Tourist Information
Posted on 18. Feb, 2010 by Mikey Leung in 3. Dhaka
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Bangladesh’s national tourism organisation is called the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, or Parjatan, meaning tourism, for short. The organisation was largely ineffective and its materials well out of date, and so travellers might find the services of a tour operator (see listings below) more efficient and helpful in the search for information and guidance while considering a journey to Bangladesh.
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Tour Operators
Many of the local major tour operators are happy to provide information on what to do and how to go there, plus they can be used to purchase advance tickets for a small service fee if you cannot find the time. Below is a listing of the more established operators who actually own their own facilities and have provided services for foreign guests in the past (as opposed to domestic travellers, whose needs are very different).
- Bangladesh Travel Homes Hse 13, Rd 6, Sec 1, Uttara; tel: 895 0650; mob: 0152 483800; e-mail: info@bdtravelhomes.com; www.bdtravelhomes.com. Operates a hostel in Uttara.
- Classic Tours and Travels Taher Tower 2nd Flr, Suite 313, Gulshan Circle 2; tel: 988 2377; mob: 01556 360566; email: info@classictours-bd.com; www.classictours-bd.com. Srimongol specialist, as well as other tours around Bangladesh.
- Delta Outdoors Flat D, 6/F, Home Town Apartments, 87 New Eskaton Rd, Bangla Motor; tel: 934 2689; mob: 01720 532059; email: outdoors.delta@gmail.com; www.delta-outdoors.com. A highly adventurous bunch of young guys who operate inbound & outbound tours on request & are very responsive to the backpacking crowd.
- Discover Tourism Unicorn Plaza, 40/2 North Gulshan Av; tel: 882 8615; mob: 01715 207105; email: discover@dhaka.net; www.discover-bd.com. Also operates tours on a request basis.
- Galaxy Holidays Taj Casselina, 2nd Fl, 25 Gulshan Av; tel: 988 8055, 988 3310; mob: 01713 005306; email: info.holidays@galaxybd.com; www.galaxybd.com. High-end tour operator, mostly for outbound tours.
- Guide Tours Ltd Hse 142, Rd 12 Blk E, Banani; tel: 2988 6983; mob: 01711 696337; email: theguide@bangla.com; www.guidetours.com.
- Green Channel Hse 11, Rd 1/A, Blk J, Banani; tel: 989 4479, 881 8557; mob: 01730 012454; email: info@greenchannelbd.com; www.greenchannelbd.orgLarge group specialist (ie: hundreds of guests, conventions, etc). Specialises in transport & logistics.
- Jatrik Travels House 15B, Rd 50, Gulshan 2; tel: 2989 5362; email: jatriktravels@gmail.com; www.jatrik.com.
- Operates specialised tours for university school groups, including tours of Grameen Bank & BRAC. Also features tours to Kushtia, for those interested in Baul music culture. No office address yet, call for information & they will be happy to come & meet you.
- Journey Plus Suite 40/A, 1/F, Aziz Supermarket, Shahbagh; tel: 862 8577, 966 0234; mob: 01819 227901, 01720 242942; email: journey@bdcom.com, journeyplus@yahoo.com; www.journeyplus.com. Handles inbound travellersmostly from UK companies such as Explore. Also running some hotel facilities at Cox’s Bazaar & St Martin’s Island.
- Kushiara Tourism Ltd Hse 40, Rd 3, Sec 13, Uttara; tel: 893 2008–9; mob: 01711 392319, 01199 076408; email: ktl@agni.com, info@touristhomebd.com; www.touristhomebd.com. Operates a guesthouse in Uttara, housed in an apt building. Fairly reasonable rates & optional 6hr or 12hr stays.
- Petro Aviation Bldg 69/2, 4th Flr, Rd 7/A, Dhanmondi; tel: 912 2621; email: info@petroaviation.com; www.petroaviation.com. Offers full-service transport & guided tours throughout Bangladesh. Also offers Sundarbans trips. Despite being new entry to the tourism market, the company has an earnest desire & capacity to run professional tours.
- Silver Wave Tours Ltd 3/F, Hse 5, Rd 17, Blk E, Banani; tel: 883 7697; mob: 01713 452139; email: info@silverwavetours.com; www.silverwavetours.com. Good for information & questions.
- The Bengal Tours Ltd Hse 45, Rd 27, Blk A, Banani; tel: 883 4716, 885 7424; email: bengal@agni.com; www.bengaltours.com. Has boat facilities for Sundarbans tours, one of the best operators in town.
- The Guide Tours Hse 142, Rd 12, Blk E, Banani; tel: 988 6983, 986 2205; mob: 01711 696337; email: theguide@bangla.net; www.guidetours.com. Bangladesh’s most established tour operator. Has a range of services & 4 boats for touring Bangladesh & the Sundarbans. Also has a resort facility in the CHT. Recommended for professional service. Has experience supporting media & film-making crews.
- The Tiger Trail Hse 7, Rd 19/A, Sec 4, Uttara; tel: 893 1108, 892 3795; mob: 01713 067848; email: info@thetigertrail.com; www.thetigertrail.com. Airport ‘meet & greet’ service worth checking out.
- Time Travel and Tour 121 Motijheel C/A; tel: 956 2315, 956 5427; mob: 01711 525489; email: info@timedhaka.com; www.timedhaka.com. Inbound/outbound tour operator & immigration agent, seems like a professional outfit.
Maps
Several maps of the Dhaka city area are available, but the best and most useful of the bunch is the Diggin’ Dhaka map created by Laura Bonapace. While it lacks written editorial reviews, it covers Gulshan, Banani and Dhanmondi’s numerous entertainment and shopping venues, as well as airline offices, embassies, hotels, boutiques and so much more. For general purposes, Mappa (112 Green Rd, Farmgate; tel: 811 6710, 811 7260) produces a detailed city map of Dhaka in addition to country maps. The company has also produced a few tourist guide maps to Cox’s Bazaar, Sylhet and Chittagong.
Both maps should be available at Gulshan bookstores such as Words ’n’ Pages (Hse 7, Rd 7, Gulshan 1; tel: 989 0832, 882 0417) or Folk International (Hse 19, Rd 108; tel: 988 0784). Otherwise try the mini book selections at Aranya or Jatra (60 Kamal Ataturk Av, Banani; tel: 882 6370). You can also find plenty of maps at New Market’s bookshops or ETC in Dhanmondi (Hse 275, Rd 16 (Old 27), Dhanmondi; tel: 914 0089). Otherwise you’ll see them frequently being sold in the street.
Custom maps can be produced at the Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (Hse 6, Rd 23/C, Gulshan 1; tel: 882 1570, 881 7648–52; www.cegisbd.com). CEGIS is easily Bangladesh’s most professional mapping service and can consult on almost any GIS need.
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3 Responses to “Tourist Information”
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Hi Mike! The 3rd edition of Diggin’ Dhaka is out. We created a facebook travel page for news and happenings around town. Its not a “laundry list” but a short list of news our customer base will enjoy and relate too.
Dear, my company name Renaissance travels & tours. Habib aviation service ltd . My organization name Justice for social development foundation.jsdf please add my websites, http://www.renaissancetour.com, http://www.habibaviation.com , http://www.justicefoundation-bd.org , office 60/c purana paltan, ground floor, dhaka 1000 phone 88-029553847. Fax, 88-029560538
A few updates: Word has it that Words ‘n’ Pages is not doing so good.
Also should you want to source a copy of the Diggin’ Dhaka map, you could contact diggin.dhaka [AT] gmail.com to find out where the latest stocking locations are.
We also hear there’s a 3rd edition coming out soon! Watch out for it..