Off the Beaten Path in Bangladesh
Updated: Dec 30, 2024
Bangladesh certainly was not on my bucket list. The most densely-populated country in the world with the capital of Dhaka ranked number 1 as the Earth’s least-livable city? No thanks, I will tick that country off later.
However, this year when I had some free time and was traveling around India’s Northeast, it was just too tempting to nip across the border and see what Bangladesh was all about.
Bangladesh turned out to be one of the most captivating countries I have ever been to, there was hope in the air that came from the recent revolution, and around every corner, I found something chaotic, curious or enchanting.
I didn’t see any other tourists in Bangladesh, and by the way people were staring at me, they don't see many at all, and I was treated like a welcome guest by everyone I met. If you are looking for off-the-beaten-path travel, Bangladesh is definitely for you.
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One of the World’s Least Touristic Countries
Bangladesh saw about 200,000 tourists in 2023—which may seem like a lot, but Bangladesh actually ranks very low in terms of tourism, at 152nd place in the world.
Now that I have been there myself, I can vouch for the fact that Bangladesh has so much to offer the adventurous tourist - and you will be made to feel very welcome by the locals!
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About Bangladesh
Bengal was the first region of the Indian subcontinent to be conquered by the British East India Company in 1757, and so became part of 'British India'.
200 years later, when British colonial rule over India ended, the largely Muslim states of East and West Pakistan were formed on either side of India, separated by 1500km.
In the 1970s Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan) became independent after a war with West Pakistan - now just Pakistan - with India backing the Bengalis against Pakistan.
Bangladesh has seen its fair share of coups since then, most recently in the form of a student-led protest this summer which caused the Prime Minister to resign and flee into India (it seems the student protests were justified, and they had much of the nation behind them). Despite a scary few months, Bangladesh now has a stable interim government, the streets are peaceful and the country is very safe for tourists, with the usual precautions. As always though, keep your ear to the ground and follow local advice.
You can read more about the protests in my guest post on Been Tours: Is it Safe to Travel to Bangladesh in 2025?
The currency in Bangladesh is Taka, and at the time of writing, 1 GBP is 150 Taka.
The main language of Bangladesh is Bengali, although there are lots of tribal languages like Chakma, Garo, and Rakhine. English is not widely spoken.
Bangladesh is a conservative country with a 90% Sunni Muslim population, 8% Hindu, and 2% other. If you are not religious and are travelling to Bangladesh, it is best to just pick one (I said I was Christian) as saying you're an atheist can be insulting to them - you are essentially saying you don't think their god is real.
Bangladesh's economy has seen remarkable progress, transitioning from one of the world's poorest countries in 1971 to lower-middle-income status in 2015 - however many Bangladeshis (20%) still live in deep poverty.
Bangladesh and India share a common heritage from the Bengal region, and if you have been to India before you will notice some similarities. However, there are a lot of differences too. Bangladesh feels far less developed in an 'Old World' way - and with so few tourists, there are far fewer scams, hassle, and selling. I have been to India eight times and I still found Bangladesh to be captivating.
Bangladesh Visa & Points of Entry
The following nationalities can get a Visa on Arrival (VOA) for Bangladesh:
Australia, Bahrain, Brunei, Canada, China, Egypt, EU Countries, Iceland, Japan, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Russia, Saudia Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Thailand, UAE, United Kingdom, United States.
There are 24 countries that do not need a visa for Bangladesh:
Barbados, Bhutan, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Jamaica, Lesotho, Malawi, Maldives, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia.
Israeli citizens are not allowed to enter or transit through Bangladesh at all.
This information is subject to change so please double-check before your trip!
Arriving by air
Bangladesh has three international airports and eligible nationalities can get a visa on arrival at all of them:
Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (Dhaka)
Shah Amanat International Airport (Chittagong)
Osmani International Airport (Sylhet)
Arriving by land
Bangladesh is bordered by two countries; India and Myanmar, and currently the Myanmar/Bangladesh border is not open to foreign nationals.
There are currently seven India/Bangladesh land border crossings where foreigners can obtain a visa on arrival:
Benapole/Petrapol (Jessore in West Bangladesh/West Bengal close to Kolkata)
Darshana/Gede (Chuadanga in West Bangladesh/West Bengal)
Sonamasjid/Mahadipur (Chapao Nawabganj in Northwest Bangladesh/West Bengal)
Banglabandha/Fulbari (Panchagarh in North Bangladesh/WestBengal close to Nepal border)
Burimari/Changrabandha (Lalmonirhat in North Bangladesh/West Bengal)
Tamabil/Dawki (Sylhet in Northeast Bangladesh/Meghalaya)
Akhaura/Ramnagar (Brahmnbaria in East Bangladesh/Tripura)
For all the details on visa price, duration, and documents needed check out my guest post on Been Tours: Bangladesh Visa on Arrival - Cost & Requirements.
My Bangladesh Itinerary
As I only had one week to spare for travel in Bangladesh, I decided to stick to the Northeast of the country, which made the most sense as I was crossing over from Meghalaya in India.
This region of Bangladesh features emerald forests with remote tribes, verdant tea plantations, and pristine rivers - endless beautiful nature that in all honesty I was not expecting in Bangladesh.
For the first time in my life, I decided to book a private tour, as with a short amount of time I wanted to remove all the stress of ‘figuring things out’. You definitely could travel to Bangladesh independently, but be prepared for a challenge as there is no tourist infrastructure and few people speak English.
