April is festival month: the red-glass Lal Kach, Charak Puja, Bangla New Year and the tribal Sangrai water festival, woven with rivers and hills.
Meet at the airport and transfer to the hotel for some rest, then tour Dhaka University including Curzon Hall and Sculpture Square. Visit Lalbagh Fort and the Dhakeshwari national Hindu temple before an overnight in Dhaka.
Board a 9:00 am ship with business-class air-conditioned seats for a five-hour cruise from Dhaka across the Ganges-Brahmaputra rivers, exploring delta life. Arrive at Bhola, the biggest island of Bangladesh, take a tuk-tuk ride and a small crossing to reach Barisal, stopping at a river gypsy village on the way.
With a packed breakfast, drive to Banaripara boat station and board an engine boat for a 3-4 hour backwater cruise through small creeks and canals to the seasonal floating markets and local villages. In the afternoon visit the beautiful Mia Bari mosque and enjoy the sunset before returning to Barisal.
Drive towards the port city of Khulna, first visiting a Grameen Bank micro-credit center to understand the Nobel-winning program. On the way explore the Bagerhat UNESCO World Heritage site, including the 60-domes mosque (15th century), the 9-dome mosque and Kodla Math Hindu shrine, then enjoy an evening walk in Khulna's night market.
Transfer to the Sundarbans cruising boat to explore the mangrove diversity, visit the Harbaria forest station and walk the forest trails learning about mangroves, with a chance to encounter wildlife. After visiting fishermen's villages and lunch on board, drive gently to Munshiganj and transfer to a resort near the festival area.
Visit several villages in the morning to see the Hindu community, especially the young, paint themselves red and prepare swords for the Lal Kach festival honoring Lord Shiva and Parvati. In the afternoon return to the main event where the followers of Shiva, glowing in red, form processions and dance group by group towards the center.
Drive early to Dhaka for the Bangla New Year rally, where thousands process with giant replicas of birds, fish and folk motifs symbolizing unity and peace. In the afternoon visit Shakhari Bazar (Hindu Street) for the Charak Puja festival, where devotees of Lord Shiva spin from a Charak tree with metal hooks pierced into their backs as an act of devotion.
Drive towards Chittagong, first visiting the heritage old capital Sonargaon with its Panam City, Sardar Bari palace and a small local festival. In the afternoon take a boat ride to view the Sitakunda ship breaking yard, the world's fourth largest, from outside before reaching Chittagong.
Visit the largest fish market in Chittagong early in the morning as hundreds of fishing boats come ashore, then stop at the Karnaphuli Bridge for a top view of the harbor before driving to Bandarban. After showing the special permit to the military, join the tribal Sangrai water festival in the afternoon.
Drive into the remote hills to meet the Mro tribes, visit their villages and join their traditional Powe festival. Later visit a Bawm tribal village and the local Bawm market, then take a boat ride on the Sangu River and join more local festivals organized by the tribal communities.
Drive to the beach city of Cox's Bazar, exploring the Ramu Buddhist city with its 100-foot Buddha temple and a Rakhine tribal village on the way. Drive the marine drive past hills and beach to the half-moon boat station to photograph the fishing boats returning in the afternoon, followed by sunset.
Visit the fish market and dockyard, then the largest dry fish processing area in Cox's Bazar, considered Asia's biggest dry fish market. After lunch transfer to the airport for the afternoon flight to Dhaka, stopping at handicraft shops for shopping on arrival.
Visit the famous Kawran Bazar market in central Dhaka during the morning wholesale rush, including the spice, vegetable and train-track markets. Later drive to old Dhaka for Lalbagh Fort, the Pink Palace, a boat trip on the Buriganga and the dockyard, with free time in the afternoon.
Early breakfast and transfer to the airport to fly home.
