FACES OF A NATION Jam-packed and scrapped. Love at second sight. (21 days)

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Gwenda Merritt
5 years ago
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The result is a journey through a country in which sometimes the time seems to stand still, in order to look incredibly modern in the next moment.

.. Not only do you visit a country, you will experience it - the plump, colorful life that often happens on the street.

Scenic highlights match with religious traditions, the everyday life of the village communities with that of the mega-metropolises.

the country. Say: There are a lot of impressions and experiences waiting for you, which can t replace a newspaper report and a TV broadcast.

1 FACES OF A NATION Jam-packed and scrapped. Love at second sight. (21 days) Take: landscape, traditions, history, everyday life, a tiny coral island, crowded trains, people, tea and some Ganges Delta. The result is a journey through a country in which sometimes the time seems to stand still, in order to look incredibly modern in the next moment. The tour is diverse, as the faces of Bangladesh: bulging life, contrasts, variety and love - loads of love... Not only do you visit a country, you will experience it - the plump, colorful life that often happens on the street. You will meet stone witnesses of history, how highly active the present. Scenic highlights match with religious traditions, the everyday life of the village communities with that of the mega-metropolises. Everywhere you can find traditional farming and fishing, in the cities crafts and trade are still as public as at the time when the British conquered the country. Say: There are a lot of impressions and experiences waiting for you, which can t replace a newspaper report and a TV broadcast. This trip is for those who want to get to know an original and fascinating country without prejudice and with an open heart. For all those who want to experience firsthand what is real problems and what real love and happiness are, apart from the Euro crisis, Euro rescue packages, meat scandals and energy transformations, Bangladesh will reward you with invaluable impressions and experiences for a trip far from the standard tourist paths take part!

2 Highlights Old Dhaka as a seething juggernaut. Guided tour of the National Parliament, one of the largest parliament buildings in the world. The stone-fishermen of Jaflon. Visit the wetlands of Baikka Beel. The cosmopolitan Sylhet the extravagance in the north. The tea capital of the country Srimangal. Lawachara National Park the last rainforests of the country. Ship s passage on the largest river in Asia, the Meghna. UNESCO World Heritage Site Bagerhat the Lost Kalifatabad. UNESCO World Heritage Site Sundarbans. 3 days-cruise in the Ganges Delta. Boat trip around the ship breaking yards of Chittagong. Hikes in the Chittagong Hill Tracts area, visit various villages of the ethnic groups. The longest beach in the world at Cox s Bazar. South Seas feeling on the coral island of St. Martin. Itinerary Day Destination/Activities Transport Overnight/Category 1 Arrival Dhaka Hotel 71 Transfer, Kawran Bazar Tour 2 Monday Dhaka Hotel 71 National Parliament & Savar Tour 3 Tuesday Dhaka Sylhet Hotel Holy Gate Shrine Tour 4 Wednesday Sylhet Tamabil/Jaflon Sylhet Hotel Holy Gate Tamabil/Jaflon Tour 5 Thursday Sylhet Baikka Beel Srimangal Nishorgo Eco Resort Baikka Beel Tour, Rickshaw Tour 6 Srimangal Nishorgo Eco Resort Lawachara Tour, Tea Tour 7 Srimangal Dhaka Morrelganj Liner Sadarghat Tour, Liner Tour (hand baggage) 1st class 8 Morrelganj Bagerhat Mongla UNESCO World Heritage Bagerhat 9 Monday Mongla Sundarbans Cruiser 10 Tuesday Sundarbans Cruiser 11 Wednesday Sundarbans Mongla Dhaka Hotel Marino Cruiser, 12 Thursday Dhaka Chittagong Hotel Naba Inn Train Train journey, Chittagong Tour (hand baggage) 13 Chittagong Rangamati Parjatan Hotel Ship breaking Tour 14 Rangamati Bandarban Hill Side Resort Kaptai Tour, culture in Bandarban 15 Bandarban Hill Side Resort Jeep Trekking Tour, Jeep Tour 16 Monday Bandarban Cox s Bazar Mermaid Eco Resort On road. Life on the road 17 Tuesday Cox s Bazar Teknaf St. Martin Simana Periye Resort /Liner Passage (hand baggage) 18 Wednesday St. Martin Simana Periye Resort - At your disposal, camp fire, live music & BBQ

