“If you want to be transported to a time of yesteryear; to a land so close but of a world far removed from the norm; of a land so beautiful and majestic, you pause at every step in awe - then go travel the Chittagong Hill Tracts (‘CHT’)...”

Amit Dev - 2014

I wrote this in awe of what I experienced during my very brief time in the CHT in 2014 (and whilst attempting to distract myself during a hair-raising and very bumpy bus ride back to Chittagong). It honestly felt like I was transported to a place so far away and far removed from the chaotic plains of Bangladesh, it could have been a different country altogether! You have to experience it for yourself. I think it is the very fact that it is so unexpected that makes you pause for thought.

Overview

Once a protectorate of the British Empire, CHT is like no other part of Bangladesh and is, almost, a world away from the plains with peaks higher than those of the Highlands of Scotland and lush forests and valleys that take you back to prehistoric times. Access to the CHT remains restricted so ensure that you have completed all the required paperwork prior to arriving at the check point.

Rangamati

I checked into my hotel: Hotel Sofia which gave rise to two immediate thoughts: “a bulldozer would really ‘lift’ this place up a bit” and “the hotel manager sounds exactly like my bro in law!” Besides those two observations, this place has the best Prawn bhuna, seriously. It was so good I can still smell it and taste it, despite my initial reservations which rapidly receded after the first bite - scrumptious!

The lakes

Rangamati can be sort of described as a Lake District (‘the Lakes’) of sorts, if the Lakes came into existence as a consequence of a highly controversial project gone wrong and if the Lakes were in a much much hotter climate; oh and if it were in an area surrounded by Buddhist shrines and monks.

Kaptai Lake is the biggest lake in Rangamati and today looks very beautiful and serene. However, it’s origin story is sinister and shrouded by destruction. You see, the lakes in Rangamati are man-made. Kaptai Lake was once a fertile, arable land - home to a large proportion of Chakma tribal peoples. However, their land and their homes were flooded in the late 1950s (when Bangladesh was East Bengal and a province of Pakistan) to make way for a hydro-electric project. As a result, many Chakma peoples in the area were displaced.

Rangamati is beautiful, easy to trek around and a great introduction to the CHT region. I went on a breif, 5k trek circle through by Kaptai lake and the surrounding shrines. Getting around is very easy and extremely cheap. CNG pool rides (similar to Uber pool) operate on the main road and whittle you up/down. Just let the driver know when you need to get off and hand over the 20 taka fare. Also, the pool rides seem to operate a: “if there’s a millimetre of space, it’s fair game” so don’t be surprised if you have zero personal space on board.

Either a Noaka (narrow boat) or speed boat ride on Kaptai Lake is a must irrespective of your reservations in relation to the past. It’s a great way to explore this massive lake.

Bandarban

I checked out of my Rangamati accommodation and full from my scrumptious prawn bhuna meal, that I mentioned earlier, I got a tuk tuk pool ride to the bus station where I bought my ticket to Bandarban.

The most epic Bangladeshi bus ride

We slowly climbed the winding roads with ever increasing gradient - surrounded by beautiful green jungle hills, we passed a firm of Bangladesh Army service men marching at some pace up the steep gradients in unison. Everyone on the bus fell silent and looked over to the right to admire their explicit dedication to their country, with their loud steps of their boots, echoing around us.

For hours on end we kept climbing and winding until, finally - as night fell - we reached Bandarban town.

I had booked the Hillside Resort in Milonchori (not to be confused with the other Hillside resort closer to town) and hailed one of the new electric tuk tuks (referred to as ‘Tom Tom’) but the driver advised me that they were not powerful enough to make it to the ‘summit’ of the hill. So i hailed one of the good ol’ 2 stroke old skool CNGs and loyal to protocol, monitored Google Maps as the drives zipped us up the relatively steep inclines.

The check-in process at hillside resort was very smooth and the property comprised of a main focal point: diner come common room come reception room. A nice space to meet other travellers. Of course, this is not India and during low season, so there were only a few other travellers staying at the time. But it was nice.

The rooms were excellent and comfortable and dinner was a brilliant home cooked dhal and fish curry. Finger licking good, literally. Hassan, the owner is full of knowledge of the surrounding area and pretty much set the itinerary for me.

A day in Bandarban

I spent a full day in Bandarban and thoroughly enjoyed short treks to local villages and viewpoints:

Dawn in the Bandarban hills

Dawn in the Bandarban hills has a ‘gorillas in the mist’ feel about it and Hillside Resort is perfectly positioned high up in the Sangu river basin. If staying at the Hillside Resort, I definitely recommend waking up at sunrise and heading out onto your balcony - you will be greeted by what I can only describe as a primordial mist, magic.

Nilachaal

Nilachal is a short trek from Hillside Resort and is essentially a very nice viewpoint. Aptly named nil, meaning blue, after the blue coloured roofs - Nilachaal is a quiet reflective place with great viewpoints of the valley below.

Tribal village

Next stop, the tribal village. The locals appear to be quite used to tourists visiting, unannounced and no guide is required. However, I recommend taking a local with you for translation purposes at least as the people in the village do not speak English. I spoke with one of the village members and he explained that the name of the village was “Haathi-bandha”. He explained that his forefathers named the village Haathi-bandhaa after an event which saw wild elephants destroy the village; hence the name: haathi-bandha (lit. broken by elephants).

Sangu river

My penultimate activity for the day was a trek down from Hillside Resort down to the banks of the Sangu river below. The trek was around 15 mins and through light jungle, so trainers are recommended as you just don’t know what's lurking beneath the leaves on the ground!

I was lucky to arrive at the exact moment a noakha (narrow boat) arrived and I negotiated a trip up to town. With not much traffic, the ride was serene. You can see nature at its work how the river has cut through exposing such a lush green valley, not earth was left exposed by the foliage.

Buddha datti Jattu

Then finally, I was ready to set eyes on the Buddha Datti Jattu. It’s around 10mins away and you need a tuk tuk to get up the steep hill, so if rickshaw or Tom Tom tell you otherwise - ignore them!

The Buddha Datti Jattu was constructed relatively recently and is an impressive gold Buddhist temple with golden stupa in the Arakan style. It sits elegantly amongst the wild and ‘primordial’ backdrop of the Sangu river valley. A visit here is highly recommended.

Next destination, the home of the 'Indian' curry - Sylhet