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The Lonesome Traveler - We love Bangladesh. We hate prejudices.
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      • 5 days in/around Rajshahi (10/19)
      • Christmas in Bangladesh. (12/18)
      • The poor Bangladesh? (10/18)
      • A perfect double! (02/18)
      • Get to know Bangladesh. (12/17)
      • We wanted and we did it. (03/17)
      • Bangladesh for the second. (01/17)
      • Or is there still more? (02/16)
      • Huh? Whereto? Bangladesh? (03/16)
      • Brimful and scrapped. (11/15)
      • An unforgettable adventure! (02/15)
      • Actually, we were warned. (11/14)
      • On 139 – of 140. (10/14)
      • Wrecks, pilgrims and locos. (04/14)
      • The small, precious things... (10/12)
      • Maya on track search. (03/12)
      • Two Swiss in Bangladesh. (02/12)
      • Terra incognita. (01/12)
      • Marion. Alone in Bangladesh. (11/11)
      • Cross-country. (01/11)
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    • The northwest
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    • The northeast
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    • Especially in Dhaka
      • Bara & Chhota Katra
      • Northbrook & Johnson Hall
      • Hussaini Dalan
      • Christian Cemetery
      • Ruplal House
      • Chobi Mela 2019
      • The National Zoo in Dhaka
      • The new Liberation War Museum
      • 18th Art Biennale Dhaka
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Current weather and forecasts

We would like to thank the Meteorological Institute of Norway for the weather forecasts for Dhaka for the next ten days.

FAQ – Frequently asked questions

Visa and Visa on Arrival (VOA)

In advance: As a rule, the Immigration Office is waiting for you at the airport in Dhaka. They ask you for your visa and accompany you accordingly. It is difficult to estimate the time required, which is very dependent on the number of landed aircraft or waiting aliens. Some got it in fifteen minutes, some took two hours. Forget your good education and try to reach the counter as soon as possible after landing.Travelers must have received the full dose of the drug approved by the WHO and be able to prove this with an official vaccination certificate. Without a vaccination certificate, an RT-PCR-based COVID-19 negative certificate (issued within 72 hours before departure) is mandatory.
In detail: At the VOA counter, you will get two form sheets to fill out: the Arrival Card which you get back after the procedure and keep it until your departure and the visa form. The form differs very little from the arrival card, but is retained by the officials. A tip: solid data regarding your profession generate the fewest demands. Housewife, for example, is always good at these latitudes, or just a handy profession. All professions with a social or medical background will generate demands, since you may be working for an aid organization.
With both filled documents you pay at the counter the fees in the amount of 51.00 $ p.P. Upon presentation of all documents and our invitation/travel confirmation, you will receive your stamp at the next switch and can now proceed to the luggage strap. In the field of passport check, two officials check your passport before you are officially in Bangladesh.

Are you a citizen of the following countries or international communities, you come in benefiting from these arrangements: Australia, Bahrain, Canada, China, EU, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand, Oman, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, UAE, USA and UK. Caution! Corona-related exceptions are possible!

The airport visa allows for a single entry and exit, a maximum stay of 30 days and cannot be extended.

The airport visa currently costs 50.00 €. You will need your valid passport, a return ticket and the above-mentioned Arrival Card and visa form. An invitation or a travel confirmation should simplify things. Other documents or passport photos are not required. (September 2017)

A tourist visa can be theoretically extended the Immigration Office Dhaka, provided there is a visa issued by the respective embassy, so not a Visa on Arrival. The process itself is but indecently expensive, lengthy and practically impossible to handle. See also next question!

Each Overstay which less than one month (30 days) will be immediate and relatively unbureaucratic locally, ie at the airport, regulated. An overstay of more than 30 days is not recommended, because there will be trouble.
The Officer will determine undoubtedly at your departure that your visa has already expired. He will make you aware of your overstay and a fee to be paid of 200.00 Taka per day exceeded. From the 15th day covered the daily fee increased to 500.00 Taka. In addition, always a handling fee of 6,000.00 Taka due (which means 3 days without a visa cost you 6,600.00 Taka). He will inform a colleague who goes with you to the bank counter where the amount is to be paid. With you and the receipt, he goes back to the Immigration Officer, who will wish you a good flight and give you the exit stamp. That’s it with the difficulties. Further (eg on re-entry) are not to be expected.

