Sreemangal is the major tea growing area of Bangladesh. The tea garden is like green carpet along the hillock, see the rare species of Gibbon in the rain forest, flock of winter birds in the wetlands, Monipuri, Garo and Khasia tribes mingling together in the area. All with fresh air and greenery around will enchant your mind, and finally the 7-colors tea awaits you to relax with the evening cup of tea.

Day 01: Arrive Dhaka

You will arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka from Delhi. After all immigration formalities, the guide will receive you and transfer to hotel. Free for the evening and stay overnight at Golden Tulip Hotel (www.goldentulipthegrandmarkdhaka.com) in Dhaka.

Day 02: Dhaka –Sreemangal (200 km/ approx 6 hrs drive)

After early breakfast, you will start for Sreemangal at 0700 hrs. The road journey through the Asian highway will be memorable & attractive with wonderful natural view of countryside, village markets and rivers.

Upon arrival in Sreemangal, the guide will take you to a Pottery village. Experience how they still work manually with moving wheel and you may try to make a pot for your own.

Then drive through the green tea gardens to a remote Garo Tribal village to experience their culture. Garos are matrilineal ethnic community of Bangladesh, who inhabit Mymenshingh, Tangail, Jamalpur, Sherpur, Sylhet and Gazipur areas. Like other ethnic communities they used to worship super natural powers like sun, moon, storms, fire, mountains, water or rain etc. Joom cultivation, a way of agriculture, was a major activity for their living. Their economy depends on agriculture and private sector employment, mostly NGOs.

On the return way to hotel, the guide will offer you the famous Seven Layer Tea at a roadside tea stall.

Stay overnight at Grand Sultan Tea Resort & Golf (www.grandsultanresort.com) in Sreemangal.

Day 03: Sreemangal –Dhaka

Early morning after sunrise, walk through a garden and experience the collection of tea leaves. You can join with the workers and collect leaves with them for your enjoyment.

After early breakfast, visit Lawachara Rain Forest, a reserved forest for conservation of wildlife. In this beautiful rain forest you will walk through the majestic standing trees which are unexploited for centuries. One can easily find out wild animals like –Caped Langurs, Slow Loris, Yellow Throated Martin, Hoolock Gibbons, Asian Black bear, Rock Python and many beautiful birds like –Oriole, Barbet, Hornbill, Hilly Moyna, etc. Hoolock Gibbon is one seriously endangered higher primate that lives in this forest.

Visit the Khashia Village situated outskirt the forest and experience their lifestyle and cultivation of battle leaf. The Khasia live in the State of Meghalaya in north east India, with small populations in neighboring Assam, and in parts of Bangladesh. They call themselves “the seven huts” in the Khasi language. They had basically oral language until the arrival of European missionaries. Thomas Jones, a Welsh missionary who transcribed the Khasi language into Roman Script. They cultivate mainly betel leaf, areca nut and oranges.

Then drive back to Dhaka, check in hotel and stay overnight.

Day 04: Dhaka and Sonargaon Tour

After breakfast, drive to old city covering the following sites:

Walk through the Old Hindu Streets and taste the color, smell, sound and activities of the old town. This is one of the oldest areas of Dhaka, stretches along a narrow lane, lined with richly decorated brick buildings built during the late Mughal or Colonial period. The area belongs to the Shankhari Community who borrowed their name from Shankha (a decorated bangle) crafted from slices of conch shells. Shankha is the symbol indicates that a Hindu woman is married. You will find people making ornaments by shell and you can also enjoy live cooking which is very famous as Old Dhaka’s Street Food.

The Qassabtuly Mosque has recently acquired the name “Koshaituly Jam-e-Masjid” is one of the most ornate mosques in Old Dhaka, situated at PK Ghosh Lane of Koshaituli, built in 1919 (Hijri 1338) by a businessman named Abdul Bari Bepari. This three-flute-domed mosque is studded with pieces of ceramic or chini-tikri. The interiors of this mosque contain flower vases, floral motifs and Arabic Calligraphy. The artistic designs and fine decorative skills portray the influence of Persian origin and therefore present evidence to the Dominance of Islam in this region.

Take a rickshaw ride and enjoy the trip through the narrow streets of Old Dhaka.

The Mughal Fort, also known as Aurangabad Fort is situated at Lalbagh area in Dhaka, is an incomplete but beautiful fort of 17th century. The construction was started in 1678 AD by Mughal Subahdar Muhammad Azam Shah who was son of Emperor Aurangzeb and later emperor himself. His successor, Shaista Khan, did not continue the work, though he stayed in Dhaka up to 1688. The daughter of Shaista Khan named Iran Dukht Pari Bibi died there. After her death, he started to think the fort as unlucky, and left the structure incomplete. [Close on Sunday full and Monday 1st half.]

Then drive to Sonargaon –the ancient capital of Bengal on Turkish Sultanate period during 1280 AD. It was a historic administrative, commercial and maritime center in Bengal and the seat of the medieval Muslim rulers and governors of Eastern Bengal. The main attractions are Panam Nagar and Folk-Art Museum.

Panam Nagar, one of the most endangered historic sites in the world and is a subject of significant archaeological and artistic interest, which is also known as a Dead City. Most of buildings suffer from rising damp while biological and insect damage has affected the architectural woodwork. At present there are more than 50 buildings in both sides of a road established in the late of the 19th century. Today this area is protected under the department of archaeology of Bangladesh. The New York-based World Monument Fund included Panam Nagar in its World Monuments Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites in 2006. [Close on Sunday full and Monday 1st half]

You will feel the Bengali rural culture while visiting the Folk-Art Museum. The museum was established by Bangladeshi famous painter Joynul Abedin on March 12, 1975. There is an old house in the premises called Boro Sardar Bari, was built by a rich man Gopinath in Bengali year 1330. The Bangladesh Folk-Arts and Crafts Foundation converted the house to a museum. [Close on Wednesday and Thursday.]

Return to Dhaka in the evening and stay overnight.

Day 05: Depart Dhaka

After breakfast, transfer to airport for onward destination.

Tour end with thanks