Trip Facts

Duration:
4 days

Group Size:
4 Persons

Activity Level:
High

Accommodation:
Hotel, Sleeping Cabin on Houseboat

Tour Type:
Nature and Wildlife

Transportation:
Air-conditioned car, Flight, Boat

Location:
Dhaka, Sundarbans

This four-day tour is the best opportunity to visit 2 of Bangladesh’s UNESCO world heritage sites, the Mosque City of Bagerhat and the mangrove forest of Sundarbans. Start the tour by flying to Jessore to visit the Mosque City of Bagerhat. Then spend three days exploring Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest on earth. On the fourth day fly back to Dhaka.

Start in the morning by flying from Dhaka to Jessore. Then drive to Bagerhat and visit the 15th-century Muslim city also known as Khalifatabad, a UNESCO world heritage site, before arriving in Khulna for the evening. Travel to Mongla the next morning and spend three days exploring Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to Royal Bengal Tigers, monkeys, saltwater crocodiles, sweet water dolphins, and a variety of birds. On the fourth day return to Jessore and take an evening flight back to Dhaka.

This tour offers a fantastic opportunity to explore the Sundarbans mangrove forest.

Highlights

Itinerary

Price

Includes & Excludes

Trip Notes

Review

Overview

Discover Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest on earth and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on a three-day adventure.
Visit the mosque city of Bagerhat, a 15^th-century city that includes the Sixty Dome Mosque and is another UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Spend 3 days deep inside the Sundarbans on a small houseboat, exploring the largest mangrove forest in the world and an exceptional wildlife sanctuary, with no more than six fellow explorers, anchoring in different places each night.
Travel Sundarban’s creeks and canals on a wooden rowboat to view wildlife in the early morning and evening.
Walk on the wooden made trail inside the forest accompanied by armed forest guards.
Enjoy one of the best beaches in Bangladesh located deep inside the forest, without meeting many other tourists.
View wildlife from a watchtower overlooking an area where animals come to eat and drink.
Visit a fishing village to experience the life of the fishermen of the Sundarbans.
Visit a crocodile and turtle breeding center.
Visit a dolphin sanctuary for the endangered Ganges and Irrawaddy Dolphin, the last two remaining freshwater dolphin species in Asia.

Itinerary

Day 1

Day-1: Fly to Jessore, UNESCO World Heritage City Bagerhat

• Pick-up from your hotel in Dhaka at 06:15 am. Transfer to the airport and fly to Jessore at 7:45 am. Arrive at Jessore at 8:25 am.
• Drive to Bagerhat (3 hrs) in an air-conditioned vehicle and visit the 15th-century Mosque City of Bagerhat, a Muslim city once called Khalifatabad, which is the present-day Bagerhat and is a UNESCO protected world heritage site.
• You’ll visit most of the remaining mosques from the 15th-century city Khalifatabad the whole day, including the 60 Dome Mosque, 09 Dome Mosque, Rono Bijoypur Mosque, and Singair Mosque, You will also visit the shrine of Khan Jahan Ali, the saint general from the Turkish origin who came to spread Islam in this region and founded this great city; and Kodla Moth – a very decorative and beautiful Hindu temple from the 17th century. Drive to Khulna (1 hr).
• Overnight at Khulna (Hotel City Inn)

Day 2

Day-2: Sundarbans: Harbaria Eco Park & Kochikhali

• Start at 6:00 am and drive to Mongla (1.5 hours). Transfer to our boat upon arrival, and head toward Sundarbans immediately. Breakfast will be served on the boat. You’ll be inside the forest within 15 minutes of starting the journey. Stop at a forest station on the way to complete formalities, then continue toward Kochikhali.
• Travel through many small and shallow canals and rivers where big boats cannot go because of their size. Exploring these narrow canals is the main benefit of traveling on a small boat, which gives you the best chance to spot a tiger and other wildlife.
• Stop at Harbaria Eco Park and warm up your experience by walking on its 30 mins trail for the first experience of Sundarbans. Day tours, which we never recommend, end at this point. Before sunset, explore a small canal on a noiseless wooden rowboat and search for wildlife. Many animals come to drink water in the evening and morning on the creeks and canals. You’ll float quietly on the boat and experience a breath-taking environment listening to many singing birds and the sounds of many animals. Arrive in Kochikhali by day’s end and stop for the night.
• Stay overnight on the boat in a sleeping cabin, anchored in the middle of the river in front of Kochikhali forest station.
• Overnight at Kochikhali (Sleeping Cabin on Boat)

