JOURNEY TO BANGLADESH
A cultural tour of Bangladesh

Bangladesh - is home to more than 114 Million people and is located in South-East Asia, surrounded by the Bay of Bengal, Gangetic Plains of India and the hills & forests of Myanmar. Although Bangladesh emerged as an independent country in 1971, its history stretches back thousands of years. Bangladesh has long been known as a crossroads of history and culture. In Bangladesh you will find the longest sea beach, a repertoire of enchanting cultures and temples, the world’s largest mangrove forest & wealth of flora and fauna and the friendliest people you have ever met.
We invite you to visit Bangladesh, to enjoy this rare unspoiled paradise.

Tour Summary	Map
Day Place 01 Dhaka 02 Dhaka / Khulna 03 Khulna 04 Khulna / Bogra 05 Paharpur 06 Paharpur / Dhaka 07 Dhaka

Day 01: Arrive Dhaka
Upon arrival at Dhaka Airport, we are met and welcomed by our local guide and transferred to our Hotel.
Time permitting, we take a brief tour of Dhaka city to give us a good overview of the city of Rickshaws and the different facets of life in Bangladesh. Evening, we will have taste of the famous Banglaldeshi cuisine as we enjoy a welcome dinner at a local restaurant.
Overnight: Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel, Dhaka (1 night) (D)

Day 02: Dhaka / Jessore (flight)
Morning after breakfast, we are transferred to the airport for our flight to Jessore where we are met and we start tracing the rich heritage of Bangladesh. We commence with a scenic rural Bangladesh landscape as we drive to Bagerhat via Khulna. Our explorations here includes the famous Mosque city, visiting the 60 domes Mosque – a UNESCO World Heritage Site, tomb of Khan Jahan (Builder of the Mosque), the 9 dome mosque before continuing on to Khulna via Mongla.
Overnight: Hotel Castle Salam (2 nights) (B, D)

Day 03: Khulna
A very interesting day ahead as we take an excursion to the world famous Sunarbans Forest - another UNESCO World heritage Site. Part of this excursion will be done by boat The Sundarbans mangrove forest, the single largest forest in the world (140,000 ha), lies on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal. The site is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests, and presents an excellent example of ongoing ecological processes. We visit the world’s largest mangrove belt – a popular habitat of the Royal Bengal tiger. The forest treasures 330 plant species, 35 reptiles, 400 fishes, birds and 42 mammals. An optional arrangement for fishing with the aid of otters during the Sundarban cruising can be arranged. (B, D)

Day 04: Khulna / Bogra
Another day into the heritage of this unique country as we proceed to Bogra, visiting first the Putia Temple city known for housing the Temples of Shiva and Govinda. After visiting the temples and admiring it’s artistic designs and architecture, we will experience today seeing the rural and village life of Bangladesh. We stop at various villages and the local bazaars to get a feel of the lifestyle. Upon arrival at Bogra we are transferred to our hotel.
Overnight: Hotel Naz Garden (2 nights) (B, D)

Day 05: Paharpur
Yet another day viewing another of Bangaldesh’s heritage to the world – the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Paharpur. At this Budsdhist Monastery we see the Buddhist Vihara dating back to the 8th century – the largest monastery south of the Himalayas. Its layout perfectly adapted to its religious function, this monastery-city represents a unique artistic achievement. With its simple, harmonious lines and its profusion of carved decoration, it influenced Buddhist architecture as far away as Cambodia. From here we continue to Mahasthan – an old fortress dating back to the 3rd Century B.C. Evening, we visit the local market and have not only bargains but a cultural experience. (B, D)

Day 06: Paharpur / Dhaka
A culturally refrehsing day ahead as we visit the weaver’s village in Tangail famous for Saris, lungis, bed sheets, etc. Here we also get an opportunity to see the village life and talk to the local folks whose lifestyle has remained simple and yet contained. After this we visit the Atia Mosque built in 1609 - a blend of pre and imperial Moghul architectures and styles. The Mosque is known for it’s majesty and beauty. We then continue to Dhaka from where we continue with our sightseeing of the capital city before being transferred to our hotel.
Overnight: Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel, Dhaka (1 night) (B, D)

Day 07: Dhaka
After an interesting journey into the heritage sites and lifestyle of Bangladesh, we bid farewell as we are transferred to the airport for our flight. An ideal opportunity to combine this tour with another of Bestway’s tours in the region. Please ask for details. (B)

Departure Dates
2012 English Speaking Departures Daily
Inclusions
Tour Price Includes Tour Price Does Not Include Hotel accommodation as per itinerary in AC deluxe rooms (or similar) International Airfare Meals as per itinerary (B=Breakfast, D=Dinner) Visa / Insurances Airport transfers and transportation with AC private transportation Tips & Gratuities Entrance Fees to museums and other sites   All sightseeing tours with English speaking guide / driver   Airfare Dhaka / Jessore
Tour Price
We accept payment in US $ (US Dollars), CA $ (Canadian Dollars) or equivalent EURO (for clients outside North America). Bestway Tours & Safaris offers conversion rate protection. Once full payment has been received, and no modification has been made to the tour itinerary, we will honour that rate. For complete payment procedures, please download Bestway_Payment_Info.pdf Note: to read this file you must have Adobe Acrobat.
Departure Double Occupancy Single Room Supplement 2012 US $ 1495 US $ 350
Estimated International Airfare - International airfare is NOT included in this tour
Canada - West Coast US $ 1600 USA - West Coast US $ 1400 Canada - East Coast US $ 1200 USA - East Coast US $ 1000
Participants
This tour operates on a minimum of 02 and a maximum of 08 participants.
Notes
Customised Itinerary If you would like to have a tour on dates other than the above ones or with a customised itinerary, please contact us and we will be happy to work out an exclusive program for you. Foreign Language Departures Please contact us for information on French, German, Italian and Spanish speaking departures. You may e-mail us at bestway@bestway.com or call us at 604.264.7378. Residents of U.S.A./Canada may call us toll free at 1.800.663.0844.