The Base Camp Bangladesh: Next level in tourism | The Business Standard
Skip to main content
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • Subscribe
    • Get the Paper
    • Epaper
    • GOVT. Ad
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

The Base Camp Bangladesh: Next level in tourism

Located in Gojariapara, Gazipur, The Base Camp Bangladesh is the first campground of the country offering different adrenaline pumping activities, with the tagline “Unleash your inner tiger”.
The Base Camp Bangladesh: Next level in tourism

Explorer

Jasmin Nahar
19 August, 2020, 12:35 pm
Last modified: 19 August, 2020, 05:24 pm

Related News

  • 5 BNP men sued over extorting, attacking auto drivers in Gazipur; one arrested
  • Sramik Dal leader arrested in Gazipur extortion case
  • Train service resumes after three-hour disruption in Gazipur
  • Tourism Board limps amid manpower shortage, poor budget
  • National University student stabbed dead by muggers in Gazipur

The Base Camp Bangladesh: Next level in tourism

Located in Gojariapara, Gazipur, The Base Camp Bangladesh is the first campground of the country offering different adrenaline pumping activities, with the tagline “Unleash your inner tiger”.

Jasmin Nahar
19 August, 2020, 12:35 pm
Last modified: 19 August, 2020, 05:24 pm

If you are tired of the city life, The Base Camp Bangladesh would be the ideal place to go for a retreat.

It offers outdoor activities, expeditions and adventure to make you feel closer to nature. At the same time, it gives you the chance to become more active.  

 What makes Base Camp stand out from other eco resorts is their various activities like zip-lining, tree-top activities, tyre run, brain teasers like treasure hunt, swimming etc with a set of very skilled and amiable trainers who are always there to help the campers.

The Business Standard Google News Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel

Download/Print

This correspondent spoke with Tamzid Siddiq Spondon, managing director of The Base Camp Bangladesh at his office in Karwan Bazar.

"We felt that our children were deprived of the environment in which we grew up in. After researching on the history and culture of this sub-continent, I realised that people of this area suffer from lack of confidence," said Spondon, once a scout, describing how he and his other five partners came up with the idea and started their venture in 2015.

"It is not possible to transform a man completely but we believe that everyone has potential and they can do anything if they want. That is why 'Unleash your inner tiger' is our tagline," explained Spondon.

During the pandemic, the swimming pool is accessible to individual families only, on a private arrangement.

Download/Print

Group intakes have been limited to ensure social distancing.

While individual activities are still being operated, group activities are not in operation.

The Base Camp has been getting high attention from the clients – from school goers to the elderly.

During peak seasons, more than 80 percent of it is occupied, including weekdays.

At the moment, they are taking reservations on a limited scale.

As soon as campers enter the premises, their temperature is checked and they are provided with masks and gloves. 

Multiple sanitisation stations have been installed throughout the camp.

Special focus is given to staff hygiene and cleanliness, all staff members wear masks, gloves and goggles.

They also have to go through strict screenings every day to ensure they are not showing any symptoms.

Spondon and his partners expanded their ideas with two more resorts in 2018 – NeoCampers situated at Savar and Munlai (middle area) at Bandarban.

NeoCampers is more community based, unlike Base Camp which is more self-centric. 

While Base Camp offers adrenaline-rush activities, campers have to live in safari tents in NeoCampers while doing carpentry, pottery, meditation etc.

Munlai offers a whole different scenario.

Spondon and his team partnered with the Bawm tribe living in the Hill Tracts and some houses have been transformed to homestay with modern facilities like water supply and electricity.

"Generally other resorts go and uproot ethnic communities from their land but we are actually working with them. They even get 50 percent of the revenue we earn," says Spondon.

Currently, NeoCampers is operating following the same guidelines as Base Camp.

Munlai is still restricted, but will open soon as movement restriction in the area is scheduled to be lifted later this month.

Campers have to book everything including camp, food, trained guides, and activities they will participate prior to going to the camps.

Depending on the duration of stay each person has to pay from Tk2700 to Tk9000. People often go solo without participating in any activities just to relax.

Base camp offers day trips and night outs and people can camp for one to seven days.

NeoCampers offers up to five-day stay while in Munlai one can stay for 15 days.

The maximum number of guests allowed has been reduced to maintain social distance.

If a single group size is more than 20, then other groups are not booked on the same dates.

Challenges Base Camp faces in tourism

Spondon and his partners started their venture with an ambition to change the tourism landscape of Bangladesh.

"Bangladesh lacks tourism ecosystem. Everyone is on their own. Other countries have links among hotels, transports, amusement parks, tour guides, travel operators etc, but we do not," said Spondon.

"Still, we have enough potential to become one of the tourist hubs in this region," he said confidently.

"We do not own any land, we just convert and operate there. We have been very successful in the last five years," he added.

According to Spondon, sometimes people invest in tourism without doing any business calculation or financial modelling.

