My 11 days vacation in Bangladesh during security alert from the west

A couple of weeks ago I returned from Bangladesh. I spent there 11 days.

It was a long-awaited trip for me. At first, several years ago I chanced to read a book written by Dr. Muhammad Yunus which had been just translated into Russian. Then I bought a book in English about Bangladesh history. I hadn’t found a contemporary edition of the history book in Russian and ordered this one in some USA online shop. Generally speaking, 30-40 years ago we had a lot of books published in Russian about Bangladesh, including Bengali language textbooks and other numerous works. And I hope the number of books translated into Russian will increase.

Books in Russian that inspired me to travel Bangladesh.

Besides reading, I love traveling. And to that time I had already been at least twice in every country bordering Bangladesh: India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Bhutan. And every time traveling to South Asia, I was planning to visit Bangladesh “next time”. I imagined how nice it would be to find a way to visit Bangladesh sooner or later.

This year I’ve decided that neither the absence of direct flights from Moscow to Dhaka nor the small number of reviews from travelers would be a significant obstacle for me. Also, it was great that I found a good travel company from Dhaka – Nijhoom Tours, which had an excellent website and were attentive to my numerous questions and replied very quickly and professionally.

It was a well-organized and informative trip. Bangladesh is not an easy country for traveling independently but with the help of the local travel agency, it becomes a really attractive and easy trip.

Waiting for train in a train station in Bangladesh.

Capital City Dhaka

In Dhaka, you find yourself in the heart of one of the most densely populated countries. There are too many people everywhere. It’s a very lively and active city. And as we were in the country with a very rich heritage, we chanced to see many interesting places, including National Assembly Building, Lalbagh Fort, Dhakeshwari Temple, Khan Mohammad Mridha Mosque, Armenian Church, Star Mosque, and Ahsan Manzil.

In Ahsan Manzil, a beautiful palace from colonial period in Bangladesh.

Most of all I liked the National Parliament House (one of the largest legislative complexes in the world, 200 acres) and Ahsan Manzil. Ahsan Manzil is a national museum nowadays and it was built as a palace (its construction was started in 1859 and was completed in 1872). After sightseeing, we had a boat ride at the river Buriganga and enjoyed the sunset on a wooden rowboat.

Sunset at river Buriganga on a wooden row-boat.

As for accommodation, most hotels here are rather simple. But people are very hospitable and friendly everywhere and we felt like very dear guests in every hotel on the route. Anyway, in Dhaka, I stayed for a night in a very nice place.

Sundarbans Mangrove Forest and Srimangal

Then we had a night on Paddle Steamer called Rocket and arrived at Hularhat station in the morning. Our goal was visiting Bagerhat. There are many magnificent and ancient Mosques here. This is a very unique and beautiful place.

We stayed for a night in a hotel in Mongla.

And then we went to the boat which forwarded us to Sundarbans forest. Sundarbans is one of the most beautiful places in the world if not the most beautiful! It is the world’s largest mangrove forest and covers a territory of 6,000 sq km. Rivers in the Sundarbans are meeting places of saltwater and freshwater. It is a mix of the freshwater of the rivers originating from the Ganges and the saltwater of the Bay of Bengal.

Sunset in Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest on earth.

We spent 3 days on the boat. It was a very relaxing time. We explored creeks and canals on a wooden boat in the forest. We visited Jamtola beach on the edge of the Bay of Bengal. We saw many colorful birds, many deers, and other wildlife. And there were nearly no other people at all. I’m not a good photographer (and my smartphone is not a good tool for this) but I guess my companion made a thousand photos. It’s a heaven for those who love photography. And there were fantastic sunsets too! And dolphins…we saw many dolphins.

Deers in Sundarbans, the most beautiful place on earth.

After Sundarbans, we had a long way to Srimangol where we visited tea plantations and tribal villages. We tasted its famous 7 layers tea. We also did trekking in the Lawachhara National Park and spent here several hours watching giant spiders and listening to gibbon cries. It was a nice experience.

Tea workers going to deposit the tea leaves after full day's peaking.

I wish to come back!

So our program was interesting, intense, but not exhausting or tiring. All the hotels during the trip were comfortable: Wi-Fi (in one hotel it was available in the lobby only and in the others – in the rooms too), hot water, good food, and drinking water…everything was OK.

In conclusion, I must say that I have never met so many sincere, smiling, and helpful people as in Bangladesh. They are glad to meet you, do selfies with you on the streets, help you with your luggage on the train; they invite you to join their family events!

Photo shooting with the locals in Bangladesh.

We’ve heard from the news that Bangladesh (as many other Asian countries) was continuing to face numerous economic, social, and environmental challenges, including poverty, over-population, and global warming. And recently there have been added alarming reports concerning possible terrorist activities in the region. The issue of security is very important and I was in doubts whether it’s a safe place for coming or not. But while being in Bangladesh, it became clear to me that my anxiety and doubts had been groundless, and hype in the Western press was too exaggerated. The security situation here is like in any other tourist destination around.

So I have many precious memories from my journey. This is a very friendly country, it was a fantastic time and I wish to come back!

If you’ve enjoyed the story, consider sharing it on social media so that more travelers can know about this amazing country which is little known to everyone buried in some popular myths. Enjoy!

Editorial Note: Have you ever visited Bangladesh? How amazing have you found it? Share your thoughts and experience with us in the comments. Contact us to publish your Bangladesh travel story here. Check out our 1-7 days tour packages in Bangladesh, and 8-28 days holiday packages in Bangladesh to visit Bangladesh with comfort.

5 thoughts on “My 11 days vacation in Bangladesh during security alert from the west”

  1. I’ve always felt perfectly safe in Bangladesh. The people are so warm and friendly. One time my son and I were in the streets of Dhaka trying to find a supermarket … a lovely family stopped to offer directions. They found us a rickshaw, told the driver where to take us and, despite our protests, even paid on our behalf. We have stayed in touch with these lovely people. The only time I feel unsafe in Bangladesh is when I’m riding in a rickshaw that bumps into the one ahead of us and I almost fall out…!

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  2. I agree with the fact that Bangladesh feels perfectly safe to the visitor. I spent ten days in the country and never felt unsafe, out of place or even ‘watched’. I met lots of very friendly, interesting and knowledgeable people who were welcoming and who enjoyed sharing their culture with me. I don’t compare with what is going on in other countries – challenges may occur anywhere anytime. However, they seem more likely in some parts of the world than in others. I strongly recommend a visit to Bangladesh to everyone who calls themselves a world traveler. You will not regret it!

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    • Everyone will be happy any where in the country to let you use theirs. Although in some western culture it will be rude to go to someone’s house just for this reason without knowing them, it will be most normal thing in Bangladesh. Everyone will be excited just to see a foreigner coming to their house! This is a very hospitable country.

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  3. Thanks for this post Svetlana! I’m returning to Bangladesh after the travel warnings and I’m glad to hear it still feels safe. It looks like you had a great time. Bangladesh has been my favorite country to visit, the people are wonderful.

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