3 19 Thursday St. Martin Cox s Bazar At your disposal, passage Cox s Bazar Dhaka Shopping Tour (hand baggage) Dhaka Departure Airport Transfer Liner/ Plane Mermaid Eco Resort Hotel Marino - Date Day 1 Day 2 Monday Day 3 Tuesday Day 4 Wednesday Day 5 Thursday Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9-11 Mon - Wed Itinerary Welcome to Dhaka. Crowds of people and markets Day of arrival! After transfer to your accommodation, first steps in Dhaka. You visit the largest and most traditional market of Dhaka, the Kawran Bazar, with artisan and trade, still as public as at the time when the British conquered and dominated the land. In the evening tour-discussion at the joint dinner. Good night in the fastest growing metropolis of Asia, Dhaka. Futuristic, or just ugly? Today you will experience Bangladesh as a young, proud and modern nation. They visit Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, the National Parliament. The hypermodern construction of Isadore Kahn is one of the largest parliamentary buildings in the world. After the exclusive tour through the interior of the Parliament you will go to the National Monument for the victims of the independence war in Savar. Night rest again in Dhaka. About tea and holy men In the early hours of the morning, you continue to the north-east. On your journey you will visit manufactories and markets of the area. Sylhet is the most cosmopolitan of all Bangladesh cities, with the most pleasant flair in all of South Asia at least some travelers say. The shrines of the Hajrat Shah Jalal and the Hajrat Shah Poran exert an almost magical attraction on pilgrims of the whole country. After dark, you will observe the mystically acting scenery of this sacred place. Good night in Sylhet, the city of shrines. The stone-fishermen of Jaflon Day tour to Tamabil & Jaflon, outposts on the Indian border. It offers beautiful views, tea plantations and rivers from the Himalayas with millions of tons of rubble and rock. The country has no other significant rock deposits. So this important raw material is produced here for the construction industry. Or rather rescued in circumstances quite archaic. You will also visit the forests of Jaflon (home of the indigenous Kasia tribes). Good night in Sylhet. Wetlands, where the birds always sing In the early morning hours you continue to Srimangal. On the way, you will visit Baikka Beel, a small part of a 40 hectare wetland area. There is an ideal place for bird watching. Amidst the largest and most beautiful tea gardens in the world is the "tea capital" of the country, Srimangal. A visit to the tea gardens, which extend over 54,000 hectares, is a must here, where the air with the aroma of tea, pineapple and lemon plantations is impregnated. You will end the day during a rickshaw tour. Good night in the tea capital of the country. The last rainforest: Lawachara National Park In the early morning visit the Lawachara National Park. There you will go on a 3-hour hiking tour, during which you will also visit a village of a minority. We also spend the rest of the day walking around the area. Alternatively, you can also go by bike. Still in Srimangal arrange your hand baggage pls. Your main luggage will be delivered on the evening of the eighth day on our Sundarbans ship. Pleasant dreams in Srimangal. The heart of the juggernaut, Old-Dhaka After breakfast, you will travel back to the capital, directly into the microcosmos of the old town. Dhaka is not a city, it is rather a juggernaut, an alluring and devouring, black hole and Old-Dhaka is its center. You walk through the Hindu Street and stroll through the impenetrable tangle of alleys around the Sadarghat, always accompanied by a sea of 600,000 colorful, deafening ringing rickshaws. From here, leave Dhaka by boat to Morrelganj. Good night in your cabin on the river boat. UNESCO World Heritage Site² pt. 1: Bagerhat Around noon you will reach Morrelganj on your leisurely voyage, so enough time to observe the rural life from board. After your arrival you will travel to Bagerhat. As an excellent example of an architectural ensemble that illustrates a significant stage in human history, Bagerhat is today a world cultural heritage. In the evening we reach with Mongla the gateway to the Ganges Delta. Dinner and night camp on our little cruise ship. UNESCO World Heritage Site² pt. 2: In the largest delta in the world; the Sundarbans In the early morning hours of the 9 th day, you will board and arrive in the late afternoon a wildlife sanctuary in the southeastern part of the Sundarbans. The next morning (Day 10), you watch the awakening life from the dinghy, deep in one of the side arms. After breakfast, you will walk to the unspoiled beach of the Bengal Bay. In the afternoon, go for a jungle hike. With nightfall and in time for the barbecue dinner you are back on

Day 12 Thursday Day 13 Day 14 Day 15 Day 16 Monday Day 17-19 Tue - Thu Day 20 Day 21 board. On the morning of the 11 th day, take the opposite direction back to Mongla, then take the bus to Dhaka.

