Away With The Steiners

A unique village homestay in Bangladesh at Taabu Ekduaria

Sarah Steiner

I’m still wondering quite how to begin sharing our incredible experience staying in this small village homestay in Bangladesh; so I’ll start from the beginning…

Our first glimpse at sunrise saw us surrounded by rice fields, ponds and lakes, mango trees, jackfruit, farmers, cows, chickens and children playing as they got ready for school. 

And our first task was to get what we needed for breakfast – milk a cow – collect vegetables from the farms and garden and help cook it in the mud kitchen outside.

Ready to find out more?

Absolutely the highlight of our travel in Bangladesh.

What exactly is a homestay? 

A homestay in Bangladesh is a chance to get out of the city and stay in a small, rural village.

The accommodation provided is inside a local family home.

At Taabu Ekduaria we stayed with Jafar and his mother, Nahar in their family home. The surrounding homes of the village were extended family and relatives.

We got to meet them too and felt very comfortable in their home. (It was an emotional farewell at the end of our stay!).

Harry ready to cook homemade chapati on the outdoor fire.

How does a homestay in Bangladesh work? 

A homestay in Bangladesh is exactly as it reads: you are being welcomed into a family home.

How it differs from other types of accommodation available in Bangladesh (such as a hotel or motel) is that it provides meals and other activities as part of the accommodation experience.

Taabu Ekduaria has two bedrooms each with a queen size bed and ensuite with shower and western style toilet.   

10 reasons we recommend a village homestay in Bangladesh

And why you should definitely visit the villages of Bangladesh.

1. For your own curiosity 

Have you ever stayed in a remote village and truly seen how people live so differently?

It’s fascinating. And interesting to us. Because it’s so different.

But for the villagers; what we see as amazing is everyday life.

2. Meet a Bangladeshi family 

It’s not that easy in travel while staying in hotels around the country to really meet a local family.

A homestay in Bangladesh gives you a completely different opportunity to meet a family and see the untainted/un-touched by tourism way of family life.

Spreading harvested rice out to dry.

3. Get off the beaten track 

Because seriously, how many people do you know that have stayed in a rural village in Bangladesh?

If you are traveling in Bangladesh already, the chances are you seek travel off the beaten track. (You’re already halfway there!).

A homestay experience is everything that off-the-beaten-track entails.

4. Taste the best fresh home cooking 

If you are lucky enough to stay with Jafar and his Mum, Nahar – she is the most amazing/incredible/fabulous cook!

Their hospitality is outstanding, and you will not only try many new foods but taste different styles of local dishes. And you can even help and learn to cook these yourself…

Fresh scrambled eggs and fried paratha for breakfast.

5. Slow down and get out of the city

Dhaka is insane. There’s no other way to describe it. It’s one of the most densely populated cities in the world.

Take a break at village pace and slow right down.

Priorities change, and life just moves more slowly.

6. Get a feel for village life

There are all kinds of ways to do this. Even just taking a walk through the village is an adventure that will give you a chance to get a feel for life in the village.

Or, if you want to take that one step further and join in and have a go with chores you could do like Gavin and offer to help the farmers…

That’s Gavin with a haystack on his head.

7. Support the local community

It’s a good feeling knowing that money spent doesn’t leave the village.

Food for your stay is locally purchased or traded. The rickshaw driver lives next door. And buying a local chai or some fresh cow’s milk all helps support local families.

8. See inside a local home (or lots of homes!)

Trust me, hospitality in the village is so special. You won’t walk far without being waved over and welcomed to come inside somebodies’ home and have a seat under the fan.

Don’t worry about language, it’s universal to appreciate a beautifully kept home. And to ask how many children they have, or how old their baby is.

This was one (another) of the major highlights for me. (I officially lost count of how many homes I entered, sat down and was given a cold drink or some fruit to eat).

These two girls took Harry and I to their family homes and introduced us to everyone.

9. Try something new

New foods? New fruits? Try a new way of fishing?

There is much to learn in the village and plenty of experiences that will be everyday life in the village; but completely new to you.

10. Share an experience that someone else will treasure

Without doubt our experience in a village in Bangladesh is something we will never ever forget. But I am also confident that for some of these children in the school we visited that they too may remember the day they met a family from New Zealand.

It’s a great feeling to be able to communicate despite language barriers and make someone else’s day with a smile and a laugh too.

A visit to the primary school classroom (with quite a crowd).

