Holiday Breakdown

Day 1

Dhaka

On arrival at the international airport in Dhaka you will be met by your local driver and zoologist escort and taken to your accommodation, level – 5* (Pan Pacific Sonargaon). If time permits our guide will take you to the most interesting sites around Dhaka, such as Lalbag Fort built in 1678 during Mughal Dynasty and the famous Dhakeshweri Mandir (Hindu Temple), Curzon Hall and Shahid Minar. On your return to the hotel you will also be taken to the National Assembly building, one of the most distinctive buildings in Asia and the wonderful architectural accomplishment of the famous architect Luis I Kahn. You will have your evening meal at the hotel before resting ahead of a long day travelling to the Sunderbans.

Day 2

Mongla

This morning you will be transferred to the domestic airport for the short flight to Jessore (~1 hour), from here you will meet your new driver and transferred to the harbour town of Mongla. Mongla is the gateway town to the Sunderbans and tomorrow you will board the boat that will take you to the Bay of Bengal. On the way you will be taken to the 60 domed mosque at Bagerhat before checking into the accommodation, level – 3* (Mongla Parjatan Hotel).

Day 3-6

Sunderbans

For the next 4 full days you will be on board our private chartered boat and taken to various wildlife watching locations in the vast Sunderbans. First you will board the boat in Mongla and meet the crew. As we leave the very busy port of Mongla you will notice the change on the river banks as we head from civilisation to wilderness. It is encouraging to see the rows and rows of industrial buildings change to residential units and then to smaller huts before we arrive in pristine mangroves. The first stop along the way will be after around 30 minutes as we stop at the Dhangmari forest station to formally enter the park and collect our armed forestry guards. This marks the start of the protected land and from now on it is possible to see some of the wildlife that inhabits the water ways. The first destination in the Sunderbans will be Kachikhali forest station (7-8 hours sailing). This is a wildlife sanctuary area which is dominated by mangrove forest vegetation alongside the long and beautiful virgin sea beach. This area is frequented by tigers regularly and we will try and spotlight one after dark to see if one comes down to the river bank to drink or swim across. As well as the mangroves there are patches of savannah type grasslands which is ideal habitat for the tigers prey; herds of spotted deer and wild boar. On each morning you will be taken down some of the small creeks and river in a small country-style boat to observe any mammals or bird on the river bank. Cruising these waterways in the morning mists is a magical experience and hopefully coming across a tiger will be something you never forget. Then you will return to boat for breakfast before moving on to the next location. Over these 3 days you will visit Katka game sanctuary, Andharia Khal and Hiron Point as we explore the Sunderbans. Katka game sanctuary is a nice place to get onto the shore and track tigers through the mangroves and grasslands before enjoying the stunning sunset over the Bay of Bengal. You will also visit Katka forest station as well, this is one of the ranger stations where anti-poaching patrols and scientific research is conducted from. On one of the nights you will have a BBQ dinner with fish caught fresh from the Sunderbans. One of the best places for seeing tigers is the Andharia Khal which is a narrow canal which is the core territory of a large male tiger. The final destination you will taken to is Hiron Point wildlife sanctuary. This is a world heritage site and is a great way to finish the Sunderbans cruise before travelling the long way back to Mongla tomorrow.

Day 7

Sunderbans / Dhaka

This morning we will set off early after breakfast as the journey back to Mongla is a long one. It is a good idea to sit on the deck and try to spot fleeting glimpses of Gangetic river dolphins or the even more endangered finless porpoise or maybe a large basking saltwater crocodile as well some of the many species of birds that frequent the rivers. We will travel down some different rivers and canals and have lunch on boat before reaching Mongla. Then once we arrive at the harbour we will be transferred to the airport to catch your return flight to Dhaka. Then after touching down in Dhaka you will be transferred to your accommodation, level – 5* (Pan Pacific Sonargaon) for your last night in Bangladesh and your farewell evening meal.

Day 8

Home

After breakfast you will be transferred to the international airport in time to catch your return flight home.

Please note that the itinerary stated above is correct as our planned intentions for the tour. However adverse weather conditions and other local considerations can necessitate some modifications of the itinerary during the course of the tour; any changes will be made to make the best of the time and weather conditions available to us.

This tour is available on different date (subject to availability) please contact us for more details about running this tour on a date which suits you more.