Nilachal Bandarban

Nilachal Tourist Place, Bandarban

Nilachal is one of the nearest and most beautiful tourist place in Bangladesh located at Tigerpara, just 5 km away from Bandarban. Locally it is known as Tiger Hill. Someone call it Swarga Puri (place of haven) due to its illusive and wild landscape. Nilachal is about 2000 feet above the sea level. Standing at the peak of Nilachal, you can see the total glance of Bandarban town. you can also enjoy even the appearance of Cox’s Bazar Sea Beach when the sky is clear. The most lucrative scene of Nilachal is the eve of sunset. In the rainy season, you will be thrilled walking through the clouds! It is not bearable the beauty of a moonlight night in a full moon. I confidently believe; you can never forget such a night if you feel the same once. In a winter morning, the full area is covered with the dense of fog that will be awesome foggy experience for you. On the way to Nilachal, you can enjoy the tribal villages with their own culture and expression that must astonish you.  The entrance fee at Nilachal is Tk 20/head.

How to go Nilachal

Nilachal is very near (Just 5 km away) from Bandarban town. You can use your own car, auto rickshaw or Chader gari (public jeep) to visit Nilachal. From my own experience, Chander Gari up-down reserve may cost Tk below 1000.

Food and Accommodation in Nilachal

There is a rest house having two guest rooms maintained by district administration, a cafe and some tea stalls of local habitants in the Nilachal tourist place. To reserve Nilachal rest house you may contact to 0361-62605, 01714230354, 01712718051. Since Bandarban town is near, you may stay in Bandarban town and visit Nilachal also.

Meghla Tourism Complex and Hanging Bridge, Bandarban

Meghla tourism complex is located just opposite of the district council, 4 km away from the Bandarban city aside the road to Keranirhat maintained by district administration. Meghla Parjatan Complex is one of the most amazing and highly visited tourist destinations in Bandarban; visitors come not only from Bangladesh but also from all over the world. There are a mini safari park, zoo, Children Park, hanging bridge, cable car and an artificial Lake at the down of the hills where you may enjoy paddle boat.

There are two attractive hanging bridges at Meghla Eco Park, Bandarban. When you cross the hanging bridge of Meghla tourism complex, you will obviously feel the illusive beauty of hilly nature. You can also enjoy the wild flavored landscape of entire area by riding on a cable car. A lot of tourists make their destination to Meghla every year to celebrate their vacations. Entrance Fee in Meghla Tourism Complex is Tk 30/head. The complex is also a popular place for picnic party. To revive yourself, you must visit Meghla at least once, when you visit Bandarban.

How to Go Meghla, Bandarban

Meghla Tourism Complex is just 4 km away from Bandarban City. Visitors can hire a private Jeep (Chander Gari) or auto rickshaw to go to Meghla. Local buses (Bandarban to Keranirghat rout) are also available to go there.

Food and Accommodation in Meghla

There is a beautiful rest house having 4 rooms to pass your leisure in Meghla Tourism Complex maintained by Bandarban district administration. No food and drinks from outside are allowed in Meghla Parjatan Complex but you can take lunch packet only if you stay whole day there. To book a room in the rest house, you may officially contact to 0361-62506, 01714230354. Hire of each room is Tk 2000/day. There are two restaurants named “Holiday Inn resort” and “Parjatan Motel” outside the Meghla Tourism Complex. Accommodation facilities are also available there.

Chimbuk Hill Bandarban, Bangladesh

Chimbuk hill is one of the top tourist destinations in Bandarban, Bangladesh. It is called the Darjeeling of East Bangal. Someone think, it is more than Darjeeling! Chimbuk Hill is aboult 1500 feet above the sea level and 26 kilometer away from Bandarban town under Thanci upazilla. You must be charmed (sometime feared) when you travel to Chimbuk throuth roller costar like zigzag hilly pathway. While your car will run through the various indigenous tribal villages, their daily lifestyle and simplicity must amaze you. When you look down from the top of the Chimbuk Hill, you may get the feelings of floating over the clouds! When it is a sunny day, you can observe the folds of clouds over the hills. It is seem that you can touch the cloud by hand!  The vast horizon of hills network seems as waves of a sea. There is mobile network also in Chimbuk Hill.

You may also visit the nearly situated tribal villages. It will be a great experience in your life if you visit the Bawm tribal villages around Chimbuk hill and Mru tribal villages a little further off. You may also visit Meghla Parjatan Complex (2 km west), Nilgiri Resort, Sakura Resort etc. which are the nearest tourist destinations from Chimbuk Hill.

