For decades the primary gateway connecting northern and western Bengal to Dhaka by ferry, Aricha Ghat remains a lively riverfront destination situated near the confluence of the Jamuna and Padma rivers. Wooden country trawlers and speedboats ferry passengers across expansive sandy river islands, where seasonal mustard blooms carpet the banks in winter. In the evening, visitors gather along the concrete embankment to watch river sunsets and feast on freshly caught fried ilish, baghair, and boal fish cooked to order.
- Best time
- October to February for winter river sunsets
- Give it
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Entry is free; thirty-minute wooden boat cruises into the Jamuna cost roughly ৳300 to ৳500 per boat
How to get to Aricha Ghat
Direct buses from Dhaka Gabtoli run along the N5 highway directly to Aricha Ghat terminus in roughly 2 to 2.5 hours (৳150–৳200).
Manikganj town is about 65 km from Dhaka, around 1.5 hours by road. Every way to get there is in the Manikganj guide.
More to see in Manikganj
Photo: Masud Reza Ibn Amin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Baliati Palace বালিয়াটি প্রাসাদ
A large 19th-century zamindar estate in Saturia comprising seven distinct palace blocks with grand neoclassical colonnades.
- Best time
- October to March; closed Sundays and half-day Mondays
- Give it
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Entry ticket costs roughly ৳20 for Bangladeshi citizens and roughly ৳300 for foreign visitors; parking is about ৳30
Photo: Asif Zaman, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Teota Zamindar Bari তেওতা জমিদার বাড়ি
An expansive 17th-century riverside palace estate in Shibalaya linked to National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam and Promila Devi.
- Best time
- November to February during winter afternoons
- Give it
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Grounds are free to explore; auto-rickshaw hire from Utholi costs roughly ৳100 to ৳150
Photo: Nasir Khan Saikat, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Teota Navaratna Temple তেওতা নবরত্ন মন্দির
A towering 75-foot four-tiered terracotta temple featuring nine ornamental spires and a historic dolmancha.
- Best time
- October to March during bright morning light
- Give it
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free to enter and photograph from the temple courtyard; local transport is roughly ৳50