Bangladesh’s national tourism organisation is called the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, or Parjatan, meaning tourism, for short. The organisation’s old Dhaka headquarters were recently demolished to make way for a road and its new address had yet to be decided. This was probably for the better as the organisation was largely ineffective and its materials well out of date, and so travellers might find the services of a tour operator more efficient and helpful in the search for information and guidance while considering a journey to Bangladesh. The following list contains all international operators who have tours to Bangladesh. For a detailed list of the local operators, please check the Tourist Information chapter of the Dhaka chapter.

UK

• Exodus UK Grange Mills, Weird Rd, London SW12 0NE; tel: +44 (0)208 675 5550; e-mail: sales@exodus.co.uk; www.exodus.co.uk. Offers a Darjeeling/Sikkim & northwest Bangladesh itineary.
• Explore UK Nelson Hse, 55 victoria Rd, Farnborough Hampshire GU14 7PA; tel: +44 (0) 845 013 1537; e-mail: hello@explore.co.uk; www.explore.co.uk. Also offers a package tour covering northwest Bangladesh, Darjeeling, Sikkim and Bhutan.
• Saddle Skedaddle 110 Ouseburn Bldg, Albion Row, East Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 1LL; tel:+44 (0)191 265 1110; e-mail: info@skedaddle.co.uk; www.traidcraft-tours.co.uk. Offers specialised handicraft tours to Bangladesh with UBINIG, a Bangladeshi NGO with fantastic local knowledge.
• Undiscovered Destinations Saville Exchange, Howard St, North Shields NE30 1SE; tel: +44 (0)191 296 2674, 206 4038; e-mail: info@undiscovereddestinations ; www.bangladesh-undiscovered.com. An operator with specialist knowledge of Bangladesh. The owner definitely has a special soft spot for the country.

Europe

• Grace Tours Sankt Peders Stræde 28, 1453 København, Denmark; tel:+45 33 117 117; e-mail: email@gracetours.com; www.gracetours.com. Operates tours on an on-demand basis, for individual travellers. Resources are mostly in Danish, but do speak English if you call.
• Thurgau Travel Rathausstrasse 5, 8570 Weinfelden, Switzerland; tel: +41 71 626 55 00; e e-mail: info@thurgautravel.ch; www.thurgautravel.ch.Specialises in private boat journeys in Bangladesh.

Usa /Canada

• Asian Pacific Adventures 6065 Calvin Av, Tarzana, CA 91356, USA; tel:+1 818 881 2745, +1 800 825 1680 (inside US, toll free); e-mail: info@asianpacificadventures.com; www.asianpacificadventures.com
• Experience Bangladesh Austin, TX, USA; tel: +1 512 263 0653; e-mail: contact@experiencebangladesh.com; www.experiencebangladesh.com . Unique perspective on tour operations to Bangladesh. Focuses mainly on tourism for poverty-alleviation purposes.
• GAP Adventures 19 Charlotte St, Toronto ON, M5V 2H5, Canada; tel:1 800 708 7761 (in North America); Tell:+1 416 260 0999 (outside North America & UK); +1 246 426 2246 (agents outside North America & UK); +44 (0)870 999 0144 (UK); +1888 800 4100 (USA); www.gapadventures.com . Package tours to Bangladesh, includes the highlights & professional logistical management.
• Remote Lands 6th Flr, 845 Third Ave, New York, NY 10022; tel: +1 646 415 8092; e-mail: info@remotelands.com. Luxury boutique operator offering specialised & highly organised individual tours to Bangladesh. All-inclusive tours generally start at US$750/day, including expert guides, drivers, internal flights, meals, hotels & activities.

Australia

• Intrepid Travel 11 Spring St, Fitzroy, Victoria 3065; tel: +61 3 9473 2626, 9473 2673; e-mail: generalinfo@intrepidtravel.com; www.intrepidtravel.com . Offers packages covering the highlights of Bangladesh.

~story by Mikey Leung~

Award-winning Australian tour operator Intrepid Travel is coming to Bangladesh (click here to see the new itinerary).

This is big news, considering that Intrepid is one of the world’s leading Responsible Travel (RT) operators, having won the ‘Best Overall Tour Operator’ award from the UK’s Responsible Tourism awards in 2006.