How to Go Chimbuk Hill

Chimbuk Hill is 26 km away from Bandarban town. You can start to the Chimbuk hill using Thanci bound bus or Micro Bus, or any rental cars or Chander Gari (Rental Jeep) from Bandarban city. Up-Down rent may be approx Tk 2500/jeep. On the way to Chimbuk, you have to register your name and particulars to the military check post due to security purpose. It may take around one or one and half hour to reach the Chimbuk hill from the town depending on various factors.

Accommodation, food and drinks in Chimbuk Hill

There are two state owned rest houses in this area at the top of the Chimbuk Hill. There is a well managed canteen in the rest house. So don’t worry about your stomach. If you want to stay there, you have to confirm the reservation from the authority. You may contact to the official cell number 01714230354, 01712718051, 01558679688 for the above rest house reservation purpose. It is a better idea for foreigners to contact Bangladesh Tourism Board to visit Chimbuk Hill.

Nilgiri Luxury resort Bandarban, Bangladesh

Nilgiri is one of the tallest peaks and popular tourist destination in Bandarban, Bangladesh. Nilgiri is about 2200 feet above the sea level and situated at Thanci Upazilla, just 47 kilometer south-east from Bandarban town. You may observe even the Bay of Bengal standing at the peak of the Nilgiri when the sky is clear. There is beautiful resort named Nilgiri Resort at the peak of the mountain maintained by Bandarban Officers Club, a sister concern of Bangladesh Army. There is also a restaurant, a helipad etc. Electricity is available from 6 pm to 9 pm. There is high percentage of moisture and temperature is 10⁰ to 25⁰ C.

Day by day Nilgiri became one of the most lucrative and top tourist destinations at Bandarban where the clouds play with the waves of gentle breeze. In autumn and rainy season, the whole area is covered with the fold of clouds. You can enjoy a cloudy experience with illusive landscape around the hills chain. You will be amazed when you see that the cloudy sky often kisses the peak of the hill and you can touch the clouds! Can you imagine the scene?  In winter, the entire area is covered with the dense of fog. It is a nice place for campfire in winter season.  It may be one of your great memories in your life if you have a chance to enjoy a moonlit night in Nilgiri when it is full moon. Nilgiri is the most attractive place for those who love adventure, hills and clouds. It is not the end; you may also travel Mro tribal villages just beside Nilgiri Resrot. Their colorful culture and lifestyle of the tribal people surely an unexplored experience for you. In fact, the beauty of the Nilgiri is not describable in texts but to feel in mind.

How to go Nilgiri

Nilgiri is about 47 km south-east of Bandarban on the Bandarban-Chimbuk-Thanchi rout. Visitor can go there by Thanci bound bus or jeep or you may hire a car, or a Chander Gari (public jeep) to reach Nilgiri from Bandarban city. On the way to Nilgiri, you have to register your name and particulars to the military check post for security purpose. You have to take permission from the DC office of Bandarban in case you are a foreigner. In this case, it is better to take the help of Bangladesh Tourism Board.

Accommodation in Nilgiri Resort

There are three luxury cottages ranging around Tk 5000 to Tk 10000 at Nilgiri Resort. There are also three tents having multi beds each Tk 1000 per tent/night. It is better to book around 2 weeks before you visit the place due to rush. For online Reservation, you may visit to Nilgiri Resort Reservation. For picnic party, you may contact to official cell number +880-1769299999 and for Foreigner booking, please contact to +880-1855550088. Good hotels are also available at Bandarban town. You have to stay at Bandarban city and next day you can move to Nilgiri. The hotels of the bandarban town are really cheap.

Food and drinks in Nilgiri

There is a clean and healthy restaurant in Nilgiri Resort. So don’t worry about food and drinks. Spicy Rice, Beef, mutton prepared in bamboo hole without water is really mouth-watering illusive menu in the restaurant. Every meal cost about 300-500 BDT. Various type of tasty foods are also available here.

Saint Martin Coral Island, Bangladesh

Saint Martin's is the most beautiful and only coral island in Bangladesh and one of the best Eco-Tourism Destinations among the others. It is called the marine paradise of Bangladesh, located in the northeast part of the Bay of Bengal, just about 9 km south of the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf peninsula and 8 km west of the northwest coast of Myanmar. The island forms at the southernmost part of Bangladesh and at the estuary of the Naf River that divided Bangladesh and Myanmar marking as the international borderline between the two countries. The island is locally called as “Narikel Jinjira” that means Coconut Island when a lot of coconut grows in this island. Someone called it “Daruchini Dip” due to its lovely landscape and illusive crystal blue water of the Bay of Bengal that surrounding the island. The location of Saint Martin's Island is on the getaway in Bangladesh. The surrounding coral reef of the island has an extension named “Chera Dwip”.

