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PAGE PLAN YOUR PLANNING TOOL KIT 2 Photos, itineraries, lists and suggestions YOUR TRIP to help you put together your perfect trip

Welcome to

Bangladesh ...... 2 Welcome to Map ...... 4 10 Top Experiences ...... 6 Need to Know ...... 12 COUNTRYCOUNOUNTRY • The originalo If You Like...... 14 • Comprehensivep • AdAdventurousdventurous Month by Month ...... 16 A Landand of travelling Rivers along them is an experienceÀ c, fumes, noise and confusion. Arrive by not to be missed. From cross-river carboat ferrie ands it’s almost like sneaking quietly Bangladeshor creakingis awash old with paddle-wheel rivers; more steamers through to the back door. Even if you’re going than 700 ofthe them humble Á ow rowboat through or this traditional small woodennowhere in particular, travelling by boat country andyachts, the result it is said is a that deliciously there are lush more typesalong of a river in Bangladesh is one of the landscape boatswith morein Bangladesh shades of than green in thanany other most count rewardingr things you can do during you ever imagined. Flooding is an annual Itineraries ...... 19 So whether you fancy a multiday adventureyour visit. This is one of the world’s most feature and by the end of the summer huge deep into the countryside or just a quickdensely jaun populated countries, but once swathes of Bangladesh are submerged around a city dock, get yourself downyou’re to a riv sittinge on a small wooden rowboat, under rising water levels, leaving rich al- ghat, and get involved. Á oating slowing down a country river, it’s luvial soils from which to grow next year’s easy to imagine you have it all to yourself. 10 harvests. There are almost as many kilo- Border Crossings ...... 22 metres of rivers in Bangladesh as there are Warm & Welcoming roads, and Tracking travelling by boat Tigers is a way of in life the here. For the traveller, this provides a fabu- Bangladeshis are famously friendly, and TOP lous opportunitySundarbans to see the country from you are almost certain to receive a warm welcome everywhere you go. Feeling like a more unusualThe angle. mangrove Arrive forests at a oftown the Sundarbans EXPERIENCES you’re the centre of attention is, of course, by bus and2 you’re National confronted Park (p 71 with ) are hometraf- to the large Boat Trips ...... 26 single population of tigers found anywhere in the world. There are around 400 Royal Benga tigers roaming the region, and boarding a boa in search of them is an undisputed highlight o a trip to Bangladesh. It’s possible to dip into t forest on a self-organised day trip from Mong Regions at a Glance ...... 30 but for a true adventure, and to increase your admittedly slim chances of seeing a tiger, boo yourself onto four-day boat tour from Khulna

1

Paharpur

•# É Bogra Jamuna É •# •# River Chars Sona Masjid •#

É É Ja

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É É u É Rajshahi•# n Srimangal

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É É ver É

•#Kushtia Dhaka É •#

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É Border Crossings É Chandpur •# REGIONALALL DISCOVERD PHRASEBOOKPPHRRASEBOBOOK Most Popular There are numerous points in Bangladesh

where you can cross the border with , M É e É Crossings but only six or seven are set up with immi- •# g Khulna hn Kolkata The twice-weekly train that con- gration facilities to service foreigners. At the Bagerhat É •# aRiver Rangamat • Cultural Best-of

nects Kolkata with Dhaka is comfortable and time of research there was still no border • •# • INDIA # É hassle-free. Apart from immigration formali- crossing with Myanmar (Burma). É Hularhat The same system is in place for all of É É ties at the border, it’s direct and nonstop. Chittagong •#

