Bangladesh is a South Asian country famous for its Bengal tigers, Bengal cats and mangrove forests. The population is terribly poor, hygiene is at a pre-primitive level and the weather is full of unpleasant surprises. But the natural and architectural monuments here are worth the inconveniences associated with staying in the country, according to many tourists.
Why go?
The quality of beach holidays in Bangladesh is below average. The beaches are not equipped and crowded. But excursion tourism is very interesting here. But for the sake of unique palaces, huge mangrove forests and beautiful waterfalls, you will have to endure poor local service. The Bengalis are not used to tourists, they do not imagine what a person from Europe needs on a trip. But they try very hard, and tourism in the region is gradually developing.
The main thing about the country
In Bangladesh, it is enough to spend $50-55 per person per day to ensure a good standard of living.
The official language is Bengali. Not everyone knows English, but many locals can at least communicate.
Time zone UTC+6 (3 hours later than Moscow)
Bangladesh is located near the sea, in a lowland, in the delta of the Ganges, which is called Padma here. During the monsoon season, 70% of the country is under water. Mountainous terrain is found only in the southeast of the country.
The main religion is Islam (89.1% of the population). 10% of Bangladeshis are Hindus. Christians are few in number.
Not all Bengali Muslims strictly adhere to Sharia law, but there are some radicals among the locals who can create problems for tourists.
In general, Bengalis are friendly to visitors and, when interacting with them, are more likely to help than to provide a service. But they can be intrusive: white people are rare guests in the country, and locals want to touch them.
Customs
There are no special features
When to go
In terms of weather, the best time to visit Bangladesh is from October to February. From April onwards it is hot (up to +40) degrees and very humid, and in winter the average daily temperature is only 13-16 degrees, and you will need warm clothes in the evening.
If you are planning a trip in early spring, it is worth checking when Ramadan begins in Bangladesh. During this time, you will have to refrain from eating, drinking and smoking in public places, and to eat, you will have to look for Hindu establishments.
Popular festivals in Bangladesh include fairs and processions and are tied to the changing seasons. Here are some of them:
- Nabanna (late November-early December) – harvest;
- Pahela Falgun, the first day of spring
- Pahela Baishakh (14th to 15th April) – Bengali New Year;
- Barsha Utsab (around June 15) – the arrival of the rainy season.
Loose clothes made from natural fabrics are useful at any time of year. You need to have some in reserve: natural things dry poorly in a tropical climate, and synthetics are usually uncomfortable. But you don’t need to bring a wardrobe with you: Bangladesh has good textiles, you can buy everything you need on the spot.
Currency
The currency of Bangladesh is called taka. It is used for settlements in the country. It is better to come here with dollars.
Prices
Bangladesh is one of the cheapest countries for tourists. Thus, a good and comfortable hotel room will cost only $30-40, even a taxi ride is less than a dollar for about 5 km. The cost of a bus ticket is equivalent to $0.2, and a cycle rickshaw, if you go not far, will cost only $0.15.
Lunch at a restaurant in a place with all the amenities: air conditioning and a sink – costs $12-15. In a public catering establishment you can eat for $5.
Beaches
The 120 km long chain of beaches starts in Cox’s Bazar. The water here is clean, there are no sharks. The beach is divided into sections with soft sand or, as in Inani, with pebbles. Laboni Point is best for surfing, but it is also one of the most crowded parts of Cox’s Bazar. The wildest part is called Teknaf, there is less infrastructure and people here, but there is a mangrove forest.
Kuakata Beach has much better views. But it has a significant drawback: it is located in the Ganges delta, between its two large branches, Paira and Tetuly. This means that the water near the shore is quite desalinated and not very clean.
Sometimes in guidebooks Patenga is called a beach. But it is more likely the embankment of the port city of Chittagong. Here, unlike other beaches of Bangladesh, there is infrastructure, but the shore is reinforced with stones, the water is quite dirty and ships are too close to the roadstead.
Women on the beaches must wear closed Muslim-style bathing suits – shalwar kameez (tunic and loose trousers), and men swim in shorts and T-shirts. But you can ride quad bikes, horses and donkeys along the shore.
The best time to visit the beaches is in the morning. By 16:00 local time, the coastal strip is filled with vacationers.
Resorts
There are no resorts in Bangladesh.
Attractions
The main tourist value of Bangladesh is in its attractions. The main ones are:
- The Buddhist Vihara monastery in Paharpur was founded in the 8th century, but is well preserved and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List;
- The City of Mosques (Bagerhat) is a UNESCO-protected area where more than 2,000 mosques have been built, many of which are over 1,000 years old;
- Selaidoho Kuthibari is the estate where poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore lived for several years.
- Hindu temple complex of Puthiya (Rajshahi).
- Mahasthan (Bogra) is an archaeological complex of architecture from the period of dominance of Buddhism and Hinduism.
The main monuments of the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka:
- Star Mosque (late 18th century) with very unusual decoration made of Chinese ceramics and rare types of marble;
- The Ahsan Manzil Palace was built in 1862, but its construction took into account ancient traditions. The dome of the building resembles a lotus bud. Inside are the official residence of the royal family of Bangladesh and the National Museum, which contains artistic and historical treasures of the country.
