Despite the extremely low standard of living of the vast majority of the population of Bangladesh, the security situation is surprisingly calm almost everywhere, except for large cities. Very few violent crimes are recorded, the main problem is petty theft and cheating. To travel around the country, it is enough to take the usual precautions. Don’t go out alone after dark, don’t carry your passport, large sums of money, or other valuables (it’s recommended to carry no more than $10).

The main “danger” that most tourists face is the tiresome crowds of people all around. The country is extremely overpopulated, and Dhaka and other major cities in particular. A person who is accustomed to peace and quiet will feel real chaos around him, both during the day and at night. The noise level is just as high, it is not easy to find a quiet hotel in the city, almost everywhere there will be a neighborhood with a lively bazaar or a road. These features should not be ignored if you are used to a different lifestyle.

At the same time, increased security measures should be taken in large cities of the country. In recent years, migration from the provinces to the cities is simply colossal, so the outlying areas of Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Narayanganj and others have literally turned into a chaos of slums and unimaginable buildings made of cardboard, bamboo and roofing iron, controlled by criminal gangs. These areas are strongly discouraged from visiting, even with security guards. However, the city center is usually much safer. By the way, areas densely populated by Hindus are practically safe to visit, although there are exceptions here.

Police
On the streets of cities you can always see a lot of representatives of the forces of law and order. It happens that the behavior of local police officers is quite aggressive, but in most cases, police representatives treat tourists politely and try to help in every possible way (often counting on “baksheesh”). In any case, you should have a photocopy of your passport or a hotel guest card with you – local police have certain problems with languages. There are severe fines for possession and trafficking of drugs, and the possession of large (more than 4 grams) quantities of narcotic drugs is punishable by death execution. Therefore, the presence of any medications that may fall under the category of drugs must necessarily be accompanied by a notarized doctor’s prescription, in which a clear translation of the name of the medication into Latin is also desirable – this will save many questions from the police.

Usually all the more or less clean places on the sidewalks are occupied by crowds of merchants; for the rest of the pedestrians, only a narrow passage is left, through which crowds of people always flow. Often here, right on the sidewalks, people are sleeping, beggars are begging, there is cattle intended for sale, someone’s goods are piled in piles. Numerous (and not at all clean!) puddles, inevitable in the humid local climate, clearly hamper the movement. Naturally, in such an environment, gangs of pickpockets and petty swindlers feel at ease, smelling a foreigner literally a mile away. Part of the flow of people is squeezed out onto the roadway, where the situation is no better, especially given the obvious unwillingness of local drivers to comply with any traffic rules.

Guides and conductors
When visiting inland areas, a guide or guide should be carefully chosen, and preference should be given to employees of large specialized firms. However, when hiring a guide on the recommendation of one of the hotel or travel company employees, there are usually no special problems, but subsequently the demand from such a guide will be small. It should also be borne in mind that almost the entire country is a chaos of rivers, streams, lakes and channels, in which even many local residents often find it difficult to navigate, so you should choose a guide very carefully from the point of view of his knowledge of a particular region.

Traffic jams in Dhaka
The traffic problem is so serious that any tourist visiting Bangladesh must be aware of the fantastic traffic jams around and in Dhaka. The chaotic development, narrow roads and the growing number of vehicles have led to a situation where the average speed of movement within the metropolis of Dhaka is only 3-4 km / h. Desperate people line the roads by the thousands as their buses are hopelessly stuck in traffic jams. Travel time to the airport, located less than 10 km from the city center, can take from an hour (at night) to 3-4 hours during the day.

Movement on country
When moving around the city, it is recommended to use an auto rickshaw or a taxi, and they should be chosen on the recommendation of hotel employees. Транспортная система страны развита достаточно слабо, поэтому при путешествии по country придется постоянно пользоваться услугами то местных автобусных или железнодорожных компаний, то речников (реки – основные транспортные артерии страны, по которым перевозится более 90% всех пассажиров и грузов). The technical condition of many vehicles is simply terrifying, and the accident rate is high, so the choice of a vehicle should be treated with increased attention.

Photo and video shooting
Photographing local residents should be done with great care. In rural areas, be sure to ask your subject for prior permission, especially if the subject is a woman. In some cases, you will have to pay for the picture, but usually this is a fairly modest amount, which can also be reduced during the bargaining process. It is strongly not recommended to photograph military installations and objects.