Day 1 — Dhaka Touchdown

Airport meet, swift transfer, and an easy evening to decompress in the capital. Neon lights, rickshaw bells and rooftop calls to prayer set the scene. Tomorrow, the city opens.

Day 2 — Old Dhaka & the River Age

From Louis Kahn’s Parliament to incense at Dhakeshwari Temple, then the Mughal romance of Lalbagh Fort. Ride a rickshaw through Chawk/Shankhari Bazaar lanes, step into the Pink Palace (Ahsan Manzil), and glide on a wooden boat across the Buriganga at sunset, eye-level with the river’s floating traffic. In the early evening, board the Rocket paddle steamer around 18:00 (or a modern ferry on non-operating days). Sleep to a gentle river rhythm.

Day 3 — Bagerhat: Brick, Light & Legend

Disembark near Hularhat mid-morning. If time allows, detour to the serene Kodla Math, then explore the medieval Mosque City of Bagerhat (UNESCO)—Khan Jahan Ali’s shrine, the Nine-Dome Mosque, Bibi Begni Mosque, and the hushed grandeur of the Sixty Dome Mosque and its small museum. As the light warms the brickwork, drive on to Mongla, gateway to the mangroves.

Day 4 — Sundarbans I: Into the Creeks

Embark your private houseboat around 07:00; ranger formalities done, a hot Bengali breakfast arrives on deck as you slip into the Sundarbans (UNESCO). Walk the Harbaria boardwalk for your first scent of mangrove — mudskippers, crabs and macaques among the roots — then cruise deeper into narrower canals toward Kochikhali. Sunset brings your first silent skiff, scanning creek edges for deer, boar, raptors and, with luck, crocodiles.

Day 5 — Sundarbans II: Beaches, Towers & BBQ

Begin with a pre-dawn skiff when the forest is at its quietest. Later, enjoy a rewarding forest-and-beach walk from Kochikhali via Jamtola Beach to Kotka (firm sand and forest paths). Climb the Kotka watchtower, scan the grasslands for deer and boar, and then take a dusky canal safari. Back on deck, a BBQ dinner sizzles under a star-heavy sky while the forest hums around you.

Day 6 — Sundarbans III: Villages & Return

Dawn rows one last time through tide-sculpted channels. Stop at Joymoni fishing village to glimpse everyday life on the forest fringe, then continue to Karamjol (sanctuary & crocodile centre) for a short interpretive trail. By afternoon, dock at Mongla and drive to Khulna for a hot shower, dinner and an easy evening.

Day 7 — Rails to Rajshahi & Puthia

An intercity train rolls past rice fields, ponds and small stations toward Rajshahi. In the afternoon, explore Puthia’s terracotta temples and palaces — Shiva and Govinda shrines reflected in ponds, palace courtyards shaded by old trees. If the timing is kind, enjoy a gentle Padma (Ganges) River boat ride at sunset. Overnight in Rajshahi.

Day 8 — Stones & Stories: Paharpur & Mahasthangarh

Begin at the stone-carved Kusumba Mosque (1558), one of Bengal’s rare stone mosques with a distinctive raised gallery. Continue to the sweeping red-brick plan of Somapura Mahavihara (Paharpur, UNESCO) — an 8th-century Buddhist monastery whose geometric layout fills the horizon. In the afternoon, explore the ancient citadel of Mahasthangarh and its small museum before reaching Bogra for the night.

Day 9 — Life on a Jamuna Char → Dhaka

A country boat ferries you onto a Jamuna River char, a sandbar island that appears, shifts and sometimes vanishes with the floods. Families farm fragile plots, children race along sand ridges, and life is lived in negotiation with the river. It’s humbling and highly photogenic. After tea and conversation, drive back to Dhaka. Overnight in the capital.

Day 10 — Sonargaon, Panam & Jamdani

Travel to historic Sonargaon, once a medieval capital of Bengal. Visit the Goaldi Mosque (1519) and the Folk Art & Crafts Museum at Sardar Bari. Walk the atmospheric merchant mansions of Panam City, their facades peeling with faded grandeur. Later, take a gentle boat ride on the Meghna River and visit a Jamdani weaving village, where artisans handloom saris recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. Return to Dhaka for a final night.

Day 11 — Shubho Bidāy (Goodbye!)

Private airport transfer for your onward flight. As you rise above the rivers and delta, you leave with the memory of mangrove mist, mosque domes, brick monasteries and river islands stitched together in one journey.