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On our first day in Bangladesh, we visited old Dhaka, exploring the Hindu district and Sadarghat river port—one of the world's largest. We crossed the Buriganga River by boat to reach a ship repair workshop where vessels are repaired entirely by hand. Amid Dhaka's stark architecture, we discovered an Armenian church and an old mosque.
We spent our second day in the Barisal region, about 170 km south of Dhaka. The pottery village was enchanting—a rural idyll with welcoming, photogenic people. Countless pottery pieces are made in the traditional way and fired in enormous mud brick kilns. Here, time stands still.
The next day, we rose at 4:30 AM to catch the sunrise from a boat en route to one of Barisal's largest floating markets. The market was an incredible experience.
By boat, we visited a large brickyard where workers handcraft bricks from river clay. The process remains as ancient as brick-making itself, with only the chimneys—carrying toxic gases from burning waste skyward—being a modern addition.
We passed through the floating rice market and a moorage where entire families live in small canoes. We met a 13-year-old girl who had been married eight months prior. In the afternoon, we explored three ancient mosques with thick walls built entirely without metal.
At Mongla city's port, we boarded a ship with private cabins. After savoring a delicious barbecue onboard, we drifted off to sleep in the middle of the mighty river, with the Sundarbans stretching before us.
The next morning, we explored the Sundarbans—the world's largest mangrove forest and a UNESCO site—by boat and on foot. We visited a crocodile breeding center, then discovered a fascinating fishing village and its adjacent "village of prostitutes." We chatted with the madam, shared laughs with the working women, and learned the history of this unique place.
En route to Srimangal, we stopped at a workshop crafting luxury saris worth $700-1000 each. We visited a weaving mill, then immersed ourselves in a vibrant fabric dyeing workshop. Our final stop was a market where we joyfully splurged on shawls at 3 leva each, leaving overwhelmed with both textiles and emotions :).
Next came a rice processing factory where about 60 people of all ages clean and dry rice across a vast platform. The emotional impact of this place defies description.
Three hours later, we found ourselves in a 5-star resort among tea plantations and jungles, wrapped in Indo-Bengali luxury. Our day concluded with an exclusive dance performance and exquisite dinner in a beautiful forest setting—a striking contrast to our earlier experiences.
Next stop: a pineapple plantation, where we indulged in the most delicious pineapples this side of the equator. Pure delight!
We then explored some of Bangladesh's largest and oldest tea plantations, dating back to British times. The tea leaf picking season had just begun, and we watched women skillfully harvesting the fresh green leaves.
In Garo Line village, home to the Garo ethnic group, we visited a school by the Christian church (nearly all 120 families here are Christian). We donated school supplies to 50-60 children, who thanked us with two songs. After tea with the mayor, we wandered the timeless village streets. We briefly joined a wedding party—meeting the shy groom in pale green and his relatives—before dancing with the Tripura tribe on the main street. Evening brought us back to our luxury hotel to rest before our upcoming train journey to Chittagong.
Before lunch, we hiked through Lawachara National Park, immersing ourselves in tropical forest teeming with monkeys, birds, and spiders—a tranquil slice of exotica. We spent time in a Khasi ethnic village—a picturesque, well-organized community in the Srimangal area. In the local "pub," we enjoyed tea and cola amid idyllic surroundings and humble, hardworking people.
Our first-class journey on the Paharika Express from Srimangal to Chittagong defied the dramatic images of Bangladesh's trains—offering peace and luxury instead. Rolling through countryside dotted with rice fields, palm trees, and villages, we covered 300 km in 7-8 hours.
Chittagong, Bangladesh's second-largest city, greeted us as a bustling metropolis filled with fascinating spots to explore.
The fish market captivated us with its glazed-eyed exotic fish, weathered wooden boats, and fishermen mending nets—a truly cinematic scene.
Next to the fish market, we visited one of the city's slums. Though difficult to describe, it felt important to witness. Local transgender residents welcomed us warmly, sharing laughs and photos.
The salt factory seemed plucked from another era. Workers handle everything as they did a century ago—from carrying salt to packaging and calculating wages. The self-contained neighborhood includes an eatery, barbershop, and bathroom. A photographer's paradise.
At the fish drying facility, massive wooden platforms held countless varieties of fish drying in the open air. Beyond the small octopuses, most species were unfamiliar to us. The intense aromas rivaled only those of Fes's leather dyeing workshops in Morocco.
We visited a hall where women sorted fabric scraps, adjacent to another where workers sorted plastic waste. Nothing went to waste here.
After lunch in old Chittagong's chaos, we took boats from a Karnaphuli River pier to a wooden shipbuilding workshop. We passed under the new Shah Amanat Bridge and by dozens of abandoned ships that looked more pirate vessel than fishing boat. At the workshop, we photographed workers maintaining wooden hulls from below.
Our journey concluded with a domestic flight to Dhaka—notable for being my first check-in without a passport request. The pleasant flight featured a charmingly nervous young stewardess and breakfast cake. We spent our final evening at an airport hotel, bringing our Bangladesh adventure to a close.
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Travel to Bangladesh
My program and itinerary in Bangladesh resulted from my month-long trip around the country. I have selected some of the most exciting places that will reveal to you the authentic beauty of this country. Bangladesh has almost no landmarks or monuments of global or even local scale. However, the whole country is one significant landmark. People travel to Bangladesh for the authenticity that still exists in most parts of the country. My tour in Bangladesh for a small group of 7/8 people
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