Benapole Main border town on the road these crossings (apart from the direct train É • Day trips & itineraries Photo-packed Ba É • route to and from Kolkata. Has direct bus to Kolkata), although differing levels of •# links to Dhaka, Khulna and Jessore. stringency are applied at each. •# Burimari Bangladesh’s gateway to Darjeel- If you’re leaving Bangladesh and entering Sundarbans National BAY OF BENGAL • In-depth Inspirational ing, with transport links via the Indian town India, the most important thing to remem- • Park of Siliguri. Entering Bangladesh, most ber is that you cannot get an Indian visa at people head to Rangpur, but there is a night any of the border towns, so you must have bus to Dhaka. already sorted this out, preferably in your Tamabil Linking Sylhet with India’s north- home country. Foreigners can get an Indian east tribal states, Tamabil isn’t a place to visa in Dhaka (p 167) and Chittagong (p 112 ), linger, on account of the open mining that but it’s a bureaucratic nightmare, and many goes on around the border (cough! splut- travellers leave the visa office empty handed. ter!), but you’re only two hours away from If you’re coming into Bangladesh from Sylhet by bus. India, note that you cannot get the same vi- Akhaura The other major border for India’s sa-on-arrival that you can get if you fly into northeast tribal states; the Indian side has Dhaka airport, but you can get Bangladesh an airport and a place to process Bangla- visas in Kolkata and Agartala (Akhaura), as desh visas. The Bangladesh side has a train well as in New Delhi. station with links to Dhaka, Srimangal and If you’re leaving Bangladesh you have to Chittagong. pay a Tk 300 departure tax (see the boxed text p24 ) and you are supposed to have picked up a change-of-route permit from the Immigra- Looking for other travel resources? tion and Passport Office in Dhaka. The depar- ture tax is critical, but the permit isn’t asked for these days, so in practise you don’t need it. Be aware that visa regulations for Bangla

PAGE UNDERSTAND GET MORE FROM YOUR TRIP 147 Learn about the big picture, so you BANGLADESH can make sense of what you see

Bangladesh Today...... 148

population per sq km History ...... 150 BANGLADESH INDIA USA

Environment ...... 156 ≈ 30 people Arts & Literature ...... 160 Bangladesh Today LONELYPLANET.COM APPS EBOOKS MAGAZINE

Bangladesh Cuisine ...... 163 Two court trials of huge political significance dominated the most recent For travel information, Location-based Guidebooks For travel stories, term of office for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. She was installed for her second nonconsecutive term as the country’s leader after her Awami League (AL) party won a landslide victory in the December 2008 elec- advice, tips & digital guides for the street for your reader inspiration & ideas tions. Less than two months later, she was forced to deal with one of the ation: country’s most shocking events of recent times. ,000 chapters gest) Border Guards Mutiny lonelyplanet.com/mobile lonelyplanet.com/ebooks lonelyplanet.com/magazine Envir onment per Bangladeshis watched in horror in February 2009 when live TV broad casts re orted on a soldier mutiny at Dhaka’s head uarters of the Bang 00 The Land Famous for being flat and wet, Bangladesh is, largely speaking, one mas sive piece of gorgeously green farmland criss-crossed by an unfeasi a- large network of rivers. It’s a rural wonderland, and beautiful to behold y In fact, there’s every chance that Bangladesh will be the most gloriousl s lush country you’ve ever visited. STAY IN TOUCH a There are two exceptions to these flatter-than-flat vistas, a though ne ar ther is any less green than the rest of the country. First there’s Sylhet, i n lonelyplanet.com/contact et the northeast, with its soft, rolling hills covered in ar -green, waist-hig ne tea bushes Then there’s the Chittagong Hill Tracts in the far southeast; AUSTRALIA Locked Bag 1, Footscray, Victoria 3011 twitter.com/ %03 8379 8000, fax 03 8379 8111 lonelyplanet ISBN 978-1-74179-458-8 99625 Paper in this book is certified USA 150 Linden Street, Oakland, CA 94607 facebook.com/ against the Forest Stewardship %510 250 6400, toll free 800 275 8555, fax 510 893 8572 lonelyplanet Council™ standards. FSC™ promotes environmentally responsible, socially lonelyplanet.com/ beneficial and economically viable UK Media Centre, 201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TQ 9 781741 794588 management of the world’s forests. %020 8433 1333, fax 020 8702 0112 newsletter

bangladesh-7.indd 2 29/08/2012 8:24:31 AM PAGE ON THE YOUR COMPLETE DESTINATION GUIDE 32 In-depth reviews, detailed listings ROAD and insider tips

Rajshahi & Sylhet Division Rangpur Dhaka Division p133 p87 p57

Dhaka #_ p34

Khulna & Chittagong Division Barisal p106 p66

PAGE SURVIVAL VITAL PRACTICAL INFORMATION TO 165 GUIDE HELP YOU HAVE A SMOOTH TRIP

Directory A–Z ...... 166 Transport ...... 175 Directory Health ...... 181 A–Z Accommodation Generally speaking, the quality of accommodation in Language ...... 188 Bangladesh is poor, although this is reflected in extremely affordable prices. It’s proba- bly wise to lower your expec- tations of comfort and clean- liness before you come, to Index ...... 203 avoid being too disappointed. Only in Dhaka, and at a handful of other exceptional places around the country, uld we find accommoda- that was genuinely very Map Legend ...... 207 We have marked these o icon.

onal-

THIS EDITION WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED BY Daniel McCrohan Every listing is recommended by our authors, and their favourite places are listed first

Look out for these icons: Our author’s top A green or No payment recommendation sustainable option required See the Index for a full list of destinations covered in this book.

