Example Itinerary
Price is based on double or twin hotel room occupancy and includes accommodation, transfers, car/driver, English-speaking guide, activities and entrance fees, breakfasts and some casual lunches while touring. Flights and optional special activities will be quoted separately. Most personal expenses, including dinners, alcoholic beverages, spa treatments and gratuities can be paid on the spot while traveling. Prices may vary depending on season, choice of accommodation and other factors.
Tour the most populous cities in the world, stroll along serene tea fields and chat with tribal members when hiking up into the hills. You can have it all when you embark on this 12-day Bengal Journey through Bangladesh and India Itinerary. The trip takes you through Dhaka, Sylhet, Chittagong and the Sundarbans in Bangladesh. Fly into Kolkata to begin the Indian portion of the adventure and travel to Bagdogra and Darjeeling. This is the perfect balance of nature, culture and bustling city life.
This itinerary is an example. It’s designed to inspire you and provide you with thoughtfully curated ideas. You can choose to do this exact itinerary or completely personalize it. All trips are 100% bespoke.
Begin your trip in one of South Asia’s most happening cities, Bangladesh’s Dhaka. Check out the National Museum for a fantastic introduction to the country’s dazzling artwork. The daunting National Parliament House is a must-see. Check in to the humble-but-accommodating Westin Dhaka, the best option in the area.
Preferred Hotel
Begin your tour of the city in Old Dhaka. This old-world architecture is reminiscent of the city’s one-time important role as one of the largest and richest cities in the Indian subcontinent. Walk through the shockingly Pink Palace also known as Ahsan Manjil. Finish the day with a visit to the Star Mosque, Tara Masjid. Finally, you’ll take an exciting rickshaw tour of the city for an unforgettable adventure.
Make your way to Sylhet (around 5 hours' drive) through the major urban center of Srimangal. This is the hotspot of the country’s tea industry. Take a bicycle tour of the lush, fragrant tea fields. Enjoy a seven-color tea tasting, before concluding your day with a visit to a local hilltribe to learn about a rare culture. Check in to the Nazimgarh Resort to rest your head for the evening.
After breakfast at your hotel, fly via Dhaka to the second-most populous city in the country - Chittagong. Upon arrival, check in to the Peninsula Chittagong. After getting comfortable, take off to see the Shrine of Bayazid Bostami. The tomb is a revered holy place that draws many pilgrims. The on-site pond is home to black soft-shell turtles - a species that has been extinct in the wild since 2002.
Go straight to the heart of Bangladeshi culture upon this morning’s visit to a hilltribe outside of Chittagong. The remote area has little influence from the outside world. Observe tribe members in their daily traditional activities. The people still weave their own clothing and grow their own food. This evening, catch a flight to Dhaka and check in to the Westin Dhaka.
Preferred Hotel
Journey out of Dhaka and into the thick of the largest single block of mangrove forest in the entire world. Catch a flight to Mongla, where you will step aboard a private boat for an up-close tour of the forest’s roots. On the way back to Dhaka, visit the incredible Mosque City of Bagerhat. The city was once considered a “lost city.” The Sixty Dome Mosque is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Travel back to Dhaka by crossing the rushing Padma River on a ferry.
Depart Bangladesh and travel to exciting India. Your first stop is the former capital of the British East India Company - urban Calcutta. We recommend the Oberoi Grand or the Taj Bengal for a comfortable, luxurious stay in the city.
Preferred Hotel
Spend the day enjoying the city to the fullest. Have a private tour of the city’s elegant colonial architecture. Highlights include the National Library of India, the sprawling 19th-century Marble Palace, the Indian Museum, the General Post Office and the Victoria Memorial. Dine at the oldest polo club in the world for lunch at the Calcutta Polo Club. This afternoon, visit the Mother House, the final resting place of the revered Mother Theresa.
Check out of Calcutta and fly to Bagdogra. From Bagdogra you will be driven to lush Himalayan town of Darjeeling. The British introduced tea plants to the area in 1849 and the industry still thrives today. Check in to the Glenburn Tea Estate and enjoy the perfect combination of tea plantation, homestay and luxury resort.
Start your day by touring the fragrant tea plantations at the Glenburn Tea Estate. You can tailor the teas to suit your personal preferences during a tasting at the tour’s end. Next, take a drive through the dense Simbong Forest until you reach the River Rung Dung. A local guide will help you identify the local flora and fauna on a nature walk. Cross the impressive Manjitar Suspension Footbridge and visit the local Shiva Temple in the small Manjitar Village. Return to your hotel this evening.
A visit to Darjeeling isn’t complete without a ride on the quaint Toy Train. The train is thus named because it is the narrowest gauge railway - only two feet wide. Next, have a private tour of the 1875-built Ghoom Monastery. Enjoy a cup of tea with the senior resident monks and learn about their way of life. Hayden Hall and the Tibetan Refugee Self-Help Center are both fantastic nonprofits to visit in the area.
Check out of your hotel in Darjeeling. Transfer to the airport and fly through Bagdogra to Calcutta. This is the end of your journey - you can choose to extend your stay or make the journey home.
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, in the continent that our north American founders Catherine and Jay have adored and explored for decades, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
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