There is a different kind of intoxication in the name of Nafakhum Amiakhum which can only be felt. Our absolutely inexperienced trekker team started planning from November with great enthusiasm to see this unearthly beauty of nature. After booking the advance ticket for the bus on January 20, time did not seem to want to go. Our tour guide Joy Dada from Dhaka was booked in advance. Impossibly good man. He had fixed the basic things beforehand. Finally, all the suspense, climax, jump square, thriller of Mahendrakshan came.
Breathtaking Journey of Nafakhum
Nafakhum is located in Thanchi upazila of Bandarban district. 69 km from Bandarban. Thanchi in the distance. It is an upazila. Thanchi Bazaar is located on the banks of the river Sangu. The boat has to be slowly ascended towards Remakri along this Sangu river. It is unthinkable that nature could be so beautiful and pure here. High hills on both sides of the river.
Every mountain wrapped in green seems to be lying in the lap of the clouds. Some mountains are so high that their tops are covered with clouds. Remakri place in Thanchi upazila is a Marma settlement upstream of Sangu river. Khum in Marma means waterfall. It is a three-hour walk from Remakri to Nafakhum Falls. The water flow of Remakri canal came to this Nafakhum and after taking a turn, it suddenly went down to about 25-30 feet, a wonderful waterfall has been created due to the nature!
Colorful rainbow that always plays in the sunlight! The water flow of Remakri canal is not less in the rainy season. Almost like the Sangu river upstream.
To go this way you have to give Tindu and big stones. There is a BGB camp in Tindu. Tindu is a place of extraordinary beauty. Many come to Tindu from Thanchi Na on the way to Nafakhum and spend the night.
Nafakhum is probably the largest waterfall in Bangladesh in terms of water flow. Dense fog formed around the fountain due to the impact of water falling from above. The flying water droplets float with the vapor and come to the body. That feeling is thrilling. It would not be wrong to call it Niagara of Belife.
(One of the most beautiful moment of my life🥰)
Dhaka-Bandarban-Thanchi-Remakri-Nafakhum-Thuisapara-Amiyakhum-Velakhum-Naikshyammukh-Thuisapara-Harishchandra Para-Padmajhiri-Thanchi-Bandarban-Dhaka
Day 1 -
Arriving in Bandarban in the morning, after having breakfast, I took the moon car and left directly for Thanchi, the distance is 60 km. On the way, BGB permission was taken twice at Y junction and Balipara, the junction of Thanchi and Ruma. Before leaving Dhaka, be sure to keep two to three NID photocopies with you or you may suffer a bit. We did not bother to inform our guide grandfather beforehand. Anyway, after reaching Thanchi, after completing the formalities with the BGB for the last time, I bought some dry food for the next few days, got on the boat and started my journey for Remakri. When I saw the magnificent view of the Sangu river and the big rocks, I did not know when 2.30 hours had passed. Remakri reached in the afternoon and rested like that day. After walking around the Remakri Bazaar for a while at night, I came to the cottage, then barbecued, counting the stars in the sky and fell asleep listening to the soft roar of Remakri Jhiri coming from afar. I thought why life is so beautiful!
Day 2-
On this day we will start the journey from Remakri to Nafakhum and at the same time the real test of our walk will start from this day. Anyway, I had breakfast with fried eggs in the morning and also tried the local dish 'Mundi'.
After finishing the ancillary expenses of the cottage, I left for Nafakhum at 9.30 in the morning with 8 people in their bags.
(A hill-cloudy morning)
After walking for about two and a half hours along the small footpath at the foot of the hill, seeing the immense beauty of Nafakhum, all the fatigue seemed to disappear. Due to winter, the water was a little less. After bathing in the cold icy water of Niagara in Bengal, the sun shone for a while, then I ate some dry food and left for Thuisapara. The sun was then 1.45 in the middle of the sky, I took a bath after walking like this, then I walked again, my body didn't want to move, but I reached Thuisapara at 5 in the afternoon after walking on a swing.