4 Day 12 Thursday Day 13 Day 14 Day 15 Day 16 Monday Day Tue - Thu Day 20 Day 21 board. On the morning of the 11 th day, take the opposite direction back to Mongla, then take the bus to Dhaka. All meals and overnight stays on board. Still in Dhaka arrange your hand baggage pls. Your main luggage will be delivered on the evening of the twelfth day in Chittagong. Overnight stay in the capital. Towards Chittagong. Adventure Bangladesh Railway You leave Dhaka with the morning train. The ambience is rather nostalgic-tattered and really not clean, but the train is the perfect means of transport to get in touch with the locals while rural Bangladesh passes by. Each coach has its own steward and the tea s in porcelain cups! We reach Chittagong in the afternoon, just enough time to look around in the metropolis. Good night in Chittagong, the second largest city in the country. The Ironeater of Chittagong In the morning, depending on the tide, visit the local ship breaking yards, which is one of the centers of the international scrapping industry and offers spectacular insights into working life, especially in a boat trip. In the late afternoon continue to Rangamati. Welcome to the Chittagong Hill Tracts! Sleep well in Rangamati. From minorities and tribal groups, Chittagong Hill Tracts This morning you will spend a boat trip on the largest lake in the country, the Kaptai Lake. During the tour, we will visit a place of the Chakma, a minority living here. The water of the lake is crystal clear and you can take a refreshing bath here. In the afternoon you continue south to Bandarban. Most of the inhabitants here belong to the tribe of Marma. In the evening, a cultural performance and a good night in Bandarban await you. From minorities and tribal groups, Chittagong Hill Tracts Today you are on the road all day. On foot, by jeep and boat, explore one of the most beautiful areas of the country. An idyll formed by the rivers Karnaphuli, Feni, Shangu and Matamuhur. Gentle mountains once covered with thick jungle, steep gorges, cliffs, dense bamboo and teakwood forests and indigenous communities. Overnight again in Bandarban. The Indian Ocean. The Bay of Bengal At noon we continue south. During your trip to Cox s Bazar, visit the manufactories and markets of the area. You should have reached the Bay of Bengal on time for the sunset In Cox s Bazar arrange your hand baggage pls. Your main luggage will be delivered on the evening of the 19 th day in Cox s Bazar again. Good night at your resort at Cox s Bazar. Beach, palm trees, azure waters - Narikel Jinjir Continue to Teknaf (the southernmost point of Bangladesh), where you will find the ferry to St. Martin. It is time to process the experiences and experiences of recent times and to refuel new strength. At noon the ferry departs and about 3 hours later the small island belongs to you. Please do not expect taxis, paved roads or electricity (electricity is available between 7 PM and 10 PM on generators). The island consists only of sun, sea and palm trees. The time here is designed according to your ideas. However, the possibilities for pastime are limited. Day 18 we end with camp fire, live music and BBQ. Overnight on St. Martin Island. In the late afternoon of the 19 th day you reached Teknaf again and continue to Cox s Bazar. Still in Cox s Bazar arrange your hand baggage pls. Your main luggage will be delivered on the evening of the 20 th day in Dhaka. Good night at Mermaid Resort. Back to start At noon the plane will take you back to Dhaka where you will have enough time to get some souvenirs at Aarongs. At the dinner we end the tour officially and review the experiences of the last 3 weeks. We wish you a good night, last time in Dhaka / Bangladesh. and home Transfer to the airport according to time of departure. Godspeed! End of the tour.

5 Travel route:

GREEN AND WILD Nature Travel Bangladesh. (21 days)

GREEN AND WILD Nature Travel Bangladesh. (21 days) The focus of this trip is to flora and fauna for now, at the end of the rainy season, green and blooming the country. Due to the geographical location