- Lalbagh Fort;
- Dhakeshwari Temple.
Entertainment
Diving in Bangladesh is possible, but it’s best off the beaches. Get to San Martins Island (boats leave from Cox’s Bazar and Chittagong) and you’ll find great diving or snorkelling.
Sundarbans National Park is the largest mangrove forest in the world. It is home to many rare animals. During the excursion, you can see rhesus macaques, wild deer and wild boars, marabou, and if you are very lucky, a leopard and a Bengal tiger. The excursion should be booked at a travel agency before departure.
Bhawal National Park is a large forest near Dhaka. You can ride a rickshaw along the paths. There are no special attractions here, but it is a good option to take a break from the noise of Dhaka.
In Sileth you can visit tea plantations, in Rajshahi you can see how silkworms are raised and silk is made.
Kitchen
The basis of Bangladeshi cuisine is rice. The second most popular side dish is legumes, primarily lentils and peas. Some dishes contain all of these products, and they can even be used to make desserts. For example, kheer is rice with raisins.
There are dozens of names for boiled rice. For example, muri is rice boiled in hot sand; jal-muri is cooked in mustard oil with vegetables; pulao is the same, but with ghee.
There are also dishes without rice. For example, charchari is a vegetable stew fried until crisp. Rasgulla is a dessert, balls of cottage cheese flavored with rose syrup and spices.
They eat everything from beef to snakes and insects, but the exoticism of Bengali cuisine is not in the ingredients, but in the spices, which give the food the desired taste and smell. Most Bengali dishes are rice with meat (poultry, fish), but they have different tastes – precisely because of the spices.
In season, be sure to pay attention to fresh local fruits. They are very tasty here. Local sweets are good at any time of the year. But ceremonial, festive dishes are too fatty.
Souvenirs
It makes sense to bring reptile skin products from Bangladesh. These are not cheap purchases, but compared to Europe, they are significantly cheaper here, and the quality is no worse.
If you need inexpensive gifts, you should pay attention to utensils made of coconut, bamboo, jute or reed: dishes, vases, boxes, mats. Local textiles deserve special attention: both the fabrics themselves and the clothes sewn from them.
Fans of exoticism will like ritual masks. The tourist version costs $10, but the “ritual” one costs $100.
The markets sell excellent quality spices and tea.
Transport
In Bangladesh, traffic is on the left. In Dhaka, there are traffic jams, due to which an hour-long journey to the airport during the day stretches to 3-4 hours. The traffic is chaotic, the roads are bad, so there are many accidents. Against this background, the news about cheap car rental (a month of using a luxury car costs $580, and hiring a driver is an additional $145) no longer seems like a pleasant prospect.
The problem is that local buses are even worse. They drive just as recklessly, are always packed to the brim, have no air conditioning, and the risk of catching lice is high.
It is best to travel within cities by taxi or auto rickshaw, and between cities – by plane. A comfortable option is a train, but rail transport is sometimes very late, the delay can be up to 4 hours. If this does not scare you, then the main thing is not to save on tickets, otherwise instead of a trip in a free compartment with pleasant fellow travelers, you risk ending up in an overcrowded carriage in which people are riding standing.
Safety
There are terrorist attacks in Bangladesh, carried out by radical Islamists. There are religious clashes. The level of street crime is high. Therefore, it is not worth moving around the city at night. In extreme cases, you need to call a taxi (a car, not a rickshaw).
Tourists must have a passport with them, but since white people attract pickpockets, photocopies of documents will do.
If you are planning a trip to the Chittagong Hill Tracts, you will need permission from the Immigration and Passports Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs of Bangladesh: there are checkpoints at the entrances to the region, through which a foreigner cannot pass without this document.
Medicine
There is both public and private medicine in Bangladesh, but its level is low. Therefore, only those health problems that cannot be delayed should be solved on the spot.
The country has an unfavorable epidemiological situation. In summer, malaria and dengue fever can reach epidemic levels. Viral hepatitis, meningitis, and intestinal infections are also common.
Before traveling to the country, it is worth taking preventive measures against malaria. You should only drink bottled water.
Traditions
Traditions of behavior in Bangladesh are determined by the main religion. Here, the norms of Islam are not observed as strictly as, for example, in Iran. However, it is forbidden to drink alcohol in public places, smoke on the street, wear shorts, and women should not bare their shoulders.
In order not to provoke a conflict, men should not communicate with women more than necessary. And especially they should not touch them, even to shake hands. This will be considered an insult.
Internet
Cellular coverage is only in large cities. But mobile communications are very cheap: for $6-7 per month from any local operator you can get 1 GB per day and a sufficient number of minutes for calls.
Useful facts
The electricity grid in Bangladesh is 220 V and 50 Hz, but the plug types are very different: A, C, D, G and K. So you will need adapters.
Tipping is not customary in most local establishments. However, in expensive restaurants it is worth leaving a 5% tip on top of the bill.
It is necessary to take care of protection against insects. But keep in mind: European repellents are often too weak for local insects.