Dhaka Transportation

The taxi drivers in Dhaka are possibly the worst in the world. No, forget possibly - they are! It's not that they try to rob you or deafen you with loud music. They're mostly friendly and fairly safe drivers, and few try to overcharge (it's on a meter anyway).

But not a single one of them - not one! - has the slightest clue where they're going!

Admittedly, Dhaka is a chaotic, sprawling city that doesn't follow any of the usual conventions of town planning, but these guys seem to get lost going round a corner! After a week in Dhaka I was giving them directions! The incredible traffic means that journeys take far longer than they might do elsewhere, but it doesn't help having to go round in circles for half an hour asking passers by for the way. Good drivers are like gold dust - I eventually found one, took his mobile number and then used him all the time. Otherwise you're probably better off walking.

There are about 350,000 of these things in Dhaka alone, and they're found at every street corner and junction - many drivers scraping a living off one fare a day. If you're a visitor here then you have to ride in one at least once. You're driven around by a man on a bike while sitting in a carriage attached to the back, which fortunately has a cover for when it chucks it down with rain.

Brightly painted in all kinds of colours and patterns they make for a far more aesthetically attractive and environmentally friendly form of transport than the tuk-tuks that dominate most other parts of Asia. Unfortunately they're also much slower (not a bad thing I suppose, if you're sightseeing) and extremely uncomfortable. One person is ok but two is pushing it a bit unless you're very small!

The easierst way to enter Bangladesh is when you arrive at Dhaka Zia International Airport.

Beside the National carrier of Bangladesh, "Biman Bangladesh Airlines" you have several other carriers flying into Dhaka.

Malaysia Airlines
Thai Airways
Dragon Air (Hong Kong)
Indian Airlines
Silk Air
Druk Air

Saudi Arabian Airlines
Kuwait Airways
Gulf Air
Oman Air
Qatar Airways
Emirates

and others ...

Emirates Airlines
Bangladesh Airways
A long procession of the famous three wheeled rickshaws through Dhaka's high street.
Rickshaws are relied upon for transport and livelihood for a great number of people.
For the casual tourist, they can provide hours of pleasure as they jingle their way
the through the capital, giving one the sense of time as it is in Bangladesh.

rickshaws, you can't beat them. (Join them)
Hmmm, still, is it wrong of me to feel a bit guilty when someone else is pedalling me in the hot sun, and all I do is sit there? Feels a bit uneasy if you ask me.

You can get to Bangladesh by air or by land. If you are trying to make an overland crossing it can only be done from two legal land border crossing areas with India. Myanmar does not have an overland border crossing area open to foreigners. The easiest way to get to Bangladesh is by air. From Bangkok you can arrange a ticket on Binman Airlines one way to Dhaka for $105 usd...or you can fly from Calcutta, India for apx. $75 usd.
Once inside Bangladesh there are long distant bus services. Another option is to take the train but overcrowding can be a big problem. The best way to get around while in the city is by a baby taxi or a rickshaw. Baby taxi's can get you around the entire city of Dhaka if you don't mind breathing in the thick, choking, polluted air. Typical fare for a baby taxi from ZIA International Airport to the city center is between 60 to 100 TK (a little over $1).

Aeroflot flights from Moscow on every Monday and Thursday night with noon arrival, price-wise the best option. KL flights from Amsterdam to Dubai and then Emirates to Dhaka is the choice of those who go for comfort.
taxis, baby-taxis. Avoid buses.