Dhaka Urban Outings (DUO) offers private guided tours around Bangladesh that are bespoke to travelers' needs and interests. It is a young initiative by myself - (Zafrul) Hasan - an experienced Bangladeshi tour guide operator. Whether on or off the beaten track, I give people experiences they need a local to discover. From the thrill seeker to the humanitarian, foodie, history buff and culture ju**
ie, my tours are personalized to you. Please reserve a spot by calling or SMS'ing me at +88 01674324243. What are my tours? Tours of Old Dhaka: These are a must for any visitor to Bangladesh and my most popular and oldest tours. I will show you the ins and outs of Old Dhaka, the place I call home. Take two days to visit the south and north of Old Dhaka for a full picture of this vibrant and energetic city. For travelers short on take, take my highlights tour to see the must-sees of this area.
*** Each of these tours can be personalized to meet your individual needs and interests. I also offer photography tours and tours of historical monuments and museums. Old Dhaka tours start at 1000 BDT per person with savings for larger groups (2 people: 1500 BDT, 3 people: 1800 BDT, 4 people: 2000 BDT). If hotel pick-up and drop-off is required, add 3000 BDT for groups of up to 3 people and 3500 BDT for groups of up to six people. This price does not include the cost of food, drinks and entrance tickets. Tours start at 7:30am or 2:30pm.
> South Old Dhaka Tour: Meet at Ahsan Manzil (Pink Palace) if hotel or residence pick-up isn't required. Walk to Hindu street to visit Old Dhaka's most colourful street that evokes the sights and sounds of Kolkata (Calcutta), India. Walk to the area just outside of St Gregory's School to watch workers make the bright rickshaws that flood Dhaka's streets. Visit a rickshaw worker's house to buy rickshaw art to take home as a souvenir. Explore an area rich in pre-Mughal Dhaka architecture to see houses and a former grand palace from that period. Take in the sights and sounds of the spice, fruit and vegetable market along the riverside and see produce from rural Bangladesh offloaded from ships for the Dhaka market. Take a boat across the Bariguna river to see shipmaking and shipbreaking yards. Get off the boat to explore these yards on foot and visit Bangladesh's infamous garment factories that produce for the domestic market. Take the boat upstream to relax and see the sights along the river bank including Sadarghat, Bangladesh's biggest domestic port. Get off the boat at Ashan Manzil (Pink Palace) to explore the former residence of the city's wealthiest landowner and administrator from 1872. Visit the Armenian Church dating from 1781, which serves as a testament of the once thriving Armenian community. Visit Star Mosque, an usual mosque with striking mosaic decoration. This tour takes approximately five hours though this varies depending on your desired pace. Expect lots of walking. I can accommodate lunch and snack breaks if you're interested in trying some of the best Bengali food in Dhaka including a stop that features Old Dhaka's famous mutton biryani.
> North Old Dhaka Tour plus Parliament: Meet at Lalbagh Fort if hotel or residence pick-up isn't required. Take a tour of Lalbagh Fort, an incomplete Mughal palace fortress that was built by the same family that built the Taj Mahal. Take a stroll around the palace to see one of the few public gardens in Dhaka. Visit the 11th century Dhakeswari Temple, the most prominent temple of Dhaka and the source of Dhaka's name. Take a walk to Boro and Choto, two of the oldest residences in Dhaka. Visit Hossaini Dalan, a mosque for the small Shiite population in Bangladesh that features beautiful Arabic calligraphy. Visit the Lord Curzon Hall at Dhaka University, a European-Mughal style building. Travel by CNG to end the day with a visit to the grounds of the Parliament Building. I can accommodate lunch and snack breaks if you're interested in trying some of the best Bengali food in Dhaka including a stop that serves over twenty vegetarian dishes.
> Old Dhaka Tour North and South Highlights: Meet at Lalbagh Fort if hotel or residence pick-up isn't required. Take a rickshaw or walk for fifteen minutes to board a boat at the Buriganga river. Relax and take in the sights along the river as the boat travels downstream. Get off and walk to the Armenian church dating from 1781, which serves as a testament of the once thriving Armenian community. End the day with a visit to Ashan Manzil (Pink Palace), the former residence of the city's wealthiest landowner and administrator from 1872. This tour takes approximately four hours though this varies depending on your desired pace. I can accommodate lunch and snack breaks if you're interested in trying some of the best Bengali food in Dhaka. Day Tours from Dhaka: These tours offer a great day escape from the chaos of Dhaka to show you the lighter side of Bangladesh.
Day tours start at 1500 BDT per person with savings for larger groups. If transportation is required, add about 3500 BDT for groups of up to 3 people and 4500 for groups of up to six people. Multi-day Tours from Dhaka: Bangladesh's true beauty lies well outside its crowded and polluted cities. These mutli-day tours offer you a chance to see places where few foreigners venture.
Who am I? I was born and raised in rural Bangladesh in the eastern southern part of the country. I moved to Dhaka four years ago to study English Literature and started meeting and speaking with tourists as they were out exploring the city. I became passionate about showing people the Bangladesh I know and love and engaging with other nationalities. In 2011, I started with small encounter tours and in 2013 I broadened my offerings nationwide. For a blog post written by an American tourist who I showed around Old Dhaka in 2012, please click here: https://ridingrickshaw.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/a-day-in-old-dhaka/. I am fluent in English and am teaching myself German, French, Spanish, Italian and Dutch. For more information on my tours, please contact me at +88 01674324243.