Bangladesh's tourism market is not yet ready for big investments. It is often heard that people are investing Tk100-300 crore, which is not feasible.

Spondon advises new investors that if they want to invest around the capital, they should not invest more than Tk15 crore.

Bangladesh has only Cox's Bazar which runs year-round as a tourist spot but others are seasonal.

So, if investors begin working on projects without calculating properly, this can be disastrous for them.

"Tourism ecosystem has various revenue heads like rooms, food, conference rooms, activities etc. It is impossible to recover the investment with the present tourism ecosystem in Bangladesh. Everything is expensive in our country than abroad, which is why we have to be expensive too," he said.

He added, "Yet the resorts cannot increase our revenues. That is why it takes time to reach the break-even point. Bangladesh also does not have as many foreign tourists as neighbouring countries do. We have to mainly depend on domestic tourists."

Base Camp is planning to expand further with building one resort every year and has its eyes on Cox's Bazar, Shrimangal, and Rangamati. It has also been working with government in various projects and has tourism agencies under them.

Apart from providing physical and mental activities for the routine bound people, Base Camp has succeeded in strengthening the bonding between the campers while taking part as groups.

The pandemic has impacted Base Camp as much as other businesses, if not more.

However, the camp authority is confident of overcoming this difficult period and will soon be on track for their future projects.


The photos were provided by Base Camp authorities

 

Features / Top News

base camp / Tourism / tourism in bangladesh / Travel Bangladesh / Gazipur / resort

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Infograph: TBS
    Liquidation of troubled NBFIs may cost govt Tk12,000cr in taxpayer money
  • Infograph: TBS
    Dhaka to seek G2G coal import, investment in solar plants in CA’s visit to Jakarta
  • Tarique Rahman. Sketch: TBS
    Tarique urges all to stay alert against election sabotage plot

MOST VIEWED

  • Representational Photo: Collected
    Railway allocates special trains for Jamaat's national rally in Dhaka
  • Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and SpaceX Vice President Lauren Dreyer after a meeting at state guest house Jamuna on 18 July 2025. Photo: Focus Bangla
    SpaceX VP Lauren Dreyer praises Bangladesh's efficiency in facilitating Starlink launch
  • Dollar rate falling fast – what it means for the economy
    Dollar rate falling fast – what it means for the economy
  • Governments often rely on foreign loans. Russia’s loans covered 90% of the Rooppur Nuclear Power plant project's cost. Photo: Collected
    Loan tenure for Rooppur plant extended 
  • Representational image. Photo: Unsplash
    Mobile operators give 1GB free data to users observing 'Free Internet Day' today
  • Smuggled goods seized at Sylhet border on 18 July 2025. Photo: TBS
    BGB seizes smuggled Indian goods worth Tk6cr from Sylhet border areas

Related News

  • 5 BNP men sued over extorting, attacking auto drivers in Gazipur; one arrested
  • Sramik Dal leader arrested in Gazipur extortion case
  • Train service resumes after three-hour disruption in Gazipur
  • Tourism Board limps amid manpower shortage, poor budget
  • National University student stabbed dead by muggers in Gazipur

Features

Tottho Apas have been protesting in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka for months, with no headway in sight. Photo: Mehedi Hasan

From empowerment to exclusion: The crisis facing Bangladesh’s Tottho Apas

8h | Panorama
The main points of clashes were in Jatrabari, Uttara, Badda, and Mirpur. Violence was also reported in Mohammadpur. Photo: TBS

20 July 2024: At least 37 killed amid curfew; Key coordinator Nahid Islam detained

8h | Panorama
Jatrabari in the capital looks like a warzone as police, alongside Chhatra League men, swoop on quota reform protesters. Photo: Mehedi Hasan

19 July 2024: At least 148 killed as government attempts to quash protests violently

1d | Panorama
Illustration: TBS

Curfews, block raids, and internet blackouts: Hasina’s last ditch efforts to cling to power

1d | Panorama

More Videos from TBS

After Gopalganj, the reason why NCP is facing obstacles in Cox's Bazar?

After Gopalganj, the reason why NCP is facing obstacles in Cox's Bazar?

10h | TBS Today
What does Jamaat Nayeb Ameer Abdullah Taher say about reforms?

What does Jamaat Nayeb Ameer Abdullah Taher say about reforms?

10h | TBS Today
The tendency of central banks to buy gold is increasing worldwide.

The tendency of central banks to buy gold is increasing worldwide.

11h | Others
Sarjisra’s Message at Jamaat’s Suhrawardy Udyan’s assembly

Sarjisra’s Message at Jamaat’s Suhrawardy Udyan’s assembly

11h | TBS Today
The Business Standard
Top
  • Home
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • About Us
  • Bangladesh
  • International
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Economy
  • Sitemap
  • RSS

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net

Copyright © 2025 THE BUSINESS STANDARD All rights reserved. Technical Partner: RSI Lab