Highlights of our homestay in Bangladesh at Taabu Ekduaria

There is so much to share about this special village and the experience of doing a homestay in Bangladesh.  Here are some of the highlights for us from Taabu Ekduaria. 

Fishing in the village (in the local way)

Wondering what all the ponds and small lakes are for in the village?  Some of them are for washing and bathing but many are fish nursery and farming ponds. 

Harry is our (very) enthusiastic little fisherman and he was so happy to have a go fishing the way the villagers do.  

It’s a team effort with just a triangular net; where two of the men herd the fish towards a corner for one to scoop up in the net. (Not as easy as it sounds!).  

Fishing the local way in Ekduaria Village.

Trying new fruits (and watching how they climb to pick them!)

A new fruit for us!  This type of palm tree is native to South Asia and like a coconut tree.  But the fruit is quite different – a bit more like a lychee? 

But fruit aside, this was one of our favourite outings through the village. It turned into an adventure on its own with a team of young guys who climb these trees with such energy!

They picked huge bunches, dropped them down from the tree top and we found a lake-side spot to sit (and eat them all).

Trying new fruits in the village.

Visiting the village school(s)

It’s no secret this is always a highlight for me.

Our neighbour in the village invited us to the local primary school where her 5-year-old son goes. And we had a full visit with Ekduaria High School – led by a very inspiring principal with huge goals for his students and community.

I asked two of the senior girls what they wanted to do when they finish school… One wants to be a doctor and the other to study business.  

Ekduaria High School science class.

And I truly believe they will.

Making breakfast in the mud kitchen (oh, and collecting fresh vegetables to cook)

Our first morning task was to milk the cow. We collected duck eggs.

Then we headed to the nearby gardens to pick okra, eggplant and squash to make breakfast.

For Gavin this was his first time cooking in a mud-kitchen. And he did an awesome job.

We had homemade scrambled duck eggs, fried okra and eggplant with masala (something that he couldn’t give a name to; but it tasted great in the end!).

Visiting a nearby museum

We took an electric rickshaw for the day to a neighbouring village to see ancient temples and mosques from pre-BC times amongst the Wari-Bateshwar ruins in Narsingdi.  

In one village we stopped at the humble but incredible private museum of Mr Pathan.

Mr Pathan’s father started collecting artefacts in 1930 and he has continued his fathers work, collecting hundred of ancient coins and artefacts from the area.

Mr Pathan’s private museum in Narsingdi.

Village evenings drinking chai

A simple outing but we enjoyed the first evening out drinking chai and playing carrom so much we did it a second night too.  

Playing carrom with the locals.

A whole-village soccer game

Harry saw some boys playing soccer the day before and by lunchtime the following day they had arranged an entire village soccer game – on a rice field!  

A whole-village soccer game (on a rice field).

And much, much more. 

What to bring with you to the homestay?

Only 10Tk for a cup of chai but the experience is priceless.

How to book a homestay in Bangladesh

To stay in Ekduaria Village contact host Jafar Tuhin of Taabu Ekduaria directly on +880 1969-404414.

Jafar is an incredible host, with fluent English and very easy to be around.

We arrived as guests and left as friends.

Jafar is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide for city tours of Dhaka and the neighbouring ancient city of Sonargaon too.

I highly recommend a day tour of Old Dhaka including the sights, bazars and fascinating huge ship breaking yards.

Contact him directly – you will not be disappointed!

Getting to Ekduaria Homestay in Bangladesh

Jafar will arrange transpot to the village for you in a comfortable minivan or air-conditioned car.

The drive is around 2 hours from Dhaka to Ekduaria Village in Narsingdi district.

Where to stay in Dhaka and other parts of Bangladesh 

Here is the list of where we stayed during our travels in Bangladesh.  

Read the reviews on booking sites and use Google Maps to check out accommodation and locations before you book.  

Fresh jackfruit from the garden on our first morning in the village with Jafar (feeling like the luckiest travellers to have ended up in Ekduaria Village!).

I hope we can return someday.

It was an emotional goodbye from Ekduaria Village, in rural Bangladesh.

The hospitality we have experienced is unlike anywhere else and I know our week of experiences in a homestay in Bangladesh will be those we will treasure forever…

More about travel planning to get you to a homestay in Bangladesh and beyond…

These are the companies we use while traveling fulltime as a family and that we would recommend to anyone planning and booking travel. 

Read more travel tips from South Asia

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