POST-MTP TRIP 2: Bangladesh, Floating Markets & the Sundarbans

So you’ve finished the MTP Summit in Chengdu. You’ve spent a few days surrounded by some of the most travelled people on Earth, you’re already on the right side of the planet, and now you have two choices. Go home like a sensible person, or fly to Bangladesh and spend the next week travelling through one of the most chaotic, colourful and criminally underrated countries in Asia. We’re choosing Bangladesh!

This is a 7-day journey from Dhaka into the river country of southern Bangladesh. We’ll explore the madness of the capital, meet one of the last communities still practising traditional otter-assisted fishing, reach the edge of the Sundarbans, visit the UNESCO-listed Mosque City of Bagerhat, cruise through the Barisal backwaters to a genuine floating market, sleep aboard an overnight Bangladeshi river launch and finish among the abandoned mansions and traditional Jamdani weavers of Sonargaon.

This isn’t a polished luxury tour where we spend a week being moved between five-star hotels and Instagram viewpoints. Bangladesh is noisy, busy, messy and full-on. That’s precisely why I love travel like this. It feels real.

TLDR? JUST WANNA BOOK??

If you don’t want to read another few thousand words of me getting excited about obscure corners of the world, here’s the short version. Finish MTP Chengdu, fly independently to Dhaka on 25 October and join us for seven days travelling through Bangladesh.

We’ll start with two nights in Dhaka, including a full day exploring the capital. Then we head south through Old Dhaka and Narail, where we’ll meet one of the last families still fishing with trained otters, before continuing to Khulna. From there we reach Karamjal on the edge of the Sundarbans, visit the extraordinary historic mosques of Bagerhat and continue into the waterways around Barisal. We’ll explore the backwaters and floating markets by local country boat before taking an overnight river launch back towards Dhaka in private first-class cabins.

We finish with Sonargaon, the haunting abandoned merchant street at Panam City and the traditional Jamdani weaving villages before one last dose of Dhaka chaos. Seven days. No hiking expedition. No camping. But plenty of early starts, long travel days, boats, markets, rivers, mosques, chaos and proper travel.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Join fellow travellers immediately after MTP Chengdu 2027
• Two nights in Dhaka before the overland adventure begins
• Explore Old Dhaka, one of the most intense cities in Asia
• Meet one of the last communities still practising otter-assisted fishing in Narail
• Cross southern Bangladesh by road and river
• Look for Ganges river dolphins on the waterways around Mongla
• Explore Bagerhat’s UNESCO-listed Mosque City
• Visit the extraordinary Sixty Dome Mosque
• Cruise through Barisal’s rural backwaters by country boat
• Meet traditional Jamdani weavers working on pit looms

This trip is only seven days long, but there’s a ridiculous amount packed into it.

DHAKA: WELCOME TO BANGLADESH

Everyone makes their own way from Chengdu to Dhaka on 25 October. The international flight isn’t included because people will inevitably be using different airlines, points, routings and departure cities after the summit.

Once everyone has arrived, we’ll get checked into the hotel and meet properly over dinner and drinks. There’s no huge programme planned for the first evening. People will have been travelling, and Bangladesh is quite capable of overwhelming you without us trying to cram six attractions into the first four hours.

The following morning we get stuck into Dhaka properly. Dhaka is one of those places that divides travellers. It’s enormous, frantic, crowded and unapologetically chaotic, but it also has layers of history that most people know almost nothing about. We’ll explore places such as Lalbagh Fort, Dhakeshwari Temple, the Dhaka University area, Curzon Hall, Shahid Minar and the striking National Parliament area.

We deliberately use this extra Dhaka day to cover several sights before the main southern loop begins. It makes the rest of the route flow much better and, importantly, means we aren’t trying to visit Lalbagh Fort on the Sunday when our trip finishes. Tonight we’re back in Dhaka for another group dinner before the proper road trip begins tomorrow.

OLD DHAKA, NARAIL & THE OTTER FISHERMEN

Our first serious travel day begins early in Old Dhaka. We’ll visit Star Mosque, famous for its blue-star mosaic decoration, and the Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection, a reminder of the international merchant communities that once played a major role in Bengal’s trade. Then comes Ahsan Manzil, better known as the Pink Palace. Sitting beside the Buriganga River, it’s one of Dhaka’s most recognisable historic buildings and gives us one last dose of the capital before we hit the road southwest.

