Previous
Bangladesh - Durga Puja Festival
Added: (Mon Jul 23 2007)
NEW TOUR
BANGLADESH
THE DURGA PUJA FESTIVAL � SUNDARBANS PADDLE STEAMER VOYAGE
Bangladesh last headlined in 1971 when George Harrison and Ravi Shankar�s Concert for Bangladesh raised funds for a population reeling after Cyclone Bhola � the original Band Aid! Undiscovered Destinations� new 15-day tour sheds fresh light on a country too long hidden by the shadows of its two sibling states, culminating in Dhaka�s colourful Durga Puja festival, departing London 9th October 2007.
Travellers� first experience Bangladesh from the water, aboard the 100-year-old paddle steamer �The Rocket� as it navigates overnight from Dhaka to the UNESCO designated Sundarbans mangrove forests. �The Rocket� offers a gentile way to observe rural life in comfort, sipping tea served by the First Class cabin steward. On arrival at the Sundarbans, the world�s largest littoral mangrove belt at 140,000ha, further explorations are made by shallow draught private charter boat. Wildlife here includes deer, otter, monkey, estuarine crocodile, 50 species of other reptile, numerous river dolphin and even elusive Royal Bengal Tiger. Heading inland, Bangladesh�s richest area of historically important Hindu structures is visited at Rajshahi. En route through Bengal, both Paharpur - once the single largest Buddhist monastery south of the Himalaya, and Mahasthangarh, oldest known city in Bangladesh � dating from 4th century BC, are visited. Tea estates and tribal villages are next, with a domestic flight to the northern city of Sylhet and transfer through the country�s main tea growing areas to Srimangal. Nearby, the hilltop Khashia tribal villages are identifiable by betel-nut trees, their major cash crop. Next, a short flight to Cox�s Bazaar reveals an unforeseen aspect of Bangladesh � a premier beach resort! Bicycle rickshaw tours of car-free Maheskhali Island are an option as is simply lazing on the sand. Flying back to Dhaka, arrival is coincident with the colourful Durga Puja festival, commemorating the victory of mighty warrior goddess, Durga. Travellers visit the Dhakeswari Temple in the morning to soak up the atmosphere. After lunch, observe the parade of devotees and colourful clay-and-bamboo effigies surge through the streets towards the river front. At nightfall the statues of Durga are immersed in the Buriganga, ending the festivities and providing a momentus finale to a remarkable tour.
The tour costs �1,740 p/p including scheduled flights (EK), hotel and riverboat accommodation, most meals and English-speaking guide.
Undiscovered Destinations
0191 296 2674
info@undiscovered-destinations.com
www.undiscovered-destinations.com