Known for
- 1
The gateway to Sajek.
Most people pass through Khagrachari on the way to Sajek Valley, which is in Rangamati district but reached only from here: the jeeps (chander gari) leave Khagrachari town in army-escorted convoys twice a day. Stay a night and the town has its own hills.
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Caves, falls and lakes.
Alutila's dark tunnel through the hill, the Richhang falls below it, Debota Pukur on its hilltop, the hanging bridge in the Horticulture Park and the Mayabini lake at Panchhari: all within an hour of the town, in the Tripura, Marma and Chakma villages of the Chengi valley.
Best season
GoodFairOct–Mar
- Boisabi (Biju, Sangrai, Boisu) 12–15 April, the hill peoples' new year: flowers on the river, water play, open houses
October to March is the hill season: clear mornings, cold nights at Sajek, dry trails. The falls are fullest in the monsoon and just after (July to October) but the roads slip and leeches are out. April is the Boisabi new year of the hill peoples (12 to 15 April), the best time to see the district celebrate. Check the army's travel advice for the Hill Tracts before going; foreigners need permission in advance.
Getting there
Bus
Dhaka
8 h, ৳700–1,500
Overnight; Shyamoli, Saint Martin, Hanif, Econo
Bus
Chattogram
3–4 h
From the Oxygen stand
Getting around
To Sajek
2.5–3 h, Jeep ৳8,000–12,000 return
Escorted convoys from Shapla Chattar about 10 am and 2:30 pm
Direct buses from Dhaka (Shyamoli, Saint Martin, Hanif, Econo, about 8 hours overnight) and from Chattogram's Oxygen stand (3 to 4 hours) reach Khagrachari town. For Sajek, the jeep convoys leave the town's Shapla Chattar at about 10 am and 2:30 pm with the army escort; book a jeep the day before. Alutila, Richhang and the park are a CNG ride; Panchhari is an hour north.
Local food
Bamboo chickenMust try
Chicken cooked inside a bamboo tube over coals
Bamboo-shoot curryMust try
Young shoots, in season after the rains
Bamboo chicken (bash kurul) and bamboo-shoot curry, pork and fish cooked Chakma and Marma style with nappi (fermented fish paste), sticky rice in bamboo, and the System restaurant in town that made hill food famous. Jhum rice and the fruit of the season, pineapple and jackfruit, in the bazar.
Places to see
Hills and mountainsSrashed · Public domainAlutila Cave
A natural tunnel about 100 metres long through the Alutila hill at Matiranga, 8 km from town, walked in the dark with a torch, ankle-deep in a stream; the hilltop above has the district's best viewpoint.
River, lake and haorMahjuja Islam · CC BY 4.0Debota Pukur
The "god's pond" on a hilltop at Nunchhari in Mahalchhari, a natural pool that never dries at about 300 metres, sacred to the Tripura people, reached by a two-kilometre climb from the road.
Hatimatha (Elephant's Head)
A hill at Perachhara on the edge of town shaped like an elephant's head, climbed by a long iron stair of about 300 steps that the villagers call the "sky stair": a two-hour walk for the view over the whole valley.
Park, eco park and picnic spotMoheen Reeyad · CC BY-SA 4.0Khagrachari Horticulture Park
The hill district council's park on a hillside at Jhulan, 3 km from town: a lake with a hanging bridge, orchards, viewpoints and a cafe; the easy evening outing in Khagrachari.
Mayabini Lake
A 15-acre lake among the hills at Bhaibonchhara in Panchhari, 18 km north of town, made by a village fishing cooperative and opened to visitors: bamboo cottages on the water, boats and the hills all round.
WaterfallANKAN GHOSH DASTIDER · CC BY-SA 4.0Richhang Waterfall
A 30-metre fall sliding down a smooth rock face in the hills below Alutila, 11 km from town: a steep stair down, a pool at the bottom and a natural rock slide that everyone tries.
Buddhist vihara and pagodaAumit22 · CC BY-SA 4.0Shantipur Aranya Kutir, Panchhari
A forest monastery at Panchhari in the north of the district, with the tallest Buddha statue in the country (about 50 feet) on a wooded hill: a place of meditation, quiet and much visited on Buddhist holy days.
Toiduchhara Waterfall
Two falls on a stream in the hills of Dighinala, reached by a two-hour trek through jhum