bengali restaurant)
Included Activities
- Visit Himchori National Park
- Visit Inani Beach
Optional Activities
- Explore Cox's Bazar beach at leisure
Landmarks Himchori National Park Inani Beach - Day 5
Cox's Bazar to Dhaka
A speedboat takes you across the bay to Maheshkhali Island where you'll explore the hilltop Adinath Temple and visit a nearby Rakhain village with its Buddhist temple. Back in Cox's Bazar, you'll transfer to the airport for your domestic flight to Dhaka.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Speedboat crossing to Maheshkhali Island
- Visit Adinath Temple
- Visit Rakhain village and Buddhist temple
Landmarks Maheshkhali Island Adinath Temple - Day 6
Dhaka
This morning you'll walk through Old Dhaka's Mughal heritage on foot, starting at Shankhari Bazaar where artisans still craft traditional conch shell bangles among colonial buildings and street food stalls. From there you'll see Northbrook Hall, a riverside structure from 1879, and then head to Sadarghat riverfront to watch ferries crossing the Buriganga River. The day takes in several significant landmarks: Ahsan Manzil palace, the Armenian Church dating to 1781, the ornate Star Mosque, Lalbagh Fort, Curzon Hall at Dhaka University, and Dhakeswari Temple. If you have energy left in the evening, Aarong offers local handicrafts and is worth browsing for a bit.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Walking tour through Shankhari Bazaar
- Visit Northbrook Hall (Lalkuthi/Red House)
- Visit Sadarghat riverfront
- Visit Ahsan Manzil
- Visit Armenian Church
- Visit Star Mosque
- Visit Lalbagh Fort
- Visit Curzon Hall
- Visit Dhakeswari Temple
Optional Activities
- Browse Aarong for local handicrafts
Landmarks Shankhari Bazaar Northbrook Hall Sadarghat Ahsan Manzil Armenian Church Star Mosque Lalbagh Fort Curzon Hall Dhakeswari Temple Aarong - Day 7
Dhaka - Sreemangal via Rupshi
You'll leave Dhaka early and head northeast toward Sreemangal. First stop is Rupshi village to watch artisans doing Jamdani weaving, an intricate textile craft that's been practiced for centuries where weavers create delicate motifs entirely from memory with no mechanical help. After that, you'll travel along the Asian Highway past fertile fields, roadside markets, and forested villages where indigenous communities and farmers live. By afternoon you'll visit the Monipuri village market to see colorful handmade textiles and crafts from tribal women. To finish out the day, you'll sit at a local tea stall in Sreemangal sampling the famous seven-layer tea while talking with people around you about the region.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Rupshi village to witness Jamdani weaving
- Visit Monipuri village market
Optional Activities
- Sample Sreemangal seven-layer tea at local tea stall
Landmarks Rupshi village Monipuri village market Sreemangal - Day 8
Sreemangal
Lawachara National Park is one of Bangladesh's richest rainforests. You'll hike through to spot rare wildlife and visit a Khasia village to learn how people live there. In the afternoon, either visit a Garo tribal village or a pottery village with artisans making clay pots by hand. If there's time, finish at Madhabpur Lake watching the sunset.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Explore Lawachara National Park with forest trail
- Visit Khasia village
Optional Activities
- Visit Garo tribal village
- Visit pottery village and try shaping clay
- Visit Madhabpur Lake
Landmarks Lawachara National Park Madhabpur Lake - Day 9
Sreemangal to Sonargaon
Early morning, take a peaceful walk through Sreemangal's tea estates. You'll watch local women picking leaves and learn about the work. If you want, you can try picking tea yourself. Later you'll head to Sonargaon, the former Bengal capital from the late 13th century, to see the Folk-Art Museum and the Boro Sardar Bari mansion.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Walk through Sreemangal tea estates
- Visit Folk-Art Museum
- Visit Boro Sardar Bari
Optional Activities
- Try tea picking
Landmarks Folk-Art Museum Boro Sardar Bari - Day 10
Sonargaon to Barisal
Panam Nagar, now known as the Dead City, has over 50 abandoned colonial buildings from the late 1800s to explore. From there, you'll drive south toward Barisal, stopping to see the 17th-century Lakutia Palace with its temples spread across nearly 50 acres.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Panam Nagar
- Visit Lakutia Palace
Landmarks Panam Nagar Lakutia Palace - Day 11
Barisal to Sundarbans
Starting early with packed breakfast, you'll explore Barisal's floating vegetable market, one of the last still operating. Traditional wooden boats move through narrow canals as locals trade fresh produce. You'll visit a riverside village to see traditional pottery-making from start to finish. Later, you'll board a privately chartered forest vessel heading into the Sundarbans.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Packed breakfast), Dinner
Included Activities
- Explore Barisal floating vegetable market by boat
- Visit riverside village and observe pottery-making
- Board cruise boat for Sundarbans expedition
Landmarks Sundarbans - Day 12
Sundarbans
Morning brings forest sounds and bird calls. You'll explore narrow canals by small country boat, watching for birds and mangrove ecosystems. There's a short forest walk near Andarmanik before lunch on board. Sailing south to Kotka, one of the forest's most wildlife-rich zones, you can climb the watchtower for views or hike through mangroves to a remote beach.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch on board), Dinner (Traditional BBQ dinner on deck under the stars)
Included Activities
- Explore canals by small country boat
- Forest walk near Andarmanik area
- Visit Kotka region
- Climb watchtower for panoramic views
- Guided hike through mangrove forest to remote beach
Landmarks Andarmanik Kotka - Day 13
Sundarbans to Barisal
Early on you'll sail toward Kachikhali Island, also called Tiger Point, a remote forest area where wildlife concentrates. A forest hike takes you under the mangrove canopy and into open grasslands where spotted deer and wild boar feed, so keep alert for the Royal Bengal Tiger moving through the area. In the afternoon you'll visit Dimer Char and check out forest stations at Harbaria or Karaljal to watch for more wildlife and learn how the mangrove ecosystem works. From there you'll cruise through the Sundarbans' creeks and channels back toward Mongla, arriving late in the evening. You'll stay on the boat for your last night in the forest.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Forest hike at Kachikhali Island (Tiger Point) beneath mangrove canopy into grasslands
- Visit Dimer Char
- Visit forest stations at Harbaria or Karaljal
- Cruise through Sundarbans creeks and channels
Landmarks Kachikhali Island Tiger Point Dimer Char Harbaria forest station Karaljal forest station Sundarbans - Day 14
Sundarbans to Dhaka
After breakfast on board, you'll head to Bagerhat, a historic city at the meeting point of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers, founded in the 15th century. See Kodla Math, an unusual terracotta pyramid-like Hindu temple, and the Sixty Dome Mosque (UNESCO-listed), the largest historic mosque in Bangladesh. You'll also visit the shrine of Saint Khan Jahan Ali where sacred crocodiles live in an adjacent pond. Drive back to Dhaka in the afternoon.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Kodla Math
- Visit Sixty Dome Mosque
- Visit shrine of Saint Khan Jahan Ali
Landmarks Kodla Math Sixty Dome Mosque Shrine of Saint Khan Jahan Ali - Day 15
Dhaka
After breakfast, you'll transfer to Dhaka International Airport for your onward flight.
- Meals
- Breakfast
