Guide Tours offers Dolphin and Whale Watching tours in the Bay of Bengal
Posted on 11. Dec, 2008 by Mikey Leung in Best of Bangladesh, Events, Free Travel Tips, Responsible Travel
You are here: Home » Blog » Best of Bangladesh » Guide Tours offers Dolphin and Whale Watching tours in the Bay of Bengal
~courtesy Guide Tours~
50 Kilometers offshore of Dubla Island (Sundarban Reserve Forest), there is an underwater canyon where the depth increases drastically from only 10 meters to over 500meters – the Swatch-of-No-Ground. The change in depth is clearly visible on the surface, dramatically marked by a contrasting color change. The amazing fish abundance supports a large number and diversity of marine mammals, namely whales and dolphin.
Since 2004, the Bangladesh Cetacean Diversity Project (BCDP), a research project supported by the New York based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is conducting cetacean research at the Swatch-of-No-Ground.
This winter, the local fishing boat “Shahin Akhter” turned research vessel welcomes you to join the BCDP team during their research activities at the Swatch-of-No-Ground and meet the Bottlenose, Spinner and Spotted dolphins as well as the local gentle giants, the Brydes’s whale.
TRIP ITINERARY
Day 1 Travel by a/c Volvo day bus or afternoon flight from Dhaka to Khulna. Drive from Khulna to Mongla (1hrs) by non-a/c reserved car/microbus. Stay overnight at the Parjatan Motel ‘Passur’, Mongla.
Day 2 Board F.B. Shaheen Akhtar at Mongla very early in the morning, between 4 and 6 am. Cruise 120 kilometers south through the Sundarban mangrove forest. Reach the Swatch-of-No-Ground around 3pm, where you will search for and observe dolphins until sunset. Overnight on board F.B. Shaheen Akhtar, drifting at the Swatch-of-No-Ground.
Day 3 Wake up at the Swatch. After some hours of more dolphin searching, the boat will cruise back to Mongla, arriving between 8 and 10 pm. Overnight stay at Motel Passur.
Day 4 Early morning drive to Khulna by non-a/c reserved car/microbus in time to catch the a/c Volvo day bus or morning flight to Dhaka. You will reach Dhaka in the late afternoon if traveling by bus, by midday if traveling by air.
Please note that this is an Adventure Trip. All arrangements are very basic, including accommodation, food and toilet. There is no shower or basin on board. The trip itinerary will be adjusted to weather circumstances if required. We kindly request you to consult with our office staff and see photographs of the arrangements before considering joining this tour.
Departure-Return Dates (4am from Mongla)
20-21 Dec 08
3-4 Jan 09
5-6 Jan 09
30-31 Jan 09
1-2 Feb 09
3-4 Feb 09
Please note: It is possible to catch the 11pm bus from Khulna (Day 2) to be back in Dhaka by the next morning. This will reduce the cost for accommodation at the Motel Passur, Mongla.
Price per person for above mentioned Itinerary in BDT*:
6-7 pax: 14,150 BDT
4-5 pax: 18,400 BDT
3 pax: 25,900 BDT
Price includes:
1. Transfer by non-A/C reserved vehicle KHL-MNGL-KHL
2. Trip to Swatch-of-No-Ground on F. B. Shaheen Akhtar according to itinerary
3. All food from breakfast on day 2 to dinner on day 3
Price does not include:
1. Travel to and from Khulna
a. A/C Volvo Bus DAC-KHL-DAC @ 1300 BDT per person
b. Air DAC-JES-DAC @ 10,500 BDT per person
2. Accommodation at Parjatan Motel ‘Passur’, Mongla
a. A/C room, twin sharing basis @ 1200 BDT/night
b. Non-A/C room, twin sharing basis @ 600 BDT/night
3. Forest Permission for foreign nationals @ 1400 BDT
Things to bring: Sun hat with wide brim and strap, sunscreen, sunglasses, long-sleeve cotton shirts for sun protection, torch/flashlight, towel, tooth brush & paste, sleeping bag, binoculars, camera & battery/charger, munchies, prescription medicine (if required).
Things to know before deciding to join this trip:
• This is an Adventure tour with very basic arrangements
• The overnight onboard the fishing trawler is in big makeshift-cabin, shared with others = very little privacy
• It is noisy when the boat is running
• There is a generator on board to charge your batteries, but no electricity during the day
• The toilet is very, very basic with an extremely narrow entrance (causes problems for large people)
• The food is tasty and hygienic, but basic- rice, dal and vegetables
• Of course we will try our best to show you as much as possible, but please remember that this is a big area and some days, due to weather or other unavoidable reasons, sightings of dolphin or whales might be scarce
• You will see very little of Sundarban as we will cruise along the large Passur river
• While the vessel has safety equipment including two-way radio on board, insurance is the responsibility of each participant
For more information:
House 142, Road 12, Block E
Banani, Dhaka – 1213 Bangladesh
Tel: 880-2-9886983,9862205
