If Bangladesh was a human being, its rivers would be its arteries, the passages that supported all life in the waterborne country. In historical times, Bangladesh’s rivers were its roadways—all trade, transport and commerce would have commenced on veins of the country’s massive river network. During the monsoon, these channels dominate the landscape of Bangladesh, causing constant floods and inundating more than half the country at the peak of the wet season. The strength and power of these rivers cannot be denied. Their meandering pathways constantly foil the meagre attempts of human beings to bring these rivers under control via embankments or circumvent them with bridges—the rivers simply change course every few hundred years. The flooding causes constant havoc to thousands of unfortunate souls, but they also bringing life giving sediment from the Himalayas where ever they go.
The people of Bengal have long been adapting to their shifting landscape. In order to move agricultural goods around the country and capture a rich bounty of fish from the rivers, they have created an extraordinary diversity of wooden boats. Just 10 or 15 years ago, these boats were either tugged up and down rivers by men on the shore or equipped with simple sails in there was a breeze.
When Frenchman Yves Marre first set sight on these boats he was amazed at their diversity. He was so impressed that he decided to start Contic Tours in the late 1990s. He purchased a series of wooden boats and significantly upgraded their interiors in order to make them ready for tourist trips on the various rivers of Bangladesh, including the channels surrounding Dhaka. There are now three vessels in his little fleet, with the most common tour taken is a day cruise in the nearby countryside.
Restoration and maintenance of these boats requires constant attention and care. The B613 is a historic cargo boat with gigantic tangerine sails that can be hoisted on to a 20-foot mast. It is equipped with six luxurious rooms and dark wooden panelling throughout, and can be used for overnight tours as well as day trips. The Fleche D’Or is a 40-seat passenger boat that is primarily used for cruising the river channels around Dhaka. Meals served on both boats are delicious and give guests the opportunity to enjoy a genuine experience of Bangladesh’s rivers.
Unfortunately, the historic versions of Bangladesh’s sailing vessels are gradually disappearing. With the arrival of cheap Chinese irrigation pumps in Bangladesh, most of the river people have traded in their sails for the speedier engine versions of their boats. Contic is one of the few—in fact it is probably the only one—working to preserve the riverine boats of Bangladesh. By offering tours in their historic boats, travellers are voting to preserve this dying boat-building tradition. Finally, Contic Tours also works closely with Friendship, an NGO that has created unique floating hospitals that service the poorest of Bangladesh’s river people. Friendship is headed by Runa Khan, who is Yves Marre’s wife. All in all, the choice to travel with Contic is an excellent one, not only for the wonderful experience of visiting Bangladesh’s rivers up close, but to support their development initiatives as well.