Natural Beauty of Rangamati

Natural Beauty of Rangamati: Rangamati is actually a village that is 77 kilometers east of Chittagong – the port city of Bangladesh. This can be a nice place for witnessing the naturally beautiful sights in this country and if you think you can travel Far East of South Asia and only then you will be glad to be here. Maybe the name ‘Bangladesh’ won’t be a real familiar to you but if you’re into seeking beautiful places all over the world then you may find the name familiar because of Cox’s Bazar sea beach – the longest beach in the whole globe. Anyway, there are some beautiful places in Bangladesh that can surely please and surprise you even! So Rangamati is one of the most wonderful soothing locations in this country which has all the capacity to impress you thanks to the heritage of this place. Rangamati The Location and Prime Sights As it has already been mentioned that it will take you at least 77km of road journey to reach Rangamati but I haven’t mentioned that it is located just over some islands in the Kaptai Lake. Most of the Bangladeshi citizens try to make use of the soothing condition of Rangamati during the summer because in this country you will get the worst possible heat due to the up to 90% of humidity. But this is not the only reason they come here to spend the summer; it is also because this place is very attractive to behold and you will see for yourself why once you come here. The main attractions are there in the countryside of Rangamati than the in the town because of the beautiful locations and cultural heritage. Buddhist Temple at Rangamati Rangamati: The Lake City Rangamati is also known as the ‘Lake City’ of Bangladesh to most travelers. The beautiful landscapes, the magnificent lake, the scenic beauty and not to forget the multicultural indigenous clans like Marma and Chakma – all add to the value of this place. You can go hiking if you want because there are lots of low to high hills are all over this place and you might want to try it if you’re into hiking. Lake Surrounded By Hills at Rangamati Major Attractions in Rangamati You probably will like the sight of the famous ‘Hanging Bridge’ of Rangamati. This is certainly the major landmark of this place – a major icon of Rangamati. This is a nice tourist spot and you must go there whenever you come to Rangamati. There is also the Gagra waterfall which can be a treat to watch and you can also consider taking boat cruises on the Kaptai Lake which can be a pleasant experience for you. Hanging bridge in Rangamati If you like to have a taste of the culture and tradition of Rangamati, then consider visiting the Tribal Cultural Institute Museum. The museum is one of the most organized and rich museums in the country and here you can find all the famous and rare tokens of the tribal groups who have been living here for centuries. You may like the unique costumes, flutes and other small things that hold the culture and tradition of these tribes. Lastly, if you feel like eating then you can consider eating out at the Green Restaurant – a famous one in this part of the country which strictly maintains the hygiene regulations and produces delicious Bangladeshi food. All of these things you can get at a very low price (if you’re thinking of the USD conversion rates of course!) but Rangamati can be joy to visit and experience if you have time. Photo Gallery ..................................................................................................................... Local People of Rangamati Shuvolong Waterfall

Jaflong in Sylhet

Jaflong in Sylhet:
Generally we don’t associate stone with beauty. Make a visit to Jaflong and you will find this concept doesn’t work here because Jaflong is made picturesque natural beauty by the abundance of stones.

Jaflong is one of the most gorgeous tourist destinations among all the hill tracts of Bangladesh. It is placed in the Sylhet region; only 60 km from city of Sylhet. Jaflong is blessed with the rare beauty of rolling stones from hills. River Mari is flowing within Jaflong from the Himalayas along the hill Khashia which is the main transporter of the stones. Every shapes and sizes stone can be found in plentiful. That’s why it’s the main sources of stone of Bangladesh.

Jaflong is surrounded by hilly jungles which add to its natural beauty. You can travel here via Sylhet. You can go to Sylhet by road, rail and air. After that you can take public bus or hire a microbus for traveling to Jaflong. But it is advised to rent a microbus for a comfortable and enjoyable trip. It will take 1-2 hours to reach Jaflong from Sylhet.

Except of seeing the stones you can also go for a river cruise. You will find many kinds of boat floating in the river. Choose one and fix the rate with the sailor for the river cruise and experience the amazing natural beauty of the river, green hills, forests and of course the stones in the water. The water of the river is so clean and clear that no one can resist. So when you are there don’t forget to have a swim in the river. As Jaflong is most enjoyable when there is water in the river you should visit there in the rainy season.

On the way to Jaflong there are some other magnificent places one must visit such as Tamabil, Sripur, Jointapur's Rajbari etc. Tamabil is the zero point for Bangladesh and India. It’s only 5 km way from Jaflong and has a similar kind of green hilly natural beauty. Recently a beautiful rest house is built in lap of nature. A night at the rest house can be one of the reasons to go there. You need to book the rest house a week before the arrival to Tamabil. You can book from DC (district commissioner) office in Sylhet.

Sripur has a panoramic natural view and a waterfall. Most interesting feature of Sripur is from here you can see some waterfalls of the nearby Indian region. Stones here are very big in size and some of them have risen from the waterfall which makes the place more dazzling and desirable destination from many other places of Bangladesh. Its only 7-8 km from Jaflong and the best thing you can do is visit Sripur on the way back from Jaflong and Tamabil.