On the Road

DHAKA ...... 34 CHITTAGONG DIVISION ...... 106 DHAKA DIVISION . . . . 57 Chittagong ...... 108 Sonargaon ...... 59 Bandarban ...... 113 Dhamrai ...... 60 Rangamati ...... 117 Mymensingh ...... 61 Cox’s Bazar ...... 125 Around Mymensingh ...... 63 Around Cox’s Bazar ...... 127 Birisiri ...... 64 St Martin’s Island ...... 128 Around Birisiri...... 65 Comilla ...... 130

KHULNA & BARISAL . .66 SYLHET DIVISION . . 133 KHULNA DIVISION ...... 68 Sylhet ...... 135 Khulna ...... 68 Sunamganj ...... 138 Sundarbans National Srimangal & Around . . . . .139 Park ...... 71 Mongla ...... 74 Bagerhat ...... 76 Jessore ...... 79 Kushtia ...... 81 BARISAL DIVISION ...... 83 Barisal ...... 83 Kuakata ...... 85

RAJSHAHI & RANGPUR ...... 87 Bogra ...... 89 Mahasthangarh ...... 91 Paharpur ...... 92 Rangpur ...... 93 Dinajpur ...... 96 Rajshahi ...... 99 Sona Masjid (Gaud) ...... 102 Puthia ...... 103 Natore ...... 104 Pabna ...... 105 THIMPHU PHODRANG Thrumshing Sele La Black La HA Tarka La TSIRANG Mountain MONGAR TRASHIGANG DAGANA TRONGSA TASHIGANG SAMTSE CHIRANG SHEMGANG MONGAR BangladeshMECHI SAMCHI DAGA ZHEMGANG PEMAGATSEL Top Experiences › Sapt › CHHUKHA Tunka La BHUTAN

NEPAL Tentulia Burimari Panchagarh ELEVATION

INDIA INDIA 1500m T (BIHAR) 200m i (ASSAM) s t River 100m a 0 R tra iv e u r 080km Saidpur ap e# Rangpur 040miles

Dinajpur RANGPUR DVISION Brahm Srimangal Nawabganj Cycle through the INDIA INDIA tea estates (p139) r (WEST Hili e (MEGHALAYA) BENGAL) v i R Dawki Tam ab i l a

Jaipurhat n Haluaghat Birisiri Jaintiapur u Sunamganj Paharpur INDIA m Sherpur (JHARKHAND) a Dharmapasha Mahasthangarh J Jamalganj Sylhet Bogra Netrakona Muktagacha Gouripur RAJSHAHI r Sherpur Mymensingh ve DIVISION i Nawabganj Madhupur R SYLHET DIVISION Rajshahi Puthia Natore Sirajganj f# DHAKA Kishoreganj Upazilla a Srimangal DIVISION n Ta nga i l h g e Sha-ista M Ganj Padma Old Dhaka Pabna Gazipur Dhamrai Narsingdi Brahmanbaria Brace yourself for #\ Kushtia Manikganj the chaos (p37) Shibalaya #– Agartala Riv Savar #_ Akhaura er DHAKA Sonargaon Faridpur Narayanganj Mograpara INDIA Munshiganj Daudkandi (WEST M Comilla INDIA BENGAL) INDIA a (MIZORAM) d (TRIPURA) CHITTAGONG h Shariatpur DIVISION u Chandpur Jessore m Madaripur f# a l i Khagrachhari R Feni iv Lakshmipur e r Noakhali Khulna f# Kaptai

KOLKATA M Satkhira Lake Khatakhali Barisal M (CALCUTTA) al Bagerhat eghna Rangamati ^# a n KHULNA Sitakunda ch

DIVISION BARISAL r R

e ui a i ph DIVISION v ver Sandwip na Kaptai

Mongla i r R a ver K i i R Sandwip ver Patuakhali

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r z Hatia r

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K Bandarban h Sangu R s iv le er

sur Riv

Sundarbans National Park Ba Ruma #÷ a Explore the world’s largest P Nijum Keokradong Sundarbans Dwip (1230m) mangrove forest (p71) National Chittagong Park Kuakata Hill Tracts Thanchi Bazar Maheskhali Barisal Island Ride the paddle-wheel ‘Rocket’ (p83) Ramu Cox' s Bazar

