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The Sundarbans

Bangladesh

South Asia shoestring ~$35/day
How to get there

Fly to Dhaka, travel to Khulna, then board a multi-day boat into the world's largest mangrove forest.

Where to sleep

On the boat — bunks on deck, meals from the galley, anchored in tidal channels at night.

What to expect

A drowned forest the size of a small country where the Bengal tiger still rules: mudskipper flats, honey collectors who wear masks on the backs of their heads, and channels of glassy silence.

First move on arrival

Dawn on deck with binoculars — deer at the waterline, and the possibility, always, of stripes.

When to go

November to February

One phrase to carry

Dhonnobad — thank you, in Bangla.

Read before you go

The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh — the Sundarbans novel, full stop.

Getting weirder nearby

Old Dhaka's river port of Sadarghat — the most alive waterfront in Asia, before or after.

One honest warning

You go with licensed boats and forest permits, and you do not walk in the forest — the tigers here are famously serious about this.

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