Some words from their website on the matter:

For the past 18 years we’ve maintained a commitment to responsible and sustainable travel. We work with communities by establishing local businesses, we train and use local operators and we always ensure that our travellers really interact with the locals in their host communities.

By travelling responsibly we’re working to ensure that these incredible places, fascinating cultures and wonderful people are here to greet us in years to come. We’re empowering the local communities and creating richer, real life experiences for travellers.

Having been a tour leader with Intrepid previously, I’m proud to say that Intrepid really does put its money where its mouth is—they are one of the industry leaders when it comes to Responsible Tourism, having, since their inception, used the potential of travel to benefit local communities in the process. At Joybangla,info, it is our belief that tourism can and will help Bangladesh, and if done right, local communities will be the benefactors of our work. To have Intrepid Travel coming to our corner of the world is a giant leap forward from where we stand.

Be one of the first to join us on Intrepid’s maiden journey in Bangladesh!

ITINERARY

Days 1-3 – Dhaka
Days 4-7 – Sundarban National Park
Days 8-9 – Bandarban
Days 10-11 – Srimongol
Days 12-13 – Dhaka

DATES

Three departures are planned:
1) 02 Oct 2008 – 14 Oct 2008
2) 19 Oct 2008 – 31 Oct 2008
3) 26 Oct 2008 – 07 Nov 2008

A little marketing about what Intrepid is all about:

~story by Mikey Leung~

You’re considering a journey to Sundarban, one of the world’s most pristine wildernesses and certainly a highlight of the subcontinent. Who do you turn to for more information?

In the course of our research we’ve managed to try out a few operators—but perhaps you know others. Feel free to let us know via your comments if you’ve tried out any other companies, or who to avoid. Here’s our review:

You’ll find several local operators offering tours to Sundarban but there are very few companies who actually own the facilities necessary to facilitate a Sundarban trip, and have guides specifically designated for that purpose. Additionally, it can be much more difficult to arrange your own transport and permits to Sundarban, as they are required for all visitors, local or bideshi. Finally, we suggest that it is best to spend at least three days doing the trip, if not four.

This is because the best part of Sundarban is in the far southeast, where the biodiversity is highest and you can enjoy isolated beaches facing the Bay of Bengal, and it takes almost a full day of travel through the mangrove channels to get there. Ensure your tour includes stops at Kotka and Kochikhali—perhaps the nicest places in Sundarban for enjoying the beach and taking strolls through the forest.

For those who don’t have much time or the budget for a big trip, you can arrange your own brief trip using local boat hire from Mongla. A few other travellers have recommended Mr. Ferdous at the Hotel Pashur. Otherwise, boatmen will easily find you if you hang out around the Mongla ghat.

If you’re opting for an organised expedition, there are several Khulna-based outfits that offer trips to the Sundarbans.

• Guide Tours Offices in Khulna and Dhaka, and Bangladesh’s oldest operator to the Sundarbans. Offers different styles of travel to Sundarban (e.g. research and/or media support as well as standard tours). You can put together a group of people yourself or try and join an already scheduled departure.
  Dhaka Darpan Complex (1st floor), Plot 2, Gulshan 2, tel: 02 988-6983, 02 986-2208, 01711 696 337; fax: 02 988-6984; e-mail: theguide@bangla.net; Web: www.guidetours.com.
  Dhaka Sheraton Sheraton Hotel Lobby, 1 Minto Road, tel: 02 833-0001 ext 4451, 01711 696 331.
  Khulna KDA Building (ground floor), Khulna, tel: 041 731-384, 01711 298 000.
• Bengal Tours Another tour operator with specialized Sundarban boats.
  Dhaka House 45, Road 27, Block-A, Banani, tel: 02 883-4716, 885-7424; fax: 02 988-6381; e-mail: bengal@agni.com; web: www.bengaltours.com.
  Khulna 236 Khan Jahan Ali Road, tel: 041 724-355, 01711 275 231.
• Rupantar Eco-tourism Khulna-based startup with the ability to organise cultural performances in local villages. 8 Hazi Mohsin Road (1st floor), tel: 041-811424 or Mobile 01711 829414, 01711 841276; fax: 041-720629; e-mail: info@rupantareco-tourism.com; web: www.rupantareco-tourism.com.
• Journeys can also be organised from the Western Inn International or the Royal Hotel International.
• Have you got an operator to add? Let us know via comments on this article!