Debotakhum Bandarban Rowangchori Travel guide
devtakhum is located in roangchari upazila of bandarban district. the deep sway running between two huge rocky hills, a place that feels impossibly good in the wild environment. the khum (hole/where water accumulates) between the two big hills is very dark inside. the sunlight is very narrow. according to locals, the length of this khum is about 50-70 feet deep. the trail of devtakhum is as beautiful also it is a scary trail.in rainy season your eyes will be locked in this trail but also danger as well. out of the network, there is silence, like a ghostly environment.
how to go there:
in order to go devtakhum, you have to first come from anywhere in bangladesh to bandarban. from bandarban to rongchari market, you will get a bus, moon car, cng, or mahindra. in that case, the fare of mahindra coming from bandarban will be 2000 to 2500 thousand taka. 6-7 people can go and the fare of chand's car will be 3500 to 4000 taka, 12-13 people can go. if you want to go by bus, you will get a bus from roangchari bus stand in bandarban town to roangchari. cng/auto is available to go to roangchari bus stand from bandarban town. the fare will be 15-20 taka per person. the bus fare from bandarban to roangchari is around 80 taka per person. it will take about an hour. the last bus from roangchari market to bandarban is at 5 pm. then there is no more bus. however, cng will always be available...
and from bandarban city, you will get cng directly from roangchari market. cng reserve fare will be 500-600 taka. from bandarban, you have to first go to roangchari market there and take the guide by entering the police station. you can contact for the guide mr. shing-01689814310 (taka. 1000 for a day) then go to the kocchoptoli bazar and enter the army checkpost. your guide will do everything. it will take about 30 minutes on cng to go from roangchari to kocchoptoli bazar. after entering the kocchoptoli, then walking and trekking the hills, shelvada para..
after the kocchop toli bazar you will not get any shops there, so if you want to buy water, food, you have to buy it from here. you have to go to shilbandha and first cross the pong-su-ang khum. after crossing the pong-su-ang khum, debtakhum start from there .for locals, it is sonakhum. many are also called thongchikum in the marma language. it will take about 30-40 minutes to go from turtle to shilbadha para. after walking for 10-15 minutes from shilbadha para, devtakhum.
two copies of the national identity card/passport must be kept in the photocopy to report to the army camp along with the guide. you have to infrome guide about vela before you visit debtakhum. only robi/airtel's network will be available in kocchoptolli. you will be out of network completely on the way to devta khum.you will find a fountain called shilbandha jharna. don't forget to see the fountain on the way. the real beauty of the fountains and khums can be seen during the rainy season. but the trekking after the shilbandha waterfall is very challenging because the path is very slippery. it is better for new trekkers to skip the rainy season as its trail can be scary in the rainy seasons. in winter season it will be not terrible but the water of the devtakhom is quite transparent, the color is green.
at the end of an hour of trekking of rocks, sand and forests, when you walk with the raft forward, it seems that god has created a beautiful world for you! the path of the hole or cave inside the skyscraper stone walls of the two hills on either side. where there is no direct sunlight, the words or screams of your own mouth echo back to yourself, there is no sound or noise except the faint sound of tup-tap water falling from the top of the high mountains, ice-cold but clear streams of water and rocky springs, all in all, you will witness some moments of nostalgicity.
what you will see in devtakhum..
there you will be able to see the fascinating shila-banda fountain. it's an beautiful fountain. if you bathe in the water of the fountain, both the body and mind will become thanda thanda cool cool. from there, you will have to cross the jhiri khal and go to shilabanda para and take a ticket for a boat or raft of taka 150 per person. then you will enjoy the impossible beauty of debtakhum with a boat or a raft.
cost:
the bus from dhaka to bandarban is 700 taka per person (non-ac buses). ac bus fare is rs 1300 - taka 1600. the bus from bandarban to roangchari is 80 taka per person. the car from bandarban to kocchoptoli is 3500-4000 for the day. and from bandarban city, you will get cng directly from roangchari market. cng reserve fare will be 500-600 taka. the cng fare from kocchoptoli to roangchari is approximately 150-200taka . for boat crossings, life jackets and rafts is 150 taka. the cost of the guide is 1,000 taka.
treturn to the kocchoptoli bazar army camp before 5pm. from there, you can return to bandarban and come to dhaka by night bus. if you wish.
where to eat:
there is a provision of food in shilabandha neighbourhood where you can have lunch. or you can return to the turtle market and eat very good quality food at a low cost in the homes of the tribals.
where to stay:
it is usually possible to visit devtakhum in a day from bandarban. even then, if anyone wants to stay, there is a provision to stay in the kocchoptoli bazar.