Overview
Love it or loathe it, Dhaka is an essential ingredient to the Bangladesh travel experience, a place that every Bangladesh traveller will eventually see in a journey to Bangladesh. Colourful pedal rickshaws decorate the city at every turn, while the streets are constantly humming with human activity of trade and construction. But, for those seeking brief escapes from the city-circus that is the capital city, the Dhaka Division offers some accessible highlights which can be reached reasonably cheaply and quickly with a private vehicle and don’t require any lengthy ferry crossings to get there.
The most scenic part of the division is definitely its northernmost areas, those that line the border with India. Here, travellers will find the homes and villages of Garo people whose villages lie just beneath the Garo hills of Meghalaya. With their unique food, customs and drinks (soft or hard) this is a great place to visit and could be done within a weekend although three days would be better given the driving distances required (about six hours).
There’s also a fair amount of potential for river tours in the region as well — Contic’s river tours on the Jamuna are a very memorable way to spend a few days although the tours will cost you a pretty penny and are definitely not geared towards the budget crowd (which might be exactly what you’re after in a crowded country like Bangladesh).
Highlights
- Exploring Old Dhaka on a heritage walk with the Urban Study Group and then drinking coffee at Mango, a chic café in Dhanmondi.
- Having a drink with the Garo people of the Dhaka Division, in their home villages surrounding Durgapur or Haluaghat.
- Cruising on the wide rivers of the Jamuna or the Padma on a historic Bangladeshi sailboat.
- Hanging out on river beaches during the dry season or seeing the ocean-like river landscape during the wet.
Dhaka
As the heart of Bangladesh, both literally and figuratively, the capital is the major transit point for everything else in the country. Travelling through the throbbing city is a rollercoaster ride that many of its citizens endure on a daily basis – since you’re just visiting temporarily, enjoy the ride!
Mymensingh
A cultural and educational hub of the Dhaka Division. Major sites include the museum of Zainul Abedin, one of Bengal’s most famous painters. Also the launch pad to get to the Garo towns and villages further north. The town is located on the bank of the Old Brahmaputra River, an active but much smaller river than it used to be. Over a century ago the river changed direction to its current location where the Jamuna now flows.
Tangail
The most important reason to visit is the Atia Mosque, probably the most historic and famous of the Mughal mosques scattered around the Bangladeshi countryside. The town is the first major transit point before riding on to the massive Jamuna Bridge, Bangladesh’s first major multi-million dollar bridge project.
Haluaghat/Durgapur
The best kept-secret of the Dhaka Division, these two towns are the bases by which Garo culture can be explored in the northern reaches of Bangladesh. Some beautiful blue rivers flow from the hills, also making this an excellent monsoon destination. Christmas is also a good time to visit as the majority of people here are Christian; Wangala Festival, held in early December, is also a great time to visit.