Places in Bangladesh

Destination

Dhaka Division

Enveloping the city of Dhaka, and including some destinations that make great day trips from the capital, Dhaka division stretches for more than 250km from south to north, reaching right up to the border with the Garo Hills in India.

Destination

Dhaka

Dhaka is more than just a city; it’s a giant whirlpool that sucks in anything and anyone that comes within its furious grasp. Around and around it sends them, like some wildly spinning fairground ride bursting with energy. Millions of individual pursuits constantly churn together into a frenzy of collective activity – an urban melting pot forever bubbling over.

Destination

Chittagong Division

The most diverse region of Bangladesh, Chittagong is a land that stretches from forested hills and scenic lakes to sandy beaches and coral islands. It’s a land of off-the-beaten-track adventure, with great hiking and remote boat trips, but also one of cultural contrasts – around a dozen Adivasi groups live here.

Destination

Rajshahi & Rangpur

The rich soils of northwest Bangladesh once held court for powerful Buddhist kingdoms and neutered Hindu empires before falling easily to the embrace of Islam. And all three religions have left their mark in the tumbledown walls of the many ruins that litter this region.

Destination

Khulna & Barisal

Unexplored jungle swamps teeming with wildlife as dangerous as it is beautiful make this region stand out as the one many people want most to visit. Comprising in large parts of nothing but marshlands, waterlogged jungles and rivers, this archetypal explorer country is not easy to navigate, but it promises to leave you with some of your most abiding memories of Bangladesh.

Destination

Khulna Division

The tigers and mangrove forests of the Sundarbans are the main reason for venturing out to this southwest corner of the country, although the Islamic ruins of Bagerhat are another big draw. Sadly you can’t get all the way out here by Rocket steamer any more, but the part-ferry, part-bus journey from Dhaka to Khulna, via Barisal, can be a lot of fun.

Destination

Sylhet Division

Every corner of Bangladesh is blessed with beautifully green landscape, but none more so, it seems, than Sylhet. From glistening rice paddies and wetland marshes to forested nature reserves and rolling hills blanketed in waist-high tea bushes, Sylhet seems to contain every possible shade of green you can imagine.

Destination

Chittagong

Often sticky, and terribly polluted, Chittagong, Bangladesh’s second-largest city and the country’s largest port, is an interesting rather than pleasant place to stay. There’s a gritty feel to its city streets, especially those that wind their way down to the river at Sadarghat (shod-or-ghat), and the markets in the Old City are great fun to get lost in.

Destination

Sylhet

Friendly Sylhet may be a divisional capital, but it has a small-town feel to it with bustling roadside market stalls, particularly around Bandar Bazar, adding colour to the streets come evening. The majority of British Bangladeshis hail from here and are likely to wax lyrical over the place.

Destination

Srimangal & Around

Sylhet may be the area’s major city, but Srimangal is the undoubted star of this region and a few days spent cycling around its tea estates and exploring nearby villages and forests will almost certainly rank among your most treasured experiences in Bangladesh.

Destination

Rajshahi

Built on the northern bank of the Padma River, Rajshahi is a fun university town with enough colour and attractions to entertain for a short visit. It also makes a sensible base from which to dig through the layers of history in Sona Masjid, Puthia and Natore.

Destination

Khulna

Khulna, capital of the province, and launchpad for trips into the Sundarbans, is a town on the frontier. Beyond its scraggly streets awaits a range of extraordinary adventures that, for many travellers, are the sole reason for coming to Bangladesh.

Destination

Rangpur

Always a major transit point for the northern half of the old Rajshahi division, Rangpur became the capital of the newly created Rangpur division in 2010. The small city houses lovely central streets, but opens up into a quieter, spread-out area, dotted with Raj-era architecture, including the splendid Carmichael College and Tajhat Palace.

Destination

Bogra

A sprawling town centred on the hectic Shat Mata (seven-road junction), Bogra acts primarily as a transport hub for most travellers. This is the most convenient place to base yourself for trips to Bangladesh’s most famous and impressive archaeological sites – Mahasthangarh and Paharpur. It’s also the closest major town to the Indian border at Hili.

Destination

Cox's Bazar

Bangladesh’s pride and joy, Cox’s Bazar is lauded throughout the land as if it’s a contender for one of the natural wonders of the world. It is the longest continual natural beach on the planet (125km), but a world wonder it isn’t.

Destination

Bandarban

Put simply, there is no better place in which to experience the magic of the Hill Tracts than in the lively small town of Bandarban, which lies on the Sangu River, 92km from Chittagong. The river is the centre of local life: bamboo rafts up to 500m long, steered by a solitary boatman, drift leisurely downstream, while country boats make slow trips to neighbouring villages.

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