Tuesday 24th June – Dhaka – Narail – Khulna

Morning

• Arrive at your convenience into Dhaka – the capital city of Bangladesh which is well connected from many countries within Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
• Private transportation will pick you up from your hotel in Dhaka and transfer you to Dhaka airport.
• Board a 45-minute domestic flight to Jashore, located in the south-western part of Bangladesh.
• On arrival we’ll make our way to Narail to visit a legit fishermen village and get an insight to a lesser-known Bangladesh. Here you will have first-hand experience with otter fishing, a traditional method of fishing that involves the use of trained otters to assist in catching fish. This village is one of the very last in the world where you can still witness this 1400-year-old technique.

Afternoon

• We’ll drive to Khulna, the third largest city in Bangladesh.
• Our visit of Khulna will include the 1971 Genocide-Torture Museum, which details the bloodbath the country witnessed during the Liberation War against Pakistan.
• We’ll also stop at the Gollamari Memorial Monument, built on the spot where Pakistani forces and their local collaborators killed at least 14,00 people during the war.
• Overnight in Khulna

Wednesday 25th June – Khulna – Sundarbans National Park

Morning

• Today we will drive to Mongla, a seaport city not far from the Sundarbans National Park. We’ll embark on a boat there and sail to the national park.
• The Sundarbans is the world’s largest mangrove forest and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, we’ll do a cruise on a rowing boat through the canals. We’ll look for monkeys, deer, crocodiles, clawless otters and many different types of birds. Sundarbans is also the home of the Royal Bengal Tiger, a highly endangered species.

Afternoon

• We will visit small villages in the Sundarbans and have fishermen explain their way of living. Now will be the opportunity to learn to fish like a true Bengali!
• Our accommodation for tonight will be an eco-resort built in the mangrove forest, where we will spend the night on wooden houses built on stilts above the water.
• Overnight in Sundarbans National Park

Thursday 26th June – Bagherat – Khulna

Morning

• We will hike the wooden trail of Karamjol. In the dense forest, we hope to see more wildlife: monkeys, deer, foxes, crocodiles, wild boars, reptiles…
• Our next stop will be the Crocodile breeding centre. It was established in Karamjol in 2000 for the purpose of breeding and conservation of the endangered species of salt-water crocodiles, which is the largest reptile in the world.

Afternoon

• We will sail back to Mongla and drive to Bagherat.
• Bagherat is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that preserves the surviving monuments of Khalifatabad, a town built in the fifteenth century by the Turkish general Ulugh Khan Jahan. An exceptional number of mosques and early Islamic monuments can be seen there.
• We’ll see a dense amount of Islamic religious monuments and impressive infrastructure (water supply and drainage, cisterns and reservoirs, roads and bridges), revealing a perfect mastery of urban planning.
• We will then drive to Khulna and have dinner there.
• In the evening, we will board the Sundarban Express Sleeper to Dhaka. Some locals travel on the roof of trains, but our sleeper cabins will be much safer!
• Overnight on the train

Friday 27th June – Dhaka

Morning

• We will arrive in Dhaka at 7:00am. After breakfast, you’ll have the possibility to relax at our hotel, or to explore the city. At 12:00pm, we’ll welcome travellers joining our Unexplored South Asia Tour.

Afternoon

• Visit Lalbagh Fort. Built in 1678, it is the most recognized symbols of Mughal rule in Bengal. The fort was built as the official residence of the governor and the complex also includes the tomb of Pari Bibi and a mosque. Its bright green lawns, fountains and water channels make this unique landmark stick out in Dhaka.
• Visit Curzon Hall, 0a British Raj-era building and home of the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Dhaka. The building was originally intended to be a town hall and is named after Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India who laid its foundation stone in 1904.
• Board a light-boat near the terminal port and sail down the river towards the ship breaking yards on the opposite side of the river. Here, large passenger and fishing ships are not only broken down and recycled, but also repaired and brought back to life. We’ll land here and explore the dock.
• Return to the river terminal which is one of the most crowded places in the city. After exploring the busy port, we’ll board our overnight ferry to Barishal – located in the southern region of Bangladesh.
• Dinner & drinks will be served in your first-class cabin as the riverine nightlife passes your window.
• Overnight on ferry

Saturday 28th June – Barishal

Morning

• A breakfast pack will be given to you before our ferry arrives at approx. 6:00am
• We’ll make our way by private transport to Kuriana (1 hour drive), the largest floating market in Bangladesh.
• You’ll board our private boat an embark through the many tiny rivers and canals hidden through remote rural villages, until Baukathi. This is a very popular floating vegetable market where may traditional handmade wooden boats are filled with farmers selling their freshly grown vegetables to the city vegetable vendors.
• Continue cruising down the narrow canals passing through many neighbourhoods and head towards a huge timber market that operates on the banks of the river.

Afternoon

• Head to Kuriana Bazar, here we’ll have lunch sampling special local dishes and snacks of the southern region.
• We’ll board our boat once more and set sail to Chakhar Ser-A-Bangla Fazlul Haq Museum dedicated to Abul Kasem Fazlul Huq – he was the first and longest serving Prime Minister of Bengal, presenting the Lahore Resolution and leading the United Front to win the 1954 East Bengali election. In Pakistan he is remembered as one of the country’s founding statesmen. In Bangladesh he is revered as one of the most important Bengali statesmen of the 20th century.
• Our van will pick us up and take us to our hotel in Barishal to check-in and freshen up.
• We’ll then walk to Trish Godaun to experience a local spot of recreation along the Kirtankhola River. You’ll also have the chance to walk through the marketplace and experience the livelihood of the countryside.
• Dinner in the city and overnight in Barishal.

Sunday 29th June – Barishal – Dhaka

Morning

• Breakfast at hotel and early departure back to Dhaka (5 hour drive). During our journey we’ll cross the mighty Ganges River.

Afternoon

• Lunch on arrival back in the capital at the busy Karan Bazar where we can sample various Bangladeshi curries, pride of a culture! Prepare yourself for a rush of colours, fragrances, noises and people, along with formidable photo ops!
• We’ll continue making our way through the tiny alleys of old Dhaka until we reach Star Mosque. Built in the first half of the 19th century, this cute mosque has ornate designs and is decorated with motifs of blue stars.
• We’ll then visit the Armenian Church. Armenians were sent by the Persians to the Bengal region for both political and economic exploitations. Armenian merchants traded in jute and leather and profitability in these businesses convinced some to move permanently to Bangladesh. These days the Armenian presence in Bangladesh is basically nothing but this church remains.
• Stop by the Pink Palace (or Ahsan Manzil). Built in 1872 and now a museum, it was previously the official residential palace and seat of the Nawab of Dhaka – the head of largest Muslim zamindar in British Bengal and Assam.
• We will then head to the Parliament building of Dhaka, one of the most impressive buildings in the whole country. We cannot enter but it’s just as spectacular from the outside.
• Now’s your chance to experience Dhakaya Beriany – a long list of incredibly delicious and food that Dhaka has to offer.
• Dinner, drinks and overnight in Dhaka.

Monday 30th June – Dhaka

• Breakfast at hotel
• Tour concludes. Airport drop-off can be arranged according to your flight details – YPT is also able to arrange post-tour accommodation or advice for flights.
• You can also join us for our Bhutan tour, starting right on this day!

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