Chittagong Hill Tracts 20°N Discover Bangladesh’s Adivasi culture (p120) Teknaf Game #÷ Teknaf MYANMAR Reserve (BURMA) BAY OF BENGAL Shah Porir Dwip St Martin's # Island 88°E 89°E 90°E 91°E 92°E OUR STORY A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their fi rst travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies. Lonely Planet was born. Today, Lonely Planet has offi ces in Melbourne, London and Oakland, with more than 600 staff and writers. We share Tony’s belief that ‘a great guidebook should do three things: inform, educate and amuse’. OUR WRITER Daniel McCrohan Daniel first fell in love with Bangladesh way back in 1998 and has since made multiple trips here, chalking up many months’ worth of Bangla-travel. He has worked extensively throughout Asia (his adopted home since leaving England more than eight years ago), but particularly enjoys this region, one of the few parts of South Asia, he says, that still has yet to be properly discovered by travellers. Daniel has worked on more than a dozen other Lonely Planet guides including India, Tibet and . He also cohosted the Lonely Planet television series Best in China. You can follow his Asia travels on Twitter (@danielmccrohan), or through his website (danielmccrohan.com).

Read more about Daniel at lonelyplanet.com/members/danielmccrohan

Published by Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd ABN 36 005 607 983 Although the authors and Lonely Planet have taken all reason- 7th edition – December 2012 able care in preparing this book, we make no warranty about ISBN 978 1 74179 458 8 the accuracy or completeness of its content and, to the maxi- © Lonely Planet 2012 Photographs © as indicated 2012 mum extent permitted, disclaim all liability arising from its use. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, except brief extracts for the purpose of review, and no part of this publication may be sold or hired, without the written permission of the publisher. Lonely Planet and the Lonely Planet logo are trademarks of Lonely Planet and are registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Lonely Planet does not allow its name or logo to be appropriated by commercial establishments, such as retailers, restaurants or hotels. Please let us know of any misuses: lonelyplanet.com/ip. 19

Itiner- Whether you’ve got six days or 60, these itineraries provide a aries starting point for the trip of a lifetime. Want more inspiration? Head online to lonelyplanet .com/thorntree to chat with other travellers.

Dhaka #_

INDIA

É É

INDIA

Khulna •# Meg É É hna Riv #• Bagerhat

er É

É

Sundarbans •# National BAY OF BENGAL Park

One Week Sampling the Sundarbans

One week is just enough time to dip into Dhaka before going on the boat trip of a lifetime through the tiger-filled mangrove swamps of the Sundarbans. Ease yourself into Dhaka by spending your first day in the more upmarket neigh- bourhood of Banani before delving into the chaos with a sightseeing tour of Old Dhaka on day two. Don’t miss Sadarghat for a rowboat trip on the Buriganga River. You haven’t got time to ride the Rocket (you’ll need an extra two days for that). Instead, take an overnight bus to Khulna to meet up with your Sundarbans tour company, which you’ll need in order to properly explore the Sundarbans National Park. Then relax on the deck of your boat and enjoy three days of tiger-tinged river adventure before floating back to Khulna. Consider a day trip to Bagerhat before taking the bus back to Dhaka for one final day in the capital. Note that you will need to have booked your Sundarbans trip at least three weeks in advance, so start planning this one from home. 20

Paharpur

•# É Bogra Jamuna É •# •# River Chars Sona Masjid •#

É É J

a

m

É É u É PLAN YOUR TRIP TRIP YOUR PLAN Rajshahi•# n Srimangal

a •#

R É

i É ver É

•#Kushtia INDIA Dhaka É •#

É

É É •# ITINERARIES Chandpur

M É e É •# g Khulna hn Bagerhat É •# aRiver Rangamati

•# •# INDIA É É Hularhat É É Chittagong •#

É Bandarban É •#

•# Sundarbans National BAY OF BENGAL Park MYANMAR (BURMA)

