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| Day 1: | Dhaka On arrival in Dhaka, transfer to the hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax after your journey. Overnight Centre Point Hotel or similar. |
| Day 2: | Dhaka and the Rocket Time for a short city tour before joining the ‘Rocket’ paddle steamer for your journey south. Overnight aboard the Rocket – Cabin Class. (BLD) |
| Day 3: | Mongla Arrive in Mongla, the terminating point of your Rocket adventure. We then transfer from the Rocket to a local hotel or to our privately chartered boat, ready for departure the next morning, bound for the Sundarbans Jungle. Overnight local hotel or Sundarbans boat. (BLD) |
| Day 4: | Sundarbans We travel deep into the jungle, the largest littoral mangrove belt in the world. Wildlife in the forest includes wild deer, otters, monkeys, crocodiles, 50 species of reptiles and numerous river dolphins. Of course it’s also the home of the elusive Royal Bengal Tiger. We spend the night on board our boat. (BLD) |
| Day 5: | Sundarbans Full day excursion in the Sundarbans, winding along a myriad of river channels. There will be an opportunity to go ashore for a walk with a local expert guide through the forest and close-up exploration of the forest using a smaller boat. We spend our second night on board the boat. (BLD) |
| Day 6: | Sundarbans and Dhaka Further exploration of the forest in time before arriving mid afternoon in Mongla. Then transfer by road to Jessore, for a flight to Dhaka arriving in the evening. Overnight Centre Point Hotel or similar. (BL) |
| Day 7: | Dhaka to Srimangal Transfer by road north to Srimangal, the tea centre of Bangladesh. Enjoy one of the most picturesque parts of the country, surrounded by a green carpet of tea estates. Make the most of your home for the next two nights, the wonderful Tea Resort, a pleasant oasis. Enjoy the swimming pool and take the opportunity to get away from the bedlam that is Bangladesh! Overnight Tea Resort. (BL) |
| Day 8: | Tea Estates and Tribal Villages Tour of the local area, visiting some of the tea estates. You will also have the opportunity to visit some of the nearby tribal villages, giving an insight into a very different facet of Bangladesh. Overnight Tea Resort. (BL) |
| Day 9: | Enroute to Cox's Bazar Today we begin our journey south by road to Cox's Bazar. The full trip is too tiring to do in one day, so we will stay overnight enroute, allowing time to relax and to make the most of the wonderful countryside and friendly people we meet along the way. Overnight enroute to Cox's Bazar. (BL) |
| Day 10: | Cox's Bazar Continuing our journey south, we reach Cox's Bazar in the early afternoon. Check-in to our luxury 5-star hotel, situated on the world's longest sea beach. Overnight Seagull Hotel or similar. (BL) |
| Day 11: | Maheskhali Island Today you have the option of exploring nearby Maheskhali Island, a predominantly car free oasis, free from much of the hustle and bustle that you experience travelling in Bangladesh. Our tour will be by bicycle rickshaw. Alternatively, simply enjoy the beach and excellent facilities of the Seagull hotel. Overnight Seagull Hotel or similar. (BL) |
| Day 12: | Cox's Bazar to Dhaka Today we return to Dhaka, travelling first north to Chittagong, where we should have time for a short city tour before taking a domestic flight to Dhaka, where we spend the night. Overnight Centre Point Hotel or similar. (BL) |
| Day 13: | Dhaka Tour ends. (B) |
We are proud of our involvement in Bangladesh. Being pioneers in the development of the country’s tourism we take our responsibilities seriously and are determined to set the standard for other operators to follow.
We have been working with our locally owned operator Abdur for many years. We have helped Abdur with initiatives that can be taken to sustainably grow his business, not just with us, but with other operators. When visiting the tribal people of the Chittagong Hill Tracks we have insisted that you are accompanied by a local tribal guide as well as your main guide. This means that the money you spend is going directly to the people that benefit the most. When visiting the Sundarbans, a World Heritage Site, we are accompanied by a park ranger. We use the services of the Divisional Forestry Office responsible for and protecting the delicate ecological balance of the Sundarbans. The fees you pay as part of the trip directly support these activities and the preservation of this unique environment. At the end of the journey travellers may donate any unwanted clothing, medicine and books, which are distributed to appropriate local charities.
We only employ local staff and unlike many operators we believe that to send a foreign Tour Leader along to accompany your trip is an unnecessary burden on your wallet and our carbon footprint. We believe that locals know best. Our local operators only use locally owned accommodation. This means your money stays in the area to benefit the local community. When possible we use local transport, (i.e. rail or bus) and we always use local restaurants, markets and shops. In doing this your travels are supporting and encouraging the development of local services.
We only work with operators who are as committed as we are to putting something back into the communities we visit. This may include giving a percentage of the profits from each tour to a foundation to help street children or local conservation projects. Furthermore, in order to allow our clients to make an informed decision on where a greater proportion of their money should be spent, we avoid including pre-paid full board meals where possible. Local restaurants and cafes then benefit.
Our groups average only six clients, and many tours operate on a private basis with just two travellers. This has much less impact when travelling through rural areas, reducing our environmental and social affects. Finally to emphasis our commitment to Responsible Tourism all clients will receive a copy of our Travellers Code of Conduct with their travel documents.
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
