Bangladesh Travel is generally not what most people would hear or talk about! However, given our penchant for visiting ‘off the beaten track locations’, our decision to visit Bangladesh turned out to be a great idea!!!
I have been traveling to Bangladesh often on work for quite some time. I was always stuck by the friendliness of all Bangladeshis I met. Knowing my passion for travel, a number of friends in the country urged me to do a pleasure trip around the country. Recently, my wife, Romanie, joined me at the end of one of my work trips. Consequently, we spent about 10 days traveling around and experiencing what Bangladesh has to offer first hand. What a great and enjoyable experience it turned out to be!!!
Let us tell you all about Bangladesh Travel, including our take on Tourist Places and Spots in Bangladesh!
About Bangladesh
The Country
Bangladesh is a sovereign country in South Asia. It shares land borders with India and Myanmar. The country’s maritime territory in the Bay of Bengal is roughly equal to the size of its land area. Bangladesh is the 92nd-largest sovereign state in the world, with an area of 147,570 square kilometers. It is also the world’s 8th-most populous country. As a result, the country is also one of the most densely populated, to the exclusion of small island nations and city-states.
Cities and Regions
Dhaka is its capital and largest city. It is also the economic, political and the cultural center of Bangladesh. The next biggest city is Chittagong, which has the country’s largest port. It forms the the bulk of the eastern part of the Bengal region. The country’s geography is dominated by the Bengal delta with many rivers. Hilly and mountainous areas make up the north-east and south-east. The country also has the longest sea beach. Further, it also has the largest mangrove forest in the world. The endangered Bengal tiger is the country’s national symbol.
Interesting Facts About Bangladesh
- Bangladesh has six seasons instead of four – summer, rainy season, autumn, cool season, winter, and spring.
- The Bay of Bengal, bounded by India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Maldives, and Sri Lanka, is the biggest bay in the world.
- Dhaka, the capital, referred to as the City of Mosques.
- The national Parliament of Bangladesh is very large and occupies 200 acres of land.
- Cox Bazaar is the longest sea beach in the world.
- The people of Bangladesh rarely smile because they consider frequent smiling to be a sign of immaturity.
- Almost half of the Bangladeshi population (45%) are farmers
- Despite a big farming industry, the biggest exports in the country come from the garment industry.
More Facts About Bangladesh
- More than 2,000 periodicals and newspapers are published in Bangladesh, despite the country’s readership standing at only 15%.
- Bangladesh has the world’s largest river and the world’s largest mangrove.
- Bangladesh has the third largest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia and Pakistan.
- In Bangladesh, the left hand is considered to be unclean. The right hand is used when eating, passing food, or passing business cards.
- Cricket is the most popular sport in Bangladesh.
- Kabaddi is the country’s national sport.
- The jackfruit is the national fruit and the mango tree is the national tree of Bangladesh.
- Bangladesh is one of the most disaster prone areas in the world.
- 30% of the Bangladesh population live below the poverty line.
Bangladesh Travel - Cox's Bazar
Our Hotel
Our Bangladesh Travel adventure commenced when we took a Biman Air internal flight from Dhaka to Cox’s Bazar. The airport at Cox’s Bazar was a bit crowded and much disorganized. However, we eventually managed to arrive at our beautiful resort hotel called the Royal Tulip Hotel. It is situated by the famous Cox’s Bazar beach overlooking the Bay of Bengal in the backdrop of high hills covered by lush green forests. This hotel has all the creature comforts such as multiple restaurants, massive pool, a very nice and well fitted gymnasium and fantastic rooms. Most importantly, they have a super set of staff!! We spent a great deal of time at the hotel and enjoyed all that it had to offer.
Famous Cox's Bazar Beach
Cox’s Bazar is a town on the southeast coast of Bangladesh. It is known for its very long, sandy beachfront. This stretches from the Sea Beach in the north to Kolatoli Beach in the south, a stretch of about 125 kilometers. It is the longest beach in the world!! We enjoyed going for frequent walks on this stunning beach, taking in the fresh air and watching the sun set over the Bay of Bengal.
Cox’s Bazar is one of the most-visited Bangladesh Travel destinations. However, it has not yet become a major international tourist destination. For Bangladeshi’s it doesn’t get much better than Cox’s Bazar. It is the country’s most popular beach town. It’s choc-a-bloc with massive well-architectured concrete structures, mostly star class hotels. These cater largely to the country’s elite and overseas tourists.