Day 3

Day-3: Sundarbans: Kochikhali & Kotka Wildlife Sanctuary

• A busy day starts early in the morning with a quiet wooden rowboat ride in search of wildlife.
• Arrive back at the main boat for breakfast at 7:30 am. After breakfast walk to Jamtola beach, the quietest and the cleanest beach in Bangladesh. Enjoy the beach for an hour then continue on to the Jamtola tourist spot. Your hike will cover almost 10km. On arrival at Jamtola, board our waiting boat, have lunch and take a rest.
• Visit the Kotka Wildlife Sanctuary, and if the tide is high, take a satisfying boat ride on a canal near the sanctuary.
• Go to the observation tower at Kotka before the sunset and wait quietly for half an hour. Many deer and other wild animals come here in the evening to eat grass and drink water. You never know what surprises you will experience here!
• After sunset, based on the tide, travel to another suitable forest station for the night.
• Stay overnight on the houseboat in a sleeping cabin, anchoring in the middle of the river in front of the forest station.
• Overnight at Horintana (Sleeping Cabin on Boat)

Day 4

Day-4: Sundarbans: Fishing Village & Crocodile Breeding Center, Fly to Dhaka

• Start the day at 6:00m with a wooden boat exploring a canal near the forest station. Return to the main boat at 7:30 am for breakfast, then start our return journey to Mongla over other small rivers and canals.
• Enroute to Mongla visit a fishing village and the Koromjal Crocodile Breeding Center. Reach Mongla in the late afternoon.
• Drive toward Jessore (3 hrs), and fly to Dhaka on the 7:10 pm flight. Arrive in Dhaka around 19.50 H, transfer to your hotel, and say goodbye!
• End of the Tour

All of our staff are vaccinated including booster dose!
We maintain COVID-19 protective measures to ensure a safer touring environment for everyone
This tour is available to start every day.
On the chartered boat inside the Sundarban with non-air-conditioned sleeping cabins.
To enter the mosque please wear long, shorts are not allowed by the authority to enter the mosque, women should wear a scarf to cover their heads while entering the mosque.
Meals: Overall Bengali Cuisine; Lunch on day one, all meals in the Sundarban from day three morning today five afternoon (03 Breakfast, 03 Lunch, 02 Dinner), late afternoon snacks for 03 days and unlimited drinking mineral water, tea, coffee while in the Sundarbans.
The chartered boat for Sundarban excursion: with very basic facilities without air-conditioned, no electricity, hot water available on upon request, there is solar lighting system in the boat and electric generator will be available for a couple of hours every day in the evening for charging your gadgets.
Cell Phone signal is poor while we are in Sundarban some places you will get only 2G network.
If possible please bring these staff; Raincoat, umbrella, Snicker shoes for walking, Hat or Cap for Sun protection, Sunburn lotion, insects spray, Binoculars, Camera, and of course one pair of curious eyes to locate interesting species.
Regarding that long trekking; if you don’t prefer to do this activity then you can have a sit in front of the boat and enjoy the canal cruise you might locate something interesting here as well.
For a single supplement additional $85 USD is required.
Since local people don’t see many foreign tourists they might be a bit curious but are very friendly and cooperative people. Please be polite to the local people.
Please be respectful of Bangladeshi culture and tradition because you may encounter situations different from your own tradition and culture.
The itinerary is flexible and can be changed according to your reasonable request.
We require full payment in advance while you are booking the tour, you can see our Online Payment system here….

Overall Trip Rating

5 stars - Based on 1 review

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The best guide ever!!!
Mr. Erik Nilsson (Michigan, USA) January 22, 2020

Speaking as the travel editor for a major international media group for over half a decade, I have to say that Muhammad ranks among the very best of all the hundreds of tour guides I’ve encountered. He truly customized our trip, which we especially needed since we visited Bangladesh with an 8-year-old and her fairly naughty 4-year-old brother, both of whom also came to love Muhammad. He made it one of the best trips out of around 30 countries I’ve visited. He went above and beyond in every way! I couldn’t recommend him enough!