Bangladesh Tours & Vacations
At this stage we don't have any organised trips to Bangladesh.
That said, Intrepid can create tailor-made tours to many destinations, including Gambia. Our fully customised trips still offer the same small group experiences with local leaders, but made just the way you want it. Simply fill out your details on our Tailor-Made page and one of our travel specialists will be in touch. Or why not visit India, Nepal or Sri Lanka?
About Bangladesh
Bangladesh belongs to the water. There are almost as many miles of river here as there are roads, and the little green country is crisscrossed by over 700 waterways. Each year the floods come, leaving behind the rich alluvial soils from which crops of rice and jute grow tall. Tourism is still in its infancy here, which means you find a slower pace of life than most of southern Asia. Outside Dhaka the land unrolls in a patchwork of farmland and forest. There’s the world’s largest mangroves, the Sundabarns, over 50 wildlife sanctuaries and the jungle-clad mountains of Chittagong to explore, plus a pumping Bollywood-style movie scene.
Our Bangladesh trips
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Explore tailor-made tripsBangladesh at a glance
CAPITAL CITY
Dhaka (23 million)
POPULATION
170 million
CURRENCY
BDT
LANGUAGE
Bengali and English
TIME ZONE
Bangladesh (GMT+6)
CALLING CODE
+880
ELECTRICITY
Type C (European), D (India), G (British) and K (Danish). The standard voltage is 220 V.
Learn more about Bangladesh
Top responsible travel tips for Bangladesh
- Be considerate of Bangladesh’s customs, traditions, religion and culture.
- For environmental reasons, try to avoid buying bottled water. Fill a reusable water bottle or canteen with filtered water instead.
- Always dispose of litter thoughtfully, including cigarette butts.
- Make an effort to learn some Bengali before you go. Locals will appreciate the effort
- Shop for locally made products. Supporting local artisans helps keep traditional crafts alive.
- Refrain from supporting businesses that exploit or abuse endangered animals.
- Please ask and receive permission before taking photos of people, especially children.
Geography and environment
Bangladesh is sort of divided into three broad regions. There’s the huge Ganges-Brahmaputra delta, the Madhupur plateau and the Barind plateau. Most of Bangladesh is criss-crossed by rivers and flood plains, with rice and tea paddies rising on the evergreen hills in the northeast and southeast of the country.
Best time to visit Bangladesh
The perfect time to visit Bangladesh is in the ‘cool’ season, usually November through to February. Bangladesh runs to a pretty strict monsoonal timetable, and that’s the real part of year you need to avoid. After that the rains cease, the humidity cools off and festivals kick off around the country. It is peak tourist season, but with the tourism industry still in its infancy you shouldn’t get the crowds of India or South East Asia.
The top 5 reason to visit Bangladesh
1. Fewer crowds
Tourism is beginning to boom in Bangladesh. This means that, although infrastructure can be limited in some of the rural areas, you’ll get a much more authentic experience – one without the hordes of photo-snapping tourists that crowd the neighbouring countries of India, Burma and Nepal.
2. Delicious food
Bangladeshi food has already conquered its own small section of London (Brick Lane) and for good reason. It shares a flavour palette with India, but with a bigger focus on fish and fiery curry pastes. Make sure to feast on plenty of Vuna Khichuri (rice, dal and beef) in Ghoroa and the succulent beefsteaks in Mukta Biriani.
3. Nature at its finest
Not many people realise that Bangladesh is home to the world’s biggest mangrove forest and the world’s largest river delta. There are over 50 nature reserves across the country, filled with Bengal Tigers (the national animal of Bangladesh), crocodiles, water elephants, leopards and black panthers. The country has gone to great lengths to preserve its natural heritage, and travellers are now reaping the benefit.
4. Friendly locals
Because Bangladesh hasn’t yet boomed like many countries in southern Asia, the site of a traveller is still a bit of a rarity for many of the country’s rural population. Don’t be surprised if you’re stopped on the street and asked about your life story or invited inside for a quick snack. Bangladeshis take their hospitality seriously.
5. Water world
With over 700 waterways crisscrossing the country, Bangladesh is a water-lover’s paradise. If you’ve always dreamed of sculling along jungle backwaters or sailing out on a tranquil Asian lake, this is where you come. You could spend a happy few months cruising the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta alone.
Further reading
| Title | Author |
| Brick Lane | Monica Ali |
| Songs at the River’s Edge | Katy Gardner |
| A Golden Age | Tahmima Anam |
| Shame | Jasvinder Sanghera |
Bangladesh travel FAQs
Trips from 1 January 2023 onwards
From 1 January 2023, Intrepid will no longer require travelers to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 (excluding all Polar trips and select adventure cruises).
However, we continue to strongly recommend that all Intrepid travelers and leaders get vaccinated to protect themselves and others.
Specific proof of testing or vaccination may still be required by your destination or airline. Please ensure you check travel and entry requirements carefully.
Absolutely. All passengers traveling with Intrepid are required to purchase travel insurance before the start of their trip. It's important to understand that each country you visit may have its own specific entry requirements, and some destinations mandate travel health insurance for all foreign travelers, regardless of their nationality.
We require that at a minimum you are covered for medical expenses including emergency repatriation, but minimum coverage may differ from trip to trip, so make sure you check the Travel Insurance section in your Essential Trip Information. You will not be permitted to join the group until your leader has sighted your insurance policy number and the insurance company's 24-hour emergency contact number, and these details will be recorded on the first day of your trip. Due to the varying nature, availability and cost of health care around the world, travel insurance is an essential part of every journey.
For travelers who reside within the European Union, Switzerland or the USA, the requirement to purchase travel insurance cannot be compulsory. However, the purchase of travel insurance is still highly recommended, and travelers from these regions who decline travel insurance when travelling outside their home region must sign a Travel Insurance Waiver Form, recognizing personal responsibility for emergency medical and repatriation costs should they arise.
We recommend that all travelers check with their government or national travel advisory organization for the latest information before departure. If traveling from the US, you can find helpful information from the US Department of State and the World Health Organization.
Read more about traveling with Intrepid as an American
Tipping isn’t a big part of Bangladeshi culture, but as a country that often struggles with poverty, it is always appreciated. At more upscale restaurants a tip of around 7% is appropriate. In more casual dining, tipping is the exception, not the rule. Also consider tipping drivers and hotel staff where appropriate. Every bit helps.
Internet access is available in most of the major cities, with prices at cafes ranging from around TK 15-20 an hour. Expect the speed to be a bit slower than it is at home, and connection may be patchy at best in the more rural areas. A lot of the more remote hotels may not have Wi-Fi connection.
Mobile phone coverage is generally good in Bangladesh. Most locals don’t have a landline, so mobile phone use is quite common. Services may be patchy in the more remote areas.
Most larger western-style hotels will have flush toilets, but drop toilets are common in the more rural areas. Be prepared for a mixture of both.
Generally speaking it’s better to stick with bottled water in Bangladesh, or bring a pack of purifying tablets. Local tap water is usually pretty unfriendly on traveller stomachs.
Most hotels and ATMs accept Visa and HSBC GlobalAccess cards. Mastercards are a little harder to use. There are plenty of ATMs in big cities like Dhakar, and they’re generally well lit and safe, with security guards stationed nearby.