One Month Best of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is relatively small, so if you have a full month you can see pretty much all the main highlights. This tour takes in Dhaka, the Sundarbans and part of history- rich Rajshahi before whisking you over to the east to sample the tea estates of Srimangal and the forested mountains of the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Your first job when you arrive in Dhaka is to book your cabin on the Rocket for your ferry ride the following evening. Tickets in hand, you can spend the rest of that day and the next taking in the sights of Old Dhaka before leaving on the 6pm boat. Sit back and enjoy the lazy 20-hour river trip to Hularhat. Having disembarked mid- morning, grab a rickshaw to the bus stand, then a bus to Bagerhat, where you can spend the afternoon admiring the Islamic ruins before hopping on another bus to Khulna where you’ll meet your Sundarbans tour company. Note: you will have had to have booked your Sundarbans trip at least three weeks in advance. The next morning, board your boat and enjoy three or four days of unrivalled river ad- venture as you track tigers in the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans National Park. Back in Khulna, take a bus north, pit-stopping in Kushtia – the cultural capital of Bengal – before continuing on to Rajshahi. Take a day trip to Sona Masjid to see the scattered ruins of the ancient city of Gaud before catching a bus to Bogra. Not much to see here – although you could consider an unusual day trip to the sand chars on the Jamuna River – but Bogra is only a day trip away from the Unesco-protected Buddhist ruins of Paharpur. Catch a bus from Bogra back to Dhaka, but don’t dally; the next morning you’ll be river-bound again, this time a morning ferry from Dhaka’s Sadarghat to Chandpur before catching the train to Chittagong. Sort out your permit for the hill tracts region while you’re in Chittagong, then spend four or five days exploring Rangamati and Bandarban before heading back to Chittagong. Take the scenic day train to Srimangal where you can rent a bicycle to enjoy the sur- rounding tea estates, forest reserves and Adivasi villages before catching the train back to Dhaka.

21

Kantanagar•# É •#Rangpur

•# É

NEPAL Dinajpur É •#

Paharpur •# É Mahastangarh Sona •# •# Bogra Masjid É É

PLAN YOUR TRIP TRIP YOUR PLAN É •# •#Puthia

Rajshahi É INDIA Dhaka #_ •#Sonargaon É

INDIA •# Kaptai

Chandpur É É Lake Meghna River ITINERARIES •#Rangamati É É #•# Bandarban Chittagong •#

Maheskhali É Island •# É BAYOFBENGAL •# Cox's Bazar MYANMAR É (BURMA) The Ruins of the Northwest

Exploring Chittagong É Teknaf •#s Game Reserve St Martin's •# Island

Two Weeks Two to Three Weeks Ruins of the Northwest Exploring Chittagong

This tour points you towards the old- The most diverse region of Bangla- er side of Dhaka before exploring the desh, Chittagong has mountains, for- dusty ruins of history-rich Rajshahi ests, Adivasi villages, elephants and and Rangpur. even beaches. This tour has the lot. Spend your first day visiting the museums After a day visiting the must-see sights of and Raj-era architecture of Central Dhaka Dhaka, hop on a morning ferry to Chand- before diving into the living history of Old pur, from where you can catch a train to Dhaka. Try to track down the hard-to-find Chittagong. Sort out your permit for the ruins of Bara Katra and Chota Katra in hill tracts here before taking a bus to laid- among the chaos of the bazars. A day trip to back Rangamati for a couple of relaxing Sonargaon makes an easy day three before days by Kaptai Lake. From Rangamati, take you set off by bus to the temple-strewn vil- a bus to Bandarban, the heart of the Chit- lage of Puthia, en route to Rajshahi. tagong Hill Tracts, and the best place to base Day trip from Rajshahi to Sona Masjid, yourself for hiking. to see the scattered ruins of the lost city of After your hill-tracts exertions, take the Gaud, before catching the bus to Bogra. The bus to Cox’s Bazar where you can rest up ruined settlement of Mahastangarh makes by the beach – but don’t forget to visit Ma- a fun half-day trip before you head to the heskhali Island. Unesco-protected Buddhist ruins of Pahar- Heading further south, catch a bus to pur, where you can stay the night. Teknaf Game Reserve, home to some of From Paharpur, take a bus to Dinajpur Bangladesh’s few remaining wild elephants, (via Jaipurhat and Fulbari) so you can visit before riding the waves to St Martin’s Is- the stunning Hindu temple of Kantanagar land for a more shanty beach experience. before heading to nearby Rangpur, which The restrictive ferry schedule means has a sprinkling of Raj-era architecture, a you’ll need two days to get back to Dhaka top-class guesthouse and a daily train to from here, via Cox’s Bazar (bus) and Chit- Dhaka. tagong (train), although you could fly back from Cox’s Bazar, or take a night bus, if you’re pushed for time. ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

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