Overnight and Multi-Day Trips from Dhaka
Travel advisory, checked October 2026. UK FCDO advice is against all but essential travel to the Chittagong Hill Tracts (Rangamati, Khagrachari, Bandarban), and the US also warns against travel there. Do not add that region to any route. UK advice describes terrorist attacks as very likely, and warns that hartals and demonstrations can turn violent quickly and that river ferries are overcrowded. Street crime has risen since 2024. Read the UK FCDO page and the US advisory before booking.
Choosing a longer trip
Four trips come up most often: the tea hills of Sreemangal, a heritage river cruise, the Sundarbans mangroves, and the beach at Cox’s Bazar. They are very different, and only two are practical as short breaks. Start with the tourist e-visa, since visa on arrival covers only narrow categories.
Sreemangal and Lawachara, 2 to 3 days
The easiest longer trip is the train north-east from Kamalapur station. The Parabat or Upaban Express reaches Sreemangal in about 4.5 to 5 hours. Around the town are tea gardens to walk through and Lawachara National Park, where the western hoolock gibbon survives. Hire a local guide for the forest, keep your distance from animals and bring insect repellent. Grand Sultan Tea Resort and Golf is one listed place to stay, and Booking.com shows other options.
Heritage steamer to Barishal
The Dhaka to Khulna Rocket service ended some time ago. In November 2025 the paddle steamer PS Mahsud began a weekly heritage cruise between Dhaka and Barishal, announced as leaving Sadarghat at 8 am on Fridays. Prices, booking methods and whether it runs in 2026 are unconfirmed, so ask BIWTC first. Regular overnight launches also run to Barishal, but they can be crowded and some have had falsified safety certificates. Use well-reviewed operators, travel by day if you can, and ask for a life jacket.
Sundarbans boat trip, 3 to 4 days
The Sundarbans are a World Heritage mangrove forest in the south-west. They are reached by boat from Khulna or Mongla, not from Dhaka directly, so add travel time to get there. Entry needs Forest Department permission, which your tour operator arranges. The forest is closed to everyone from 1 June to 31 August each year and reopens on 1 September. November to February is the best season. Operators in this market usually quote roughly 18,000 to 35,000 BDT for a three-day boat trip, which you should treat as an approximate figure and confirm.
Cox’s Bazar
Cox’s Bazar has a very long beach and is a destination in its own right. The ordinary express train from Dhaka takes about 8 hours and has run since December 2023. A trip combining Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar and St Martin’s Island does not fit a Dhaka weekend, and ferries to St Martin’s are seasonal.
Practical notes
Book train seats early and carry cash for rural areas. Take bottled water. Winter smog in Dhaka makes the cooler months a good time to be elsewhere. Do not try to combine three of these trips in one week.
Read more: Dhaka day trips and the 3-day plan .