Photography trips to Bangladesh – 8 days

Our meet and greet agent will meet you inside the airport and assist you through Visa on arrival and immigration, after luggage collection he will bring you to your guide and driver and drive to your hotel for check-in. After freshening up and a little rest your guide will advise you on some activities around according to your interests and based on his local knowledge of any ongoing interesting things around. You may visit the Korail slum today or a few Behari camps in Mohamed-pur and Mirpur. [(This refugee people have come to Bangladesh before the India-Pakistan separation for industrial developments and a lot of working-class people came together with the Bihari investors. During the Bangladesh-Pakistan liberation war in 1971, all the Bihari Muslim people were on the side of Pakistan and helped the Pakistani militaries to do all the worse things including; finding the potential youth freedom fighters, young girls to keep and rape in the camp, finding the intellectuals and wealthy families to rob and kill. After the victory of Bangladesh, all these Bihari people were pointed as war criminals and immediately many of them were killed and lost all their properties and also national identity. Some international humanitarian aid workers convinced Bangladesh at least to give them a place to live as they could never go back to Bihar of India nor to Pakistan because they were never from Pakistan. However, the Bangladesh government agreed and gave each couple 8 feet X 8 feet room to live in a camp with the condition that they could never claim Bangladeshi citizenship. Still, the couple has the same room, but the family members are 10, 20, or maybe more. All these people are still stateless and have miserable lives) If we are allowed by the time, we may Continue exploring Gabtali and the neighborhood. This is a crazy area of so many happenings; huge working crowds load and unload stones, wet sand, coals, bricks, and so on. The workflow is not always the same but always something going on. Largest cattle market is just a few steps behind you. Visiting a brick factory on the other side of the river will depend on your decision and interest, you will love our way of doing it. Manual efforts are the main engine for running such factories, and the workers are mostly seasonal migrant (environmental refugee) laborers from the coastal and other rural areas of Bangladesh. Most of the workers come with their family and children to work and stay at the factory premises. Men and women work side by side, the older child looks after, the younger siblings or picks some entry-level jobs at the same factory, which means no education. Thus, innocent life doesn’t get any chance to change their life. Drive back to your hotel for an overnight stay.

We may push you for the sunrise photo shoot around Sadargha and take breakfast at a local restaurant in Old Dhaka. We have a long walk through Kawran Bazar, Tejgaon train station, Kazi Alauddin Road, cycle street, typical residential area, meeting families and friendly locals at their traditional homes, Carpenter Street, Koshaituli, Armanitola, Tanti Bazar, Shakhari Bazar, Ray-Shaheb Bazar automobile recycling area, Sadarghat, boating on Burigonga River, maybe a visit to a local garment factory, shipbuilding yards, and some other recycling industries which you may not find by yourself. We will take an overnight launch to Barisal. Enjoy the peaceful journey and a vibrant travel life on board. [please do not be overwhelmed by the activity list of the day, this is just a list of what we can surf through. As photographers, we know less is more but we don’t know which genre you would be interested in! Therefore, we prefer to inform you as much as possible so that you can take your pick and if we have missed some spots today, we can come back to those spots on day -7] Embarking the overnight ship from Dhaka for Barisal: All the launch embarks their passengers from the main river terminal – Sadarghat. Guest should reach the launch at least 30 minutes prior to their departure time. Sadarghat terminal area gets very busy in the late afternoon till all the boats have left. A person should take a minimum of three hours in hand to reach the boat from Gulshan. Launch departure and arrival information: Rocket/paddle Steamer is no longer in operation, no idea of its return ever. The only river journeys a tourist may experience would be by a privately owned public launch routing between Dhaka – Barisal route, which leaves between 8 PM to 9:30 PM from Sadarghat. Experience the beautiful & calm cruise and travel life on board, which is very interesting. You are welcome to walk around your ship, meet people and take pictures. In normal situations (of weather, tide and fog) the launch arrives between 3 AM to 6 AM at Sadarghat. Cabins in the Launch: There are various cabins in a launch; Single, double, family and VIP AC / and non-AC cabins. Regular single and double cabins are the simplest and cheapest, with few common bathrooms shared by 15-20 cabins. A sensitive person may find difficulties in using a common bathroom being used by a big traveling crowd. Even the cabins near the common bathroom would feel the strong bathroom smells. VIP cabins always offer the best facilities, including a big bed for two Adults, a European bathroom attached, a private balcony and some seating spaces. All VIP cabins are located at an isolated ZONE of the ship. The bed in the VIP cabins varies from queen/king to twins from ship to ship. Of course, this is the most expensive class on the ship. This trip includes VIP cabins for our guests' comfortable journey, good sleep, privacy and hygiene. Our guests always deserve more, no compromise on comfort on the journey also for the safety and privacy of our guests. A budget traveler should express their opinion regarding their cabin preference. Launch and Cabin for you: The name of your launch is [TBA], will reserve a nice VIP double cabin for you. And the boat will leave Sadarghat around 8:30 PM. Dinner onboard: They serve Bangla food (Plain rice, mixed vegetables, chicken and fish Curries, and daal) according to your order, in the dining area of the ship, located inside the VIP Zone. They require pre-orders to get the food on time. Better to settle the bill at night to avoid a rush in the morning. Restaurant in Sadarghat: There is a nice restaurant on the terrace of the Sadarghat River terminal building, overlooking the busy river ‘Buriganga’. The food is nice, and the view is charming. The menu has a selection of local and European-style food with Bangla influences, mild and spicy. Disembarking: Barisal is the last stop of the boat you are riding on, so it doesn’t matter how early the boat arrives in Barisal. We can wait inside the launch until the daylight is up and then we can disembark. It is best to leave the launch by 6 AM otherwise floating markets will be gone by we will reach.

