8 places to visit during Eid holidays
The Eid vacation will be here soon and many of us have been planning to turn these days into a lifetime memory. Instead of staying indoors, let us go somewhere this Eid, far from the madding crowd. We chose eight beautiful places, both in the country and abroad, for you.
Kaptai Lake, Rangamati: For adventure lovers, Kaptai Lake can be a good option to do a bit of canoeing in nature. Although the weather is quite hot, exploring the waters on a speedboat will take away the heat. An added bonus will be enjoying rain on Kaptai; this experience will be hard to forget. From Dhaka, take a bus to Rangamati. Once you reach the city, you can arrange for the speedboat tour. Tour companies like Promodini Boat Life also provide houseboat facilities.
Tanguar Haor, Sunamganj: Monsoon is the best time to visit Tanguar Haor. The vast water body swells with rainwater and creates gorgeous views during sunset and sunrise. There are quite a few tour companies like Bojra - The House Boat and others who provide houseboat facilities. From Dhaka, you can take the bus to Sunamganj and then spend a few days on the houseboat.
Ratargul, Sylhet: After Tanguar Haor, you can go to Ratargul Swamp Forest. You have to explore it on small, wooden boats. Sunrise at Ratargul is breathtaking but you have to contact Ratargul's boatmen association beforehand to put in a request for a boat at that time. Ratargul Shohel Square Eco Resort and Ratargul Holiday Home are some of the places you can stay.
Areas surrounding Dhaka: If you are interested in spending the Eid days in Dhaka, your travel destinations could include Panamnagar (Sonargaon), Mughal forts at Munshiganj, Narayanganj, and green villages and large water bodies in Narsingdi. These day trips in and around Dhaka can be like picnics too if you include friends and families.
Meghalaya, India: You can visit Meghalaya through the Dawki (Jaflong) border in Sylhet. It is one of the top vacation destinations for its waterfalls, caves, pristine forests, living root bridges, clean villages and bazaars, and of course, for Shilong, the capital of Meghalaya and the rock capital of India. The locals are quite friendly and their food is a true delicacy.
Darjeeling, India: The once top summer destination during the colonial period is still the most popular summer destination for Bangalis. You can take a train to Siliguri after reaching Kolkata or cross the Fulbari border point at Panchagarh. One can easily spend a few days just by hanging around the Mall, riding the toy train, visiting the Oxford book store, and drinking hot chocolate at Keventer's rooftop.
Sri Lanka: Currency devaluation has turned Sri Lanka into a top destination for international tourists. From Dhaka, you can fly to Colombo and make a plan for a week to hang around, it can be around Kandy, inland or just the coast. But no matter what, don't miss visiting Sigiriya, the fortress city which is still the most popular destination in Sri Lanka.
Vietnam: It would be a fantastic plan to fly to Hanoi, visit Cu Chi tunnel from the Vietnam war, enjoy the water puppet show, visit the mediaeval city of Hoi An and Mui Ne, and end up in Ho chi Minh city to see the mausoleum of the great leader and spend at least one night in the majestic Ha Long Bay. The street foods are amazing here, especially Pho (spicy soup noodle). Vietnam is also a paradise for budget travellers.
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