Travel insurance and safety

Last updated 10 October 2026

Travel insurance

Travel insurance is a condition of every booking. Please make sure your policy covers:

• medical treatment in Bangladesh and emergency evacuation or repatriation;
• cancellation and cutting a trip short, so you are covered if you or a family member falls ill before you travel;
• the activities on your tour, such as boat trips in the Sundarbans or hill walks;
• lost or stolen belongings and travel delays.

Policies from Europe, the UK, North America and Australia usually include Bangladesh, but check that your government does not advise against travel to the areas you will visit, as this can affect your cover. Send us your policy number and emergency phone number before you arrive.

How we look after you

• A guide with you throughout. Your guide stays with you on every day of a multi-day tour and knows the route, the hotels and the drivers.
• Checked drivers and vehicles. Experienced drivers in air-conditioned vehicles that we check regularly, with seat belts. We avoid driving after dark on highways where possible.
• Boats and hotels we know. We only use boats with life jackets and hotels we have stayed in or inspected.
• Reachable at all times. Our office team is on WhatsApp for the whole of your tour, day and night.
• Plans that change with the news. We follow local news and government advice, and adjust routes around strikes (hartals), demonstrations or bad weather.

Health

See a travel clinic six to eight weeks before your trip. Advice usually covers routine vaccines and those recommended for South Asia, such as hepatitis A and typhoid.

• Drink bottled or filtered water only. We provide water on all tours.
• Dengue is spread by mosquitoes, mainly during and after the monsoon (June to November). Use repellent and cover up at dusk.
• Malaria risk is low in the main tourist areas but present in parts of the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Ask your clinic if you plan to visit.
• It is hot and humid for much of the year. Drink plenty, wear a hat and rest in the middle of the day.
• Good private hospitals are in Dhaka and Chittagong. Your guide knows the nearest clinic on every route.

Safety

Most visitors find Bangladesh safe and very welcoming, and serious crime against tourists is rare. These are the things we watch out for:

• Traffic is the biggest risk. Cross roads with your guide and avoid rickshaws on main highways.
• Political events such as strikes and demonstrations can happen with little warning. Keep away from crowds and follow your guide’s advice.
• Petty theft happens in crowded markets and stations. Keep valuables out of sight.
• Cyclones and floods occur mainly from April to May and October to November. We change plans whenever a warning is issued.

Read your government’s travel advice before you go, for example from the German Federal Foreign Office, the UK FCDO, the US State Department or Smartraveller in Australia, and register your trip with your embassy if it offers this.

Local customs

Bangladesh is a mostly Muslim country with Hindu, Buddhist and Christian communities. Dress modestly, covering shoulders and knees, remove your shoes at mosques and temples, and ask before photographing people. Alcohol is not widely available. Public displays of affection are frowned on, and same-sex relationships are illegal under Bangladeshi law, so we advise discretion. Your guide is always happy to explain.

Women travelling alone

Many of our guests are women travelling alone. With a guide beside you, you avoid most unwanted attention. Modest clothing and a scarf help, and we can arrange a female guide on request, subject to availability.

In an emergency

• Call your guide first, or our office on WhatsApp at +880 1334-215107.
• National emergency number in Bangladesh (police, fire, ambulance): 999.
• Then call your insurer’s emergency line and, if needed, your embassy in Dhaka.