Leave the boat on arrival or at 6 AM for Banaripara (40 km/ 1 hour) by reserved vehicle. Here we embark on a country boat for a daylong backwater trip. Exploring life, people, and their daily activities while watching from the boat is charming. We will get off in some interesting village marketplaces and Schools in the rural area. There are some charming weekly floating vegetables, fruits, and timber markets in this area and these bazaars start quite early in the morning and last till 8 - 8:30 AM. We will definitely keep any of the bazaars on our travel route if there are any happening today.  Don't worry, if the bazaar did not work out, your guide has tons of other interesting sights and activities for you. The riverine landscape and environment make this trip a unique journey. Spectacular to see how the manual laborers load and unload all the giants' logs just by hand. The cruise is for 5/6 hours, but the impression is endless. There will be sufficient drinking water, light snacks, local fruits, and tea/coffee on the boat, and a lovely lunch with a local family in a nearby village. Walk around the village and explore the local craftsmanship and rural life. Disembark from the boat and drive to Barisal for lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, we may explore downtown and some beautiful ancient architecture of Barisal and the outskirts. Otherwise, you can also take a public launch from Barisal that travels through small rivers and stops at several stations. The entire boat journey through the small river would be very scenic in the afternoon. We will disembark at Laharhat and drive back to Barisal. A small walk around the evening fish market is very interesting. Dinner and overnight stay at a hotel in Barisal. [Visiting one of the largest pottery villages on the outskirts of town would be another option instead of a boat journey to Laharhat] [we are also associated with some local NGOs, who have been working very hard on women's empowerment, social awareness, and bringing local craftmanship to a different level. if you are interested in this, please let us know in advance. we have some arrangements and permission to obtain] Dinner and a good night at a very good hotel in Barisal town. Homestay is also possible if you are interested.

Leave the hotel after breakfast for Bagerhat by reserved vehicle (1.5 hours) through a picturesque landscape. The Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat is an ancient city, formerly known as Khalifatabad, founded by the Turkish general Ulugh Khan Jahan in the 15th century. The town contains some of the most significant structures of the initial period of the development of the Muslim architecture of Bengal. This city has the highest number of mosques after Dhaka city. Your first visit will be at Kodla Moth – an adorable ancient brick architecture in the Hindu Temple. This is one of the remarkable examples of xikhara type of temple in Bangladesh, dating back to the 15th century. Continue visiting a series of mosques, Including nine domed mosques, Jinda Peer Mosque, Sixty Domed Mosque (UNESCO World Heritage Site) and site museum, Shingair Mosque and Ronobijoypur Mosque. Drive 10 minutes to the mausoleum of Hazrat Khan Jahan Ali by a holy water tank, where you may see some Marsh crocodiles. Continue a scenic drive to Khulna for lunch and then again drive to Narail to experience unique otter fishing techniques. [The spiritual beliefs in conserving wildlife species in different religious places of Bangladesh: Hazrat Khan Jahan Ali used to raise two Mugger/ Marsh crocodiles named Kalapahar and Dhalapahar in the pond located right in front of his mausoleum. Of course, none of those pairs are alive now. There are two (male and female) marsh crocodiles in the pond now. These marsh crocodile pairs were received from the Indian government. The conservation of biodiversity is developing into one of the biggest challenges of the century. Rapidly declining forests and the degradation of wild habitats directly result from a lack of public awareness and participation in the conservation process. However, in small land areas in undeveloped countries characterized by high population density and poor public awareness, local religious and/or spiritual beliefs favor biodiversity conservation at both species and habitat levels. Some local beliefs have been protecting important wildlife species such as the Black Soft-shell Turtle, Mugger Crocodile, Rock Pigeon and Rhesus Macaque for generations] Hindu communities of Sundarbans have been using trained otters for fishing at night for several thousands of years. We invite you to meet some of the last remaining generations involved in this traditional way of fishing. Meet the community and learn their unique fishing technique on the Chitra River, it is really enchanting. The art gallery of famous Bangladeshi artist S M Sultan will be on the way to Jeshore. Drive (40 Min) to Jessore airport to avail late afternoon flight to Dhaka. Upon arrival in Dhaka, you will be transferred to your hotel for an overnight stay.