Bangladesh Travel Into The Countryside - Cox’s Bazar
We went on a most enjoyable excursion of the Bangladesh countryside on one of the days we spent in Cox’s Bazar. The tour started with a drive through some villages into the interior of beautiful Bangladesh. Above all, it was fascinating to observe the hustle and bustle of village life in rural Bangladesh.
Religions in Bangladesh
Our first stop was at a Buddhist temple in a village called Ramu. We met up with the chef priest of the temple, who gave us a personal tour of the entire temple complex. Here, we heard all about the history of Buddhism in Bangladesh. Buddhism thrived in the good old days and declined in the last few centuries with the advent of Hindhuism and Islam. Hindus and Buddhists were apparently attracted to Islam due to its foundation of equality. This applied especially to those who had been frustrated by the caste system. Afterwards we visited a very large statue of the reclining Buddha.
The major religion in Bangladesh is Islam (90%). However, a good percentage of the population adheres to Hinduism (9%). Other religious groups include Buddhists 0.6%, (mostly Theravada), Christians (0.3%, mostly Roman Catholics), and Animists (0.1%).
Bangladesh Village Life
Out Bangladesh Travel experience opened our eyes to the fact that much of the people living in villages are very poor. However, in recent times the government has made great strides to improve their standards of living. Although the rural life cannot be that easy, the villagers we encountered seemed very happy, cordial and contended. Most of the village folk are farmers by profession and perform a great service by producing food for the masses!!
Most importantly, it was great to see so many green and fertile rice fields throughout our drive. The dominant food crop of Bangladesh is rice. Rice accounts for about 75 percent of agricultural land use (and 28 percent of GDP). Bangladesh has almost attained self-sufficiency in rice production in recent years. We also saw many vegetable and food plantations. However, the bulk of the land was under rice cultivation.⠀
Beautiful Bangladesh Scenery
We then visited a scenic lookout point up on the hills called Himchari. Although we had to climb about 350 steps to the lookout point, the tiring climb was worth it. As a result, we managed to get a magnificent view of the Bay of Bengal Sea from the top!! We had to drive on the beach for about a 2 mile stretch to get to Himchari. This was a consequence of the road being under repairs. As a result, the drive was quite an experience. Our vehicle even got stuck quite a few times on the beach!!!
Bangladesh Travel - Discover Dhaka
About Dhaka
Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is the most crowded city in the world. More than 19.5 million people live in Dhaka. It is also the most densely populated city in the country. There are more than 23,234 people per square kilometer!!!
A Charming City
Dhaka is not exactly what you’d call a pretty city by any means. This is as a result of it being chaotic, not the cleanest and over populated. Further, it is lacking good infrastructure and tourist attractions that you come to expect in major cities around the world.
Notwithstanding, we really enjoyed our time in Dhaka and hope that you will consider visiting!! It’s a really good place to visit if you like going “off the beaten path”. Above all, the friendliness of all Bangladeshis made it a pleasure to be amongst them, no matter the massive numbers!!
Almost all of the top hotel chains in the world have a presence in Dhaka. We stayed at two top hotels, the Westin and the Lakeshore Hotel and Apartments. The service levels we encountered in these two hotels were out of this world.
Shopping in Dhaka
We spent one whole day shopping in Dhaka! We recommend that everyone at least go to the government run shop called Aarong!! This shop sells only locally produced goods. It has a wide array of garments. We ended up buying clothing worn by Bangladeshis for both of us. Further, we bought many gifts for the folks back home.
Bangladeshi Style
Bangladeshi men wear lungi as casual wear. Meanwhile the saree is the main and traditional dress of Bangladeshi women. The younger females usually wear the salwar kameez. Aaron also carries a vast array of local handicrafts, handbags, shoes and costume jewelry. We found these to be ideal for gifts.
Natural pearls which are relatively speaking, quite inexpensive, are famous in Bangladesh.
Where to Shop in Dhaka
Here are a few other boutique style shops we visited. Everyone should consider visiting these shops, if you are looking for garments, shoes, handbags, etc; Dhaka Republic, Artisans and Astorian.
Bangladesh Travel - Tourist Places in Dhaka
Driving Around Dhaka
Contrary to popular belief, there are many touristy places to see and visit around Dhaka. A word of caution – one has to be very patient. There are constant and massive traffic jams around the city often. Consequently, a great deal of time is spent just going from one place to the next!! Dhaka’s traffic is in constant state of chaos. It is so pervasive and permanent that it has become the city’s organizing principle!!!
On our excursion, we first drove past the parliament complex. The Prime Minister’s office and her residence are all magnificent buildings worth seeing. We made a stop at the famous Dhakeshwari Hindu Temple. Here we observed devotees going about their worship rituals. It was also great to see families partaking in refreshments in all corners of the temple.
