A four-night chartered-boat expedition through the Sundarbans, from otter fishing villages to Kotka, Kochikhali and Bagerhat.
Depart from your Dhaka hotel and drive towards Mongla, stopping at a remote village in Norail where families still practise the ancient tradition of otter fishing, joining the fishermen on the water to see it in action. Transfer to Mongla and board the boat, cruising to Harbaria Forest Station for afternoon forest trails and waterhole wildlife watching. The boat then resumes its journey south towards the Kotka-Kochikhali area, overnighting near Tambulbunia forest station.
Cruise deeper into the Sundarbans, a magical world of islands, narrow creeks and tidal rivers reachable only by boat. By afternoon reach Kotka Wildlife Sanctuary and take a country boat into Pokkhir Khal creek, drifting silently with the engine off to watch for deer, monkeys and birdlife. If time allows, climb the Kotka watchtower for sweeping views over forest and grassland at sunset.
Set out by country boat at dawn to explore the small creeks of Kotka, when kingfishers, herons and sunbirds appear and deer, wild boar and monkeys come to the water's edge. Later, take a forest walk around Kotka, once a Portuguese pirate salt-making site and now known as the 'Tiger's Den'. In the afternoon cruise to Kochikhali Wildlife Sanctuary for another peaceful creek ride at the ideal time for tiger movements.
Begin with a silent small-boat trip through the canals, then visit the forest office before heading towards Tinkona Island in the southern Sundarbans. Take a walk inside the forest during the productive morning hours to look for wildlife, then return to the boat for breakfast. Later cruise towards the south Nilkomol forest station for the night.
Visit Tinkona Island briefly in the morning, then cruise back towards Mongla. Transfer to the car and drive back towards Dhaka, stopping at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Bagerhat to explore the Sixty Dome Mosque, the Nine Dome Mosque and the Shrine of Khan Jahan Ali. Continue to Dhaka and overnight in a four-star hotel.