You will be transferred to the airport train (ETD 7:45 AM - ETA 2:00 PM) station to avail Mohanagar Provati train to Chittagong. Upon arrival, meet your driver and drive to a local restaurant for lunch. A short cruise on the Karnphuli River by country boat would bring us to one of the ship-building yards. Here you will see how skillful workers are building such a giant seafishing wooden ship by hand. Early in the evening, we will be strolling around some night markets. Dinner at a local restaurant and a good night at a hotel in Chittagong. [we can also fly (1h flight) to Chittagong if you like, it is interesting to document the train travel experiences from Bangladesh. You are welcome to decide the best for you]

The largest seafish market would be our first visit for some hours. Hundreds of fishing ships lined up along the shore, preparing for a few day's fish hunt or just came with tons of catches. It is very interesting to see the fish auctioning, transporting, arranging, re-arranging, and a whole lot of other processes within such a small area. Head towards the shipyard area according to the high tide time for some hours cruise around the shipbreaking yards. Please note that the tourists/ photographers are not allowed by the local authority and yard owners to step into the shipyard. Therefore, we are left with boating only for a glimpse of the industry. We shall take a fishing boat to cruise around the yards and ships for a few hours, which is very interesting. Being on the country boat, you will have a sharp image of every detail of the ship-breaking industry. You can go significantly closer to the vessel where they are at dismantle. Sometimes they (Worker/supervisor) allow you to step into the ship and take pictures as they are very far from the yard owner's eyesight. A photographer can spend a whole day cruising around the shipyards and taking photographs. Most importantly, you can make the boat trip around the shipyards only during the high tide and when the sea is calm. The mentioned itinerary is just a rough travel plan of what you will do on this trip. You will receive a revised travel plan after booking confirmation according to the tide table coordination. After this boat trip, we will drive to a nearby Hindu fisherman village. Walk through this village is scenic and takes you to the seashore with some shipbreaking yards around. You can see all the actions of the industry even without entering the yard. Most of the time, we were fortunate with the golden light in the afternoon at this place. This afternoon golden light photography requires a walk through the deeper and sticky mud closer to the ship. So, physical fitness is necessary, and you have to be equipped with the right shoes for sticky, deeper (can be up to your knee) mud with lots of rusted metals. We must come to this place during the low tide. Drive back to Chittagong airport to avail of your early evening flight to Dhaka. Upon arrival transfer to your hotel for a night stay.

If we haven't done the Korail slum, we will do it today along with Sonargaon. Our guide will come to pick you up at 8:00 AM and leave Dhaka for Sonargaon. On the way, we shall take our first stop in Nawapara Jamdani village. This is where the magic fingers are weaving the traditional Jamdani sari, which is an incredible artwork with a narrow future due to the cheaper production of modern technology. Continue to drive to the old capital of Bengal – Sonargaon; Panam Nagar, beautiful Sadarbari, and the well-maintained Folk-Art Museum are well worth visiting. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant. Continue to Buiddyer Bazar for a refreshing country boat cruise on the Meghna (One of the major rivers in Bangladesh) River for a couple of hours. This river trip will include an interesting walk to explore the primitive Char village life. Char is a temporary sandy shifting island formed by river erosion and sedimentation. There are thousands of chars in Bangladesh up from the northern part to the south coast. This Char can disappear by flooding, high tide, strong river currents, or by any natural disaster or so. Life on the Char is very limited; access to the medical care center and education is very tough, and impossible in some areas. You will return to your hotel by late in the afternoon.

You will be transferred to the international airport according to your flight time. We say goodbye to meet again.