The first human settlement started in the island just about 250 years ago by some Arabian sailors who named the island “Zajira”. During the British period, the island was named St. Martin’s Island. The population of the island is about 7500 and the main profession of the people is fishing. Besides algae collection, tourism services etc are the common profession of the inhabitants. Water transportation is the only way to reach this island i.e. boats and ships (mostly for tourists) from Teaknaf. The major goods for daily livelihood for the inhabitants come from the mainland Bangladesh.

From 1989 to 2004, non-residential Bangladeshis and foreigners were only allowed to visit the island. However, this has changed and now residential Bangladeshis are also allowed to visit the Island. There is no electricity supply from the national grid in the island. The tourist hotels of the island run on generators.

It is possible to walk around the island in a day because it measures only 8 km², shrinking to about 5 km² during high tide. You will get the best weather usually from November – February to visit this island. From March to July, the weather of the region may be rough. Very often, cyclone can strike during these times. The island was seriously harmed by the devastated cyclone in 1991 but has fully recovered, and was untouched by the 2004 tsunami. So from March to July is tourist off season.

In the past few years, St. Martin's visitors have increased dramatically. St Martin’s Island is perfect for tourists who wish to revive escaping the monotony of a robotic daily life. The island is all about sun, sea and palm trees. During the tourist season, the island comes alive with water and beach sports, with beach parties and bonfires lighting up the evening sky. The island is very suitable for scuba driving. One may also enjoy engine boat or speed boat tour in the very crystal blue water around this island. Though there is no security problem for the visitors, one can pop down to the Coast Guard station for any kind of security helping. There’s no land phone but mobile phone network. So you can communicate with the world and even you can browse Internet from your wireless devices.

Chera Dip, Saint Martin

Chera Dip is a coral based island adjacent to St. Martin but divided during tides. You can go to Cheera  Dip from St Martin’s island by walking (!) or by local motorboats or tourist boats. A lot of Corals of various species - living and dead form the land of the island. There is a small bush which is the only green part of Chera Dip enhancing the landscape of this island. There is no permanent inhabitant in Chera Dip, so it is advisable to the tourists to go there early and come back by evening. To enhance your enjoyment, you can taste there fry of fresh marine fisheries and green coconut water from a number of mobile shops dedicated to tourist services.

Hotels Booking in Saint Martin Island

Accommodation in St. Martins Island is limited, so it is advisable to book hotel before you plan to go to this Island. You will hardly get a chance to stay in this hotel if you are a sudden visitor of St. Martins Island. The remarkable tourist hotels in Saint Martin’s are Hotel Nijhum, Prashad Paradise, Sraboni Bilash, Samudra Bilash, Resort Simana Parie etc. Booking of these hotels are also possible from Dhaka, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazaar. All these hotels are situated adjacent to Seashore. From these hotels lobby or veranda, you can enjoy the illusive breeze and romantic sound of Sea. There are also some other motels and hotels established recently in St. Martin’s for tourist accommodation. Besides, the local fishermen and inhabitants also rent their well decorated rooms for tourists’ accommodations purpose. If you are lucky enough, you can spend the exotic moonlit night at St. Martin’s Island. The beauty of Full moon in St. Martins Island cannot be expressed in words, if you are not there at that time.

How to Go St. Martin Island

You can go there by sea truck, local motorboat or tourist boats. Currently, five shipping liners run daily trips to the island, including Keary-Sindbad, Keary Cruise & Dine, Shahid Sher Niabat, L C T Kutubdia and Eagle from Teknaf. Beside a shipping liner recently inaugurate there service from Cox’s Bazaar. Tourists can book their trip from Dhaka, Chittagong or Cox's Bazar. You need to fly or take a direct bus down to Cox's Bazaar, and then take a bus to Teknaf, which is the most southern police station of Bangladesh. You can also go by rail to Chittagong and then a bus from Bahaddarhat station to Teknaf via Cox’s bazaar.  From my own experience, it is better to travel sea truck from Teknaf and take an open dock ticket to enjoy the adventure and thrill of the mighty Bay of Bengal. You will have a chance as a bonus to enjoy the green hill tracts of Taknaf to soothe your eyes in the west and Mayanmar borderline in the east when you are in open dock of a sea truck in Naf River and estuary. Sea trucks leaves Teknaf every morning at 9.00 am, and return from St. Martin Island in the same day at 3.00 pm.

Package Tour to Saint Martin Island

Beside Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, a number of renowned local Tour Operators arrange package tour to Saint Martin Island from November to February. It is a wise decision especially for foreign tourists to hand over all headache of journey, accommodation, foods and so on to an experienced Tour Operator to visit the amazing tourist heaven Saint Martin’s island, Bangladesh.