From the description its pretty clear that why this region is one of the most visited place of Bangladesh. So any one that hasn’t been there must visit these places and enjoy the unique, splendid & enchanting beauty that nature has stored for you in this region. If you want to travel Bangladesh you must be in Jaflong

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Hamham Waterfall, Moulovibazaar

Hamham Waterfall, Moulovibazaar
This was my second attempt to vanquish the remote waterfall Hummum(হাম্মাম) from Rajkandi(রাজকান্দি) reserve forest, Moulvibazar(মৌলভীবাজার). Last time I couldn't reach towards the waterfall with my team comprises of ten members due to extreme adversity from weather.

Back to the current expedition. This time we are a team having four Sohel, Lr Polok, Anik, Babu(বাবু), and I'm the Demon Hunter. We have commenced our journey at morning 5:00 and  Sohel was driving his car. When we were at Srimangal(শ্রীমঙ্গল) town, it was 8:15 at morning. After our breakfast at a local restaurant, we have started for Champarai Bazaar(চাম্পারাই বাজার). It was several minutes past of 9:00 at when we were at that bazaar.

There, people are now a days trying to make money from the tourists. They are forcing to pick guides from them and possibly it was around 300 taka per guide. Since we have already known to the path, and we have the path loaded on our GPS navigator, we were reluctant to pick any guides. But they were compelling to hire one from them.

By paying 50 Taka, somehow we have managed to escape. From the bazaar we were walking with moderate pace through the muddy road. Interestingly a local tractor(use to transport tea-leafs and other stuffs for tea gardens) offered us a free ride. We enthusiastically accepted the offer. They have dropped us almost near to the Kolabon Para(কলাবন পারা) village.
One of the guy from the village wanted to join us as a guide, but we have denied him politely and thanked him for the offer. Last time there were only one path to reach at the waterfall. But right now people made another twos, possibly shorter in distance. But we didn't know that. We were walking over the new path, and our GPS was showing "Off trek". May be it would be a shortcut, but we didn't want to use this one. So we walked back and picked the right path.
Last time it was raining, so the whole road was packed with tons of blood sucking leeches. But this time it is clean sky with plenty of sunlight. The jungle was warm, and the trek was dry enough to retreat the leeches from the main course.

When we have reached at the Jhiri(ঝিরি), it was having water flowing, but not that much as we have seen last time. We were walking through the Jhiri(ঝিরি) cautiously. The water from the Jhiri(ঝিরি) was not clean like Bandarban(বান্দরবান), too much murky. We have experienced the water height almost up to our waist at some places.
Possibly it was almost 2:00 when we have reached at the waterfall. I was excited by the picturesque beauty of the waterfall, but equally was feeling hapless by the presence of hundreds of tourists who were gathering there. People made that place a picnic spot. They came here with 'picnic lunch packs', but none of them were showing any interest to collect the leftovers. They were just messing that place with those urban stuffs and causing a serious damage over the natural value.

We have to return back to Dhaka by the night. So quickly we jumped inside the water and had a shower for half an hour. It was terribly hot there, but the water from the waterfall usually be cold and which soothed our tiredness instantly.

The waterfall is wider enough compare to others from Bangladesh. Possibly it is 20-30 ft in width, and I'm not sure about the height. May be somewhere between 70-100 ft. The amount of water flow was not that much right now, but it had the minimum number of water to please a visitor like me.
After enjoying the beauty of the Hummam waterfall(হাম্মাম ঝরনা) with such a massive crowd, we started to return back. Like our other tours, we were silent and calm during returning. Non of us talked too much. Just walking and was thinking about what we were leaving.

During walking, nail from my one finger was ripped off from my foot. So I wasn't feeling comfortable in wearing shoes. I have taken my shoe off from my left foot, and walked with only single one. Carried both the shoes at the village, and gifted those to a guy from there. He was initially feeling shy to take those shoes, but later was exulted to get those.

From the village, this time no hitchhiking were available. So we had to walk the entire road until we reached the Champarai Bazar(চাম্পারাই বাজার).

We were messed up by sweating and mud. We wanted to be freshen up from the pond beside the mosque. But interestingly and unfortunately, the dumb Imam from the mosque didn't allow us to do so. There was a temple at the bazaar, and that has a large pond too. People suggested us to use that one, and this time no one did forbid us. After refreshment, two of us went to the mosque for prayer, but again the Imam didn't help(prayer ended half an our ago, so he wasn't interested to open the gate until next prayer).



Before 10 minutes of sunset, we have left the bazaar, and when we have reached at Dhaka, it was almost 12:00. We had a dinner break at a roadside restaurant.

During this tour Lr Polok showed his stamina once again. he did drive the car during both rides, and also trekked with us. More or less we were sleeping at the car, but he was always cogitate until his task was finished.

Few notes about the naming of the waterfall:

** Few people are calling the waterfall as Hummum/Hammam Jhorna.
** Almost every local people are calling the waterfall as Humhum/Hum Hum/Ham Ham.
** Local people are calling the waterfall as Sitap too. Possibly they are calling the waterfall as Hamham, and calling the water beneath the waterfall as Sitap. Not sure.

So what you'll call the waterfall is up to you. My only request is, just don't mess the place. Its a lovely place for single day expedition with trekking. Don't kill this and let other people to enjoy this.


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