Safety in Bangladesh

Traffic: the single biggest threat to you here is the roads, where rules are largely notional. Take real care crossing streets and think twice about open rickshaws on main highways.

Water: tap water is unsafe, including for brushing your teeth. Skip ice in drinks and pre-cut fruit, which is where most travellers' stomach infections come from.

Crowds: pickpocketing happens in busy parts of Dhaka and in markets, so hold your phone firmly. Expect also to be surrounded by curious people who simply want to look at you, which is harmless.

The Hill Tracts: visiting Bandarban and Rangamati districts requires a permit from the authorities, arranged in advance in Chittagong. Without it you will be turned back at the first checkpoint.

Insects: dengue and malaria are both present, particularly in rural areas and the forest. Use a strong repellent and sleep under a net.

Demonstrations: avoid political gatherings and rallies in the capital entirely, since situations escalate quickly. Follow the news and check your own government's travel advisory before and during the trip.

After dark: don't walk alone in unfamiliar areas at night. Use a ride-hailing app rather than flagging something down in the street.

Bangladesh receives few tourists and an industry of deception has not developed. The main difficulties are chaos and formalities rather than fraudsters.

Taxis and CNGs. The three-wheeled gas auto-rickshaws are required to run meters and never do. Agree in advance and ask your hotel for a benchmark. Uber and Pathao operate in Dhaka and settle the question entirely.

"Guides." At Lalbagh Fort and in Old Dhaka a walk is offered at a verbally quoted price. Agree in figures.

Currency exchange. Change at banks. Street changers offer better rates but short-change and pass old notes.

River trips. Cruises on the Buriganga and into the Sundarbans are sold by a dozen outfits. Check for life jackets: overloaded boats sink regularly in Bangladesh, and it is a systemic problem rather than a rarity.

Donations. Requests for money outside mosques and in the streets are constant and insistent. Decide for yourself, but do not produce large notes.

Alcohol. Prohibited for Muslims and permitted to non-Muslims only in licensed hotel bars and by permit. Importing it is prohibited. Drinking in the street is unthinkable.

Drugs. Among the harshest laws in the region, with the death penalty for trafficking. Foreigners are treated the same as everyone else.

Drones. Import without permission is prohibited and devices are confiscated at customs.

Photography. Military installations, bridges, airports, ports and government buildings are off limits, as are women without permission.

The Chittagong Hill Tracts. Visiting Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachhari requires a permit for foreigners, and some districts are closed because of tensions with local communities. Apply in advance.

Political action and hartals. General strikes with road blockades are a regular part of life and come with clashes and vehicles set alight. A foreigner should stay in the hotel on those days rather than watch.

Religious sensitivities. Society is conservative and remarks about religion are taken extremely badly. This is a subject not to touch.

Dress. Covered shoulders and knees in any city, and a scarf is advisable for women.

Dengue is the main infectious threat. Bangladesh is experiencing the largest dengue epidemics in its history, running to hundreds of thousands of cases a season, with Dhaka the epicentre. The mosquito bites by day. Repellent, long sleeves and a net are essential, and a high fever means a blood test immediately.

Water — categorically not from the tap. A distinctive Bangladeshi problem: groundwater across much of the country is contaminated with naturally occurring arsenic, which affects well water in rural areas. Drink only bottled water from known brands.

Dhaka's air. The city regularly ranks first in global air pollution tables, especially in winter. A proper mask makes sense.

Vaccinations. Hepatitis A, typhoid, rabies and Japanese encephalitis are advised. A yellow fever certificate is required from arrivals out of endemic countries.

Roads. The road death rate is among the world's highest. Night-time intercity journeys are the riskiest element of any trip here.

Cyclones. Seasons run April–May and October–November. The coast and delta flood.

Healthcare. Weak. Dhaka has acceptable private hospitals (Square, Evercare); everything else is not. Anything serious means evacuation to Bangkok or Singapore. Insurance with evacuation cover is essential.

Bangladesh sits in the lower part of the Corruption Perceptions Index and extortion is widespread.

Tourist police. They exist and operate in Dhaka, Cox's Bazar and the Sundarbans. Foreigners are treated attentively — visitors are few and attract interest.

Document checks. These occur, particularly near the government quarter and at the entrances to the hill districts. Keep your passport and permits with you.

Reporting theft. Reports are taken and certificates for insurers issued, but the process is long.

The political situation. The country goes through periods of mass protest and unrest with road closures and airport shutdowns. Follow the news and your foreign ministry's advice before and during a trip.

A foreigner stands out. Tourists are few and attention will be constant: conversations, requests for photographs, invitations. Mostly this is genuine interest rather than a prelude to deception.

Emergency number is 999, working nationwide with English-speaking operators.