River, lake and haor, Bandarban
Debotakhumদেবতাখুম
- Time needed
- A day from town.
- best months
- Nov–Mar
- Cost
- Jeep ৳2,500–4,000 return; guide ৳500–800; raft ৳100–200.
A 600-foot-long pool of still water, 50 to 70 feet deep, between sheer rock walls in Rowangchhari, floated on a bamboo raft after a walk from Kochhoptoli: the easiest of the khums and one of the most beautiful.
At a glance
- Length
- About 600 ft
- Depth
- 50–70 ft
About
From Rowangchhari bazar a jeep goes to Kochhoptoli, where the army checkpost registers you and a guide is taken, then it is an hour's walk along a stream to Pong Jhiri and the raft point. The raft, poled by a villager, slides into a corridor of rock where the water goes black-green and the sky is a strip overhead; silence is the point. It opened to visitors around 2018 and closes in the monsoon when the water rises. A day trip from town.
Getting there: Bandarban → Rowangchhari (1 h) → jeep to Kochhoptoli → register, guide → 1 h walk → raft.
Things to do
- Go quiet on the raft; the gorge echoes everything.
Good to know
- Closed in the rains; life jackets are given at the raft, wear them.