We then drove all around the vast Dhaka University complex. All Bangladeshis are so proud to call this complex their center of excellence and integrity. Observing the youngsters go about their business brought back fond memories of our past student days!!
Our tour guide and driver made a number of stops along the way to enable me to capture some great photos of the hustle and bustle of this massive city. Romanie even managed to take a brief rickshaw ride, which was so much of fun.
Visiting Tourist Places In Dhaka
The non-Muslim public are not usually allowed inside mosques in Dhaka. We drove past many mosques and were fascinated to see thousands of devotees around these huge places of worship.
Our next stop was at a very nice little Armenian Orthodox church. We always enjoy visiting historically significant architectural monuments, and this church is a good example of one worth visiting.
A highlight of our Dhaka excursion was a brief stop at the main Catholic Church in the city. Although the church was closed when we visited, the guard was kind enough to allow us in for a brief prayer. Compared to many churches around the world, this church was not that ornately decorated!
We then visited the Sadarghat River Port area which was another eye opener for us. The sheer number of people in various stages of arriving and departing on ferries was a sight to behold. It was fascinating to watch the ferries overladen with people and produce and the loading and unloading activities to ramshackle ware houses along the river front. The water in the river looked really filthy!!!
Ahsan Manzil Museum and Lalbagh Fort
We really enjoyed our visit to the Ahsan Manzil Museum. This building is considered to be one of the most noteworthy architectural monuments in Bangladesh. This magnificent building is situated on the banks of the Buriganga River that flows beside Dhaka. Ahsan Manzil was previously the official palace of the Dhaka Nawab family. It is currently a museum preserving the culture and history of the area. Today, within the hyper-congested and cacophonous urban growth of Old Dhaka, it is difficult to imagine how this majestic edifice once dominated the riverfront skyline of Dhaka!
Our next visit to the Lalbagh Fort was very eventful. Getting there by driving through some very narrow streets full of people, rickshaws and all types of other vehicles was an adventure. The drive was fully worth it, since we got to visit a magnificent Fort. This Fort remains a potent reminder of the extent of Mughal rule in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Travel – Other Tourist Places
Visit The Sundarbans
Visit Chittagang
Visit Sylhet
Visit Saint Martin’s Island
Best Time to Travel in Bangladesh
Bangladesh is unbearably hot and humid in the summer season. The country is prone to torrential rain during the monsoon months (July to September). Maximum summer temperatures range between 30C and 38C. Meanwhile, the minimum temperature during the winter is 10C. The cold season from October to February is probably the best time to visit. This is because the weather is dry and fresh during these months.
March and April are also generally considered as a time to visit Bangladesh. The country experiences a transition season during March and April that results in a cooler and more pleasant climate conditions. October is yet another month of seasonal transition. Visiting Bangladesh during this time of the year can be an option. It is important to note here that the hurricane season is between October and November.
Eating Out In Bangladesh
Bangladesh Cuisine
Rice is the staple item of a typical Bangladeshi meal. Further, most feasts will include at least one fish dish (eleesh and rui fish are the most popular river fish). Most curries (mutton, chicken, fish or egg) are cooked in a hot spicy sauce, accompanied by a vegetable dish and yellow lentils (dhal). Jack-fruit, mangos, bananas, pineapples, water-melons, green coconuts and guava are seasonal and popular fruits. Alcohol is not widely available, so head to the more exclusive eateries for a tipple.
Restaurant Scene In Bangladesh
Visitors to Bangladesh are spoiled for choice when it comes to eating out. Many restaurants offer traditional Bangladeshi fare, typified by the use of fish and lentils. Meanwhile, others offer such diverse international cuisines as Continental, French and Thai. From high-end restaurants to cozy cafes, arty bistros to quirky eateries, food lovers holidaying in Bangladesh will be delighted by its varied and vibrant restaurant scene. As usual, we enjoyed our food in beautiful Bangladesh!! Whilst we visited quite a few Bangladeshi restaurants, we also had a fair share of other cuisines such as Chinese, Thai and Western.
Bangladesh Travel - Last Word
A great country to visit!!
If you only do three things in Beautiful Bangladesh: Experience the madness and exhilaration of Dhaka. Roam the length of the 120km sandy stretch of Cox’s Bazar, the world’s longest unbroken beach. Finally, pay a visit to Sundarbans national park for a safari and fascinating ecological adventure.
Hi,I am Habib from Bangladesh.It’s very helpful article for traveler.Thanks to Sarath.
Hi Habib! Thanks vedry much for your comment. All the very best!!