Cash, exchange and credit cards

In all major cities you can find ATMs ready to use with Visa and/or MasterCard (local currency). The machines of the Standard Chartered Bank and DBBL (Dutch Bangla Bank Ltd.) also accept Maestro, provided this has been enabled by your bank. Of course, the fees determined your bank. The payout on ATMs is limited to a maximum of 50,000.00 Taka per 24 hours.

Euro notes, US Dollar and British Pounds you can convert easily in all exchange offices. Furthermore, the following rule of thumb: The bigger the note, the better the rate. So you’ll definitely get a better rate for a 500.00 Euro banknote than with ten 50,00 Euro banknotes.

You get in an exchange office a better rate than at the bank counter. Exchange offices are plentiful, at the airport and in Dhaka- Uttara, Banani and Gulshan. Fees on the conversion into a currency exchange are not due and sure it is too. Depending on the level of the amount you should compare the rates of exchange offices.

The national currency is Taka. The exchange rate is, of course, subject to fluctuations, so you will not find a fixed statement here. You can find the current exchange rate here.

International, mean large hotels, accept all major credit cards. With Visa and MasterCard you also have quite good chances to pay in the shopping malls and int. Restaurants of the big cities. With American Express it is also possible from time to time, but generally more difficult. Credit cards are not accepted in small shops, street kitchens and budget hotels.

You can in the exchange offices easily changed back Taka in all major currencies.

On the road

In the capital and all the other (larger) cities good Clinics/Doctors are not a problem. In the countryside things are fundamentally different and not better. So you should an emergency kit with you. Are you traveling with us and need medical attention, we set everything in motion! More information can be found under Information/Healthiness.

That depends on the type of tour and the season. But basic things are an emergency kit in the medical sense, mosquito repellent, sunscreen, a sufficient number of batteries for your camera and a torch. “Sensitive minds” is recommended to bring your earplugs, a simple, unlined sleeping bag made of silk or cotton and a (private) towel.

The grid is pursued in Bangladesh with 220V of AC voltage. The Europlug (CEE 7/16) as an two-pole AC power plug is available as well as the British Standard BS 1363 (British 3-Pin or Commonwealth-plug). However, a three-way distributor with extension it is recommended.

Because for locals prohibited by law, alcohol is not readily available. This prohibition does not apply to you as a foreigner. There are even a handful of special shops in Dhaka, where you can shop against the presentation of your passport. The selection is clear and almost import article, correspondingly expensive. High-class hotels sometimes have a bar. Use the duty-free shops before you enter!

Roaming agreements exist. Theoretically, you can make calls with your SIM and mobile phone number. In practice, this is but outrageously expensive. We will provide you with a local SIM card.

Short answer: Everything! Small toys, balloons and pens are extremely popular with the little ones. Even sweets from abroad is full hip – although we prefer to distribute apples, which are at least as popular.

Most hotels now offer WiFi. If you need an Internet connection during the tour, we will provide you with a local SIM card. Depending on the location, the data transfer is faster, sometimes slower. But you have to reckon with dead zones.

Currency

The national currency is the Taka (BDT or Tk) and its smaller unit, the Poisha. A Taka corresponds to one hundred Poisha. You will receive 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000 Taka banknotes, plus coins worth 1, 2 and 5 taka. For coins and banknotes, there are two, three, sometimes four different editions, all of which are valid. Also from the sometimes “desolate” state of the paper money you must not be deceived, all no problem, provided no banknote is torn on the edge. Poisha is worth 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50, but these are only of interest to Numismatists, and they are hardly ever in circulation. For more answers to questions, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Currency exchange

With foreign currencies, you can’t pay anywhere, apart from some luxury hotels. Money is best exchanged in one of the numerous exchange offices in Dhaka, by no means somewhere on the street. Banks change money, of course, but the exchange offices offer a much better exchange rate. Rule of thumb: The larger the value of the banknotes, the better the exchange rate. Exchange offices do not charge any fees and it is also safe. The question about the current exchange rate will be answered here.
Tip: You should pay with big banknotes wherever possible, in order to get this small, because in the country nobody will be able to change you a thousand Taka banknote. So, spend big bills wherever possible.

Credit cards

The plastic money is becoming increasingly accepted. With Visa, you can pay anywhere in Dhaka’s business district. More and more often with Amex or MasterCard. Also in many hotels nationwide visas are accepted in good, international hotels de facto every card is accepted. However, you should not rely on it. On the road, in the country, they will admire the pretty, colorful plastic card, but you can pay with it nowhere. So, always carry enough Taka!

Cash machines – ATMs

In all major cities you will find cash machines where you can draw cash with a Visa card. With Amex this is not possible, with the MasterCard rather rare. The money machines of large financial institutions such as Standard Chartered Bank, Citibank, Dutch Bangla Bank, etc. accept even Maestro cards. Nevertheless, it is advisable to ask your bank if your card also works in Bangladesh. Not infrequently this required a separate release by the bank.

Our link corner

More links about Bangladesh. Everything without guarantee on the correctness of the content (except our Facebook'n YouTube page).

Facebook - Our facebook page. Many pictures!


YouTube - Our YouTube-channel. It is worth it!


Embassy of Bangladesh - Berlin, Germany


Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Dhaka, Bangladesh


On the rails… the Bangladesh Railway (BR)


On the water…the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC)


Banglapedia - encyclopedia


Lonely Planet - Bangladesh

Healthiness

The information on this page does not constitute a medical consultation – so do not replace a consultation with a medical doctor – it is only about Bangladesh and we assume a certain travel experience, so do not burrow into the dig up in the primordial soup.

Prior to travel update

In the end, the prophylaxis to be recommended is heavily dependent on the nature of the journey. One week Dhaka it's another matter than three weeks in the hill tracts crawling through the bush. Apart from the usual vaccinations to protect against diphtheria, tetanus and polio are urgently recommended when traveling through the country, preventive vaccinations against rabies, hepatitis and typhoid. There is no remedy for rabies to this day, but lots of neglected street dogs all over the country. If the worst comes to the worst, you need the antiserum within 24 hours. Depending on your whereabouts, this can become a problem, apart from availability. If the period of time has elapsed, the infectious disease is almost always fatal. Hepatitis and typhoid are the most severe infectious diseases caused by bacteria/germs in polluted water, food and lack of hygienic standards and this is not exactly untypical for all developing countries, as is Bangladesh. Hepatitis prophylaxis provides you with one hundred percent protection, which can’t prevent typhoid prophylaxis, however, this can drastically reduce the risk. We consider malaria prophylaxis as unnecessary, a standby drug is enough. A vaccination passport, in which your blood group is also noted, can hardly hurt. Corona SARS-CoV-2: Travelers must have received the full dose of the drug approved by the WHO and be able to prove this with an official vaccination certificate. Without a vaccination certificate, an RT-PCR-based COVID-19 negative certificate (issued within 72 hours before departure) is mandatory.

During the travel

If you are on your own, you should have the following: An emergency kit, bandage material etc. because sometimes a doctor is far, too far away. Mosquito repellent as a lotion, net and long clothes for the evening hours. Sun protection, in hat form, as glasses and as a lotion and electrolytic preparations. This is an important point, traveller’s diarrhea. If you get it, you are not necessarily seriously ill! Your digestive system is only confronted with germs, which simply do not know and overreact. We advise against taking any diarrhea inhibitor. You do not make it any better. Your biggest enemy is the associated dehydration, so you need a lot of drinking water and electrolyte. The diarrhea should improve over the next three to four days. At some point your digestive system has got used to “the strangers”. What should you eat during this time? Basically everything plugs. Bananas are good, true miracles are fresh coconut milk and pureed Bengali quince (Aegle marmelos, also known as bael fruit, golden-, wood- or stone apple.
If the diarrhea does not occur, if further symptoms are added or if febrile symptoms occur, it is absolutely necessary to consult a doctor!

Medical supplies

In Dhaka, there are a number of hospitals that do not need to shy away from an international comparison. The situation is similar in the large cities of the country. But the deeper you are in the country, the less likely a doctor or a (acceptable) hospital. With ambulances it’s similar. The lack of traffic laws makes the blue flashing light or siren almost superfluous. The urban traffic situation does the rest. But there is also something positive to announce: There is a well-stocked, comprehensive pharmacy network and (almost) all drugs are sold freely.

After the journey

After your trip, it is advisable to have a check-up with your doctor, better in the tropical institute.

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