I decided to go with Opu from Been Tours, as he was recommended by several people on Every Passport Stamp.
I was collected from the Dawki/Tamabil Border from India's Meghalaya state, and after a couple of hours of a faff (I was dealt with pleasantly but there was definitely faff) Opu and I headed to Jaflong Zero Point in an auto.
It was great fun to see the domestic tourists enjoying the river, with lots of snack stalls and a bit of goods smuggling from India thrown in for good measure! Afterwards, we went to a quieter part of the river for a boat trip - the water was so clear and the river itself had sandy shores that could compete with any Thai island!
The first two nights I slept in the town of Sreemangal as a base for the tea plantations, we spent time with the tea labourers, visited a tea factory and went for gentle hikes among the tea fields. This part of Bangladesh is so green!
The following two nights I slept in Shylet, a town near the Indian border, We visited the Garo and Khasi Tribes and experienced their lifestyle. The remote Khasi villages were amazing, I never would have found them without a guide.
We also spent time with the Manipuri Tribe who are famous for making handicrafts and did some trekking in Lawachara National Park in search of the critically endangered Hoolock Gibbon and other wildlife.
The tour rounded off by taking the train to Dhaka, where I stayed overnight before a full-day behind-the-scenes city tour. We got around Old Dhaka on the back of a colourful rickshaw, taking in the sights and smells of the city. The ship-breaking yard, pink palace, flower market, and Gurdwara were all highlights.
This week was sprinkled with amazing Bengali cuisine, everything I tried was delicious and so cheap.
Other Bangladesh Highlights
If you want to see Bangladesh in depth you can easily spend a month in the country exploring everything there is to offer. I have plans to go back to experience Chittagong, Barisal, The Sundarbans and Cox's Bazar!
Bangladesh Travel Budget
I paid 500 GBP for a 5D/6N private tour of Bangladesh, which included everything apart from dinners. I took 100 GBP as spending money and exchanged it into Taka for meals, beers, tips, a SIM card with data, and some scarves to take home as presents.
This was with nice air-conditioned rooms, and we traveled about by CNG (tuk-tuk) and train and did lots of activities each day.
Bangladesh is cheap, a bit cheaper than India in fact, for things that tourists would need like food, entrance tickets and taxis.
This is kind of ironic considering when I was crossing the land border into Bangladesh from India, we saw lots of people leaping out of the bushes every time the military officers' back was turned to smuggle goods from India to Bangladesh, as many products are cheaper in India!
If you were backpacking independently, you could probably comfortably budget 40 GBP per day (less than that if you are travelling as a couple).
My Experience with Been Tours
Being a solo female traveller I was trepidatious travelling with a male tour guide by myself, but actually everything went really smoothly with Been Tours. Opu was 100% respectful, and a great communicator, and he knows a lot about Bangladeshi history, culture, and wildlife.
There were not any awkward moments, it was a great relief not to have to haggle or navigate anything, and I felt the price was more than fair for what I received.
The best part about taking a tour is that I was able to visit the remote tribes that I would never have found by myself, and see indigenous lifestyles outside of mainstream Bangladeshi society. These are the experiences I will treasure.
The Female Traveller’s Perspective of Bangladesh
I definitely got a lot of attention as a female foreigner in Bangladesh, but it was in more of a curious (or gobsmacked) manner than a creepy/pervy one.
I wore cargo pants and t-shirts almost the entire time, and lots of the tribal women had their arms exposed too, so I was not standing out in that way when I was in those areas. In Dhaka, I did notice a reduction in staring when I wore my Salwar Kameez.
As I was with Opu 90% of the time it is impossible to relay the female experience as it's likely I would get treated differently without a man by my side, so I will tell you about the time I was alone.
On my last day, I took a night bus for 12 hours to the border (the bus was fab, I had my own compartment with a door that locked), and when I arrived in the morning I was turned away from entering India (my fault, long story), so I had to travel all the way back to Dhaka by myself the next day too.
Everyone I met during that day and a half when I was alone was extremely courteous, polite, respectful, and bent over backwards to help me find somewhere to eat, where to board my next bus, etc.
A man asked if he could sit next to me on one of the buses, and as I saw there were other empty seats, I said no (as I would in India) - as it turns out all the people at the back of the bus had questions for me, so the man sat one seat over and asked me them on their behalf! “Where was I from, was I alone, do I like Bangladesh, isn’t Bangladesh beautiful? Welcome to our country!” It was a very sweet, not creepy, lovely exchange. So I guess just set your boundaries and hopefully, the majority of people will respect them.
When I arrived at the airport all the airport staff were very excited to see a foreigner and took turns asking me about my time in Bangladesh, exchanging social media handles, and taking selfies “for the memories” - again very cute, and I totally believe they would have respected me if I said no to the photos (I normally do say no but they were all really nice).
So I do believe that Bangladesh is safe for female travellers, I just advise you to dress modestly, set boundaries, listen to local advice, and do not let anyone touch you UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. In Bangladeshi culture men do not touch women they are not related to, so if someone tries to touch you (as simply as putting their arm around you for a photo) it is not okay. This did not happen to me in Bangladesh but it has happened in India many times so it is just something to be aware of, as the two countries share many cultural norms.
You’ll find more info in my guide:
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