(Local peoples house)
Impossibly beautiful neighborhood people are also impossibly good. There is no sign of the hills and the network around, only the network is available on a bamboo pole and you have to talk through loudspeakers.
You can end the urgent phone call here. Then in the evening, sitting in the tea shop, forgetting the fatigue of the whole day, singing, chatting and the sound of crickets at night, what an impossibly beautiful feeling that would take a thousand nights to write.
Day 3-
Guide Joyda had informed me the night before that we have to cross three hills today. It is good to know that the locals call what we call hills. At 9.30 am we left Thuisapara for Amiyakhum. Due to the long walk the day before, before reaching Devta Pahar, two of our group gave up and returned to nature.
When we reached Devta Pahar with a group of six, who saw our joy! Then began the danger and thrill at every step, I don't want to think about what will happen once my feet slip.
The roar of Amiakhum from Devta hill created a new impetus among us and then it took us about 40 minutes to get down the dirt road on a steep hill. After walking for a while in front of Amiyakhum, all the trouble seemed to be over. Despite wanting to go to Satvaikhum on this day, he did not go due to lack of time as well as the Arakan Army came to fish. Then I rested for a while and started walking towards Velakhum. Walking cautiously along the rocky road through the middle of the high and low rocks, we came to a bank of green calm water and from here we will start our journey by raft. Joyda had already fixed the raft. The light-based atmosphere of Velakhum and the harsh afternoon sun combine to create a different feeling. After walking on some big rocks and taking a bath in Naikshyangmukhe, we started our journey towards Devta hill.
Now it is our turn to get up. The feeling of coming to see the sunset in the middle of the hill on the way to Thuisapara in the afternoon in a tired state, if it survives, I would like to see it again ...
4th day-
The official tour is over, but Padmajhiri is calling us. After being in Thuisapara for a long time, it seems as if Maya has suddenly fallen. But we have to leave all illusions. It takes 7-8 hours to come to terms with the difference in walking speed from Thuisapara to Padmamukh. We left Thuisapara at 8.30 in the morning and started walking towards Padma Jhiri. It was 1 o'clock in the afternoon to reach Harishchandrapara after crossing five hills and two or three hills. In between, our guide Joyda showed us Tajingdong and Saka Huffong mountains from a distance. After resting for a while in the Jumghar of Harishchandra Para, we descended to Padmajhiri from here. Padmajhiri is a beautiful path made of small and big jhiri flowing between the two hills.
Day 5-
Since I had rest all day, I wandered aimlessly around the city and came to Dhaka by night bus.
This tour can be completed in less time as we have a girl with us. Our tour was a total of 7 days and 8 nights (including coming and going). The cost of the whole tour is 6500 rupees per person.
Buy any bus (Hanif, Shyamoli) from Dhaka to Bandarban. From there you will have to go to Remakri by boat from the ghat next to the BGB camp. Then the walkway.
Costs:
Dhaka Bandarban 720 Tk.
6000 Tk. from Bandarban to Thanchi by Chander Gari(Jeep)
Boat rent from Thanchi and on the way back Padmajhiri updown 4000 * 2 = 6000 Taka
150 Tk per person in Remakri and Thuisapara and 120-150 Tk. for food
Bandarban Jeep car from Thanchi 4000 Tk.
Guide costs 6000 Tk
Things that are useful for the tour should be taken:
- NID 3 copies
- Flashlight
- Bandage
- A lot of saline
- Englet
- Trekking shoes (available in Thanchi market, price 120 Tk)
- Paracetamol and gastric medicine
- Dates, nuts, raisins, chocolate
- If you want less mosquito infestation, you can take it to Adoms
- One 500 ml water bottle per person.
Note:
You must make sure that you do not harm the environment. Do not leave these packets of plastic bottle chips. Leave your unused plastic and polythene in any one of the polythene and bring it to Thanchi. Do not pollute the sound with unnecessary sound box. Do not behave in such a way as to create a negative attitude towards the hills. Try to keep the bag as light as possible. The more people there are, the lower the cost per capita. None of us had a joke bite on the whole tour, although we took adequate arrangements.