After lunch we cross the Padma Bridge and head towards Narail. And this is where things get properly unusual.

Around Narail, a tiny number of fishing families continue an extraordinary centuries-old practice involving trained smooth-coated otters. The otters swim alongside the fishermen’s boats and help drive fish towards the nets. This isn’t some staged animal show put on for tourists. The otters traditionally work alongside the fishermen as part of the fishing process, and the families will show us how the technique operates. It’s exactly the sort of thing I travel for. A tradition that most people have never heard of, in a part of Bangladesh most visitors will never reach. Once we finish in Narail, we continue to Khulna for the night.

THE SUNDARBANS EDGE & BAGERHAT

The next morning we leave Khulna early and head towards Mongla, gateway to the Sundarbans.

Now, I want to be completely transparent here because I hate tour companies pretending something is more extreme than it actually is. We are not doing a multi-day deep-forest Sundarbans expedition on this trip.

We’re visiting Karamjal, a forest station on the edge of the Sundarbans. It gives us a genuine introduction to the mangrove ecosystem without adding another three days to what is deliberately designed as a compact post-MTP trip.

We’ll travel by local boat into the waterways around Karamjal, where elevated walkways lead into the mangroves. The station is also home to conservation and breeding programmes involving crocodiles, deer and turtles.

On the river journey there’s also the possibility of seeing Ganges river dolphins surfacing around the boat. Nothing involving wildlife can ever be guaranteed, obviously, but simply cruising through these waterways gives us our first taste of the extraordinary river landscape that dominates southern Bangladesh.

Then the trip changes completely again. We drive to Bagerhat, home to one of Bangladesh’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the historic Mosque City. Its most famous building is the Sixty Dome Mosque, an enormous fifteenth-century brick mosque built during the Bengal Sultanate period. Despite the name, the roof actually contains more than sixty domes, supported by rows of stone columns. We’ll also visit the shrine of Khan Jahan Ali before continuing by road to Barisal for the night.

One day, mangrove forest, river dolphins, medieval mosques and another road trip across Bangladesh. Not bad.

BARISAL: BACKWATERS, FLOATING MARKETS & THE OVERNIGHT LAUNCH

This is probably my favourite-looking day of the entire itinerary. We start early and drive into the Barisal backwaters, where we leave the road behind and board a local country boat.

Southern Bangladesh is a water world. Villages face canals instead of roads, bamboo bridges connect tiny communities and boats are simply part of everyday life rather than something put on for tourists. We’ll cruise through the canal network past villages, gardens and small river communities before reaching one of the region’s floating markets.

These are genuine working markets. Farmers arrive in traditional wooden boats loaded with vegetables and other produce, trading directly from boat to boat for the surrounding villages. Exactly which floating market we visit depends on the weekday and local schedule. The point isn’t to manufacture an Instagram photo at a fake “floating market”. We go where the real trading activity is happening.

We’ll also explore more of the surrounding countryside, see rural village life and visit the striking Guthia Mosque before eventually returning towards Barisal. Then comes one of the best parts of the trip. That evening we board a huge Bangladeshi river launch for the journey north towards Dhaka. This is not a boutique river cruise. It is a proper public river vessel used by local passengers travelling across Bangladesh, with multiple decks and enormous numbers of people aboard.

Our group, thankfully, won’t be sleeping on plastic chairs downstairs.

We’ll have private first-class cabins for the overnight journey, and dinner is served aboard as we travel across the waterways towards Dhaka.

Watching Bangladesh slide past from the deck of an overnight launch is exactly the sort of experience that makes taking the long way infinitely better than jumping on another internal flight.

SONARGAON, PANAM CITY & THE JAMDANI WEAVERS

Our river launch arrives back at Sadarghat early in the morning, right in the middle of Dhaka’s extraordinary river-port chaos.

After freshening up and having breakfast, we head out again towards Sonargaon.

Sonargaon was historically one of Bengal’s most important capitals and trading centres. Today its most atmospheric site is Panam City, an abandoned street lined with crumbling merchant mansions from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The buildings are slowly being reclaimed by time, with ornate facades, balconies and old merchant houses creating one of the most photogenic places in Bangladesh.

We’ll also visit the Folk Art Museum and Goaldi Mosque before heading to the nearby Jamdani weaving villages.

Jamdani is one of Bangladesh’s most famous textile traditions. The intricate patterned muslin is woven painstakingly by hand, often with two people working together at a traditional pit loom.

Watching the process makes you realise why the finest pieces can take months to produce.

Afterwards we head back to Dhaka for our final night.

THE FULL 7-DAY ITINERARY

DAY 1 – 25 OCTOBER: ARRIVE IN DHAKA

MTP Chengdu finished yesterday, so today everyone makes their own way to Bangladesh.

Flights from Chengdu to Dhaka are not included in the package, giving everybody the flexibility to use whichever airline, routing or points programme works best. Once we arrive, we’ll transfer to the hotel, get checked in and meet the group properly.

Tonight is deliberately relaxed. We’ll head out for a welcome dinner and drinks together, talk rubbish about MTP, compare country counts and get ready for the week ahead.

OVERNIGHT: Dhaka

DAY 2 – 26 OCTOBER: DHAKA

Today is our proper introduction to Bangladesh’s enormous capital. We’ll explore several of Dhaka’s major historic and cultural sights, including Lalbagh Fort, Dhakeshwari Temple, the Dhaka University area, Curzon Hall, Shahid Minar and the National Parliament area. The exact order will depend on traffic because Dhaka traffic occasionally operates according to rules known only to God.

We’ve deliberately built this additional day into the trip rather than launching immediately into the operator’s southern loop. It gives everyone time to recover from their flights, lets us experience more of Dhaka and means the following five days can focus on the unusual stuff outside the capital. Tonight we’ll have another group dinner before an early start tomorrow.

OVERNIGHT: Dhaka

DAY 3 – 27 OCTOBER: DHAKA → NARAIL → KHULNA

We start early in Old Dhaka before the traffic really gets going. Our morning includes Star Mosque, the Armenian Church and Ahsan Manzil, the famous Pink Palace overlooking the Buriganga. Then we leave the capital, cross the Padma Bridge and head southwest towards Narail.

Here we meet one of the remaining families practising traditional otter-assisted fishing. We’ll see how the fishermen work alongside trained otters, a practice that has survived for generations in this part of Bangladesh. Afterwards we continue to Khulna, arriving in the evening. It’s a long day, but it’s also exactly the kind of day that makes this trip different from a normal city break.

OVERNIGHT: Khulna

DAY 4 – 28 OCTOBER: KHULNA → SUNDARBANS EDGE → BAGERHAT → BARISAL

Another early start as we drive towards Mongla and the Sundarbans. We board a local boat and travel towards Karamjal, one of the accessible forest stations at the edge of the mangrove ecosystem. We’ll explore the mangrove walkways and conservation areas and keep our eyes open for wildlife along the river, including the possibility of Ganges dolphins.

After returning from Karamjal we drive to Bagerhat. Here we explore the UNESCO-listed historic Mosque City, including the remarkable Sixty Dome Mosque and the shrine of Khan Jahan Ali. Then we continue overland to Barisal, arriving later in the day.

OVERNIGHT: Barisal

DAY 5 – 29 OCTOBER: BARISAL BACKWATERS → FLOATING MARKET → OVERNIGHT LAUNCH

Today begins early because the backwaters are at their best before the day gets properly underway. We drive from Barisal into the surrounding countryside and board a local motorboat for several hours exploring the canal network.

Expect riverside villages, gardens, bamboo bridges, rural life and one of the area’s genuine floating markets, where local traders buy and sell produce directly from wooden boats. We’ll also stop around the countryside and visit Guthia Mosque before returning towards Barisal later in the day. That evening we board our overnight river launch bound for Dhaka. We’ll have private cabins aboard the vessel, with dinner served during the journey north.

OVERNIGHT: River launch, private first-class cabin

DAY 6 – 30 OCTOBER: DHAKA → SONARGAON → PANAM CITY → DHAKA

We arrive at Sadarghat early, freshen up and grab breakfast before heading east from Dhaka towards Sonargaon. Today is all about Bengal’s trading history and traditional craftsmanship. We’ll explore Panam City and its abandoned merchant mansions, visit the Folk Art Museum and Goaldi Mosque and then continue to the Jamdani weaving villages. Here we’ll see traditional pit looms and meet craftspeople continuing one of Bangladesh’s most celebrated textile traditions.

Afterwards we drive back to Dhaka for our final night.

OVERNIGHT: Dhaka

DAY 7 – 31 OCTOBER: DHAKA → FINISH

That’s all folks! Airport transfers can be arranged for a small cost according to individual flight schedules.

Seven days earlier we arrived in one of the most chaotic cities in Asia. Since then we’ve crossed Bangladesh by road, met otter fishermen, travelled through the Sundarbans waterways, explored medieval mosques, cruised the Barisal backwaters, slept aboard a river launch and watched Jamdani weavers at work. Not a bad post-conference side quest.

WHAT KIND OF TRIP IS THIS?

This is a proper adventure trip, but it isn’t physically difficult.

There’s no serious hiking, climbing or technical activity. You don’t need to train for it, and you definitely don’t need to be an endurance athlete. What you do need is patience, curiosity and a willingness to deal with long days.

Bangladesh is densely populated and road journeys can be slow. We have a couple of early starts, several long drives and one morning that begins before sunrise if you choose to visit Kawran Bazar.

The accommodation is comfortable where possible, but the overnight launch is a genuine Bangladeshi public river vessel rather than a luxury cruise ship. We have private first-class cabins, but this is still local transport and that’s exactly why I want it in the itinerary.

The Barisal backwaters are also properly rural. Toilets can be basic, restaurants are limited and the whole experience is much more authentic than polished. If you need every day to run with Swiss-clock precision, Bangladesh may break your heart.

If you enjoy proper travel, it’s brilliant.

TRIP DATES, PRICE & WHAT’S INCLUDED

The trip runs from 25–31 October 2027, starting and finishing in Dhaka.

DURATION: 7 DAYS / 6 NIGHTS

PRICE: $3,299

• The itinerary includes six nights of accommodation: two initial nights in Dhaka, one night in Khulna, one night in Barisal, one night aboard the river launch in a private first-class cabin and one final hotel night in Dhaka.
• All transport and touring within the itinerary is arranged, including our private road transport, the Karamjal boat trip, the Barisal backwater boat, the Narail otter-fishing visit and our overnight river launch.
• Local guiding, sightseeing and the entrance fees connected with the planned itinerary are also included.
• Breakfast is included through the operator itinerary, with dinner included aboard the overnight launch. We’ll confirm the exact meal arrangements for our two additional Dhaka days when final pricing is locked in.
• International flights to Bangladesh and flights home are not included.
• Bangladesh visa costs where applicable, travel insurance, personal expenses, tips and meals not specifically listed as included are also excluded.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

DO I NEED TO BE FIT?

No. There’s no difficult trekking or climbing on this trip. The physical side is straightforward. The challenge is more about the pace. There are early starts, long road journeys, crowded cities and several days when we’re doing a lot.

If you can handle a busy sightseeing trip, you can handle this.

ARE WE REALLY GOING INTO THE SUNDARBANS?

Yes, but I want to describe this accurately. We visit Karamjal, a forest station at the edge of the Sundarbans, travelling there by local boat from the Mongla area.

This is a genuine Sundarbans experience, but it is not the separate three-day deep-forest vessel expedition with sunrise creek safaris and multiple nights inside the forest. I’d rather explain that clearly than pretend a half-day trip is something it isn’t.

WILL WE SEE A BENGAL TIGER?

Almost certainly not, and anybody promising you one on this itinerary is talking nonsense. The Sundarbans are famous for Bengal tigers, but they live across an enormous and difficult mangrove habitat. Our Karamjal visit is about experiencing the mangrove environment, the waterways and the forest edge rather than conducting a serious wildlife expedition.

Anything wild we see is a bonus.

WHAT ARE THE OTTER FISHERMEN?

Around Narail, a small number of fishing families continue a traditional method involving trained smooth-coated otters. The otters swim alongside the boats and help drive fish towards the fishermen’s nets. It’s one of those traditions that sounds completely made up until you actually see it. The fishing visit is arranged in advance through our local team.

IS THE FLOATING MARKET REAL?

Yes. We’re not visiting a decorative tourist market created for photographs. The floating markets around the Barisal backwaters serve local communities, with farmers and traders arriving by traditional wooden boat to buy and sell produce. Which exact market we visit depends on the day of the week and local operating patterns.

WHAT IS THE OVERNIGHT LAUNCH LIKE?

It’s one of the things I’m most excited about for you guys. The launch is a large public Bangladeshi river vessel rather than a tourist cruise. Hundreds of local passengers use these boats to move between cities and towns along Bangladesh’s huge river network. We’ll be booked into private cabins rather than sleeping in the general passenger areas.

The journey is comfortable enough, but the real appeal is waking up on the river and travelling through Bangladesh the same way locals have done for generations.

IS THE CHENGDU TO DHAKA FLIGHT INCLUDED?

No. Everyone is responsible for getting themselves from Chengdu to Dhaka on 25 October 2027.

The Bangladesh package begins in Dhaka. This gives everyone flexibility with airlines, points, routes and travel plans after MTP.

WHAT ABOUT BANGLADESH VISAS?

Super easy these days, and online. Of course, Visa requirements depend on your nationality and the rules in force in 2027. We’ll confirm the requirements for everyone who books and guide the group through what needs to be done before departure.

Because the trip is more than a year away, I’m not going to pretend that today’s rules are guaranteed to be identical in October 2027.

WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?

Bangladesh is a conservative country and we visit active mosques, a Hindu temple and other religious sites. Lightweight clothing that covers shoulders and knees is the easiest option.

You’ll also remove your shoes at several religious sites, so footwear that can be taken on and off easily will make life considerably less annoying. October is still warm and humid, and late showers are possible, so bring a lightweight waterproof layer too.

DO I NEED TRAVEL INSURANCE?

Yes. Travel insurance is mandatory for the trip.

Make sure your policy covers Bangladesh and the normal activities involved in the itinerary rather than buying the cheapest possible policy five minutes before boarding your flight.

WHO AM I?

My name is Johnny Ward, the first Irish person to visit every country. And recently the first person to complete the Ultimate Explorer’s Grand Slam (every country, 7 summits, both poles). I’ve down a few other things like rowed unsupported across the Atlantic, I created a yearly ultra marathon in the Eye of the Sahara in Mauritania, and a yearly ultra cycle from Ashgabat to the Gates of Hell in Turkmenistan.

I’m a full-time professional blogger who runs a lot of group trips (so no excuse for the endless spelling mistakes I make, sorry!) and I’m most happy when I’m running those group trips with like minded people to weird places, from the connections I made doing my 10 year ‘every country’ quest!

I’ve taken thousands of people on group trips to some of the weirdest places on earth – from South Sudan to Niue. And now Luis and I are going to try to focus more on helping MTP have more options to go with friends to far flung destinations. So here we are!

I should also probably add, I’m not your usual ‘tour company’ or ‘tour guide’. I do this because I love it! It’s my passion. So expect a bit of chaos, a lot of laughs, a healthy dose of unpredictability and a trip to tell your grandkids about.

I will be guiding the Pakistan overland to China, via the Karakoram Highway before the MTP conference. Josh, my co-founder at MuditaAdventures.com will be guiding this tour, along with our local team too of course. This is Josh at me in Nepal recently:

HOW THIS TRIP CONNECTS WITH MTP CHENGDU 2027

This Bangladesh trip is one of our post-conference adventures following the MTP Chengdu Summit from 21–24 October 2027.

Everyone joining will make their own way from Chengdu to Dhaka on 25 October. That flight isn’t included, so you’re free to use whatever airline or routing works best.

We meet in Dhaka that evening, have dinner and drinks together and begin properly the following morning. This is also one of the shorter MTP extensions. So if you want to add a real adventure after Chengdu but can’t disappear into Tibet for eleven days or spend another nine days riding horses through Mongolia, Bangladesh is a pretty perfect option.

You still get a completely different country, some genuinely obscure travel experiences and a serious adventure, but you’re finished by 31 October.

OTHER MTP CHENGDU 2027 TRIPS WITH ME

PRE-MTP TRIP 1: Pakistan to China Overland (via Karakoram Highway and Khunjerab Pass)

PRE-MTP TRIP 2: Kazakhstan + Kyrgyzstan Overland

PRE-MTP TRIP 3: Mini-trip: Guilin + Yangshou

• MTP SUMMIT, CHENGDU 2027

POST-MTP TRIP 1: China to Tibet to Nepal overland (via Everest Base Camp)

POST-MTP TRIP 2: Bangladesh and the Sundarbans

POST-MTP TRIP 3: Staying with the Mongolian Reindeer Tribes

POST-MTP TRIP 4: Mini-trip: Chengdu + Chongqing

POST-MTP TRIP 5: Mini-trip: Shangri-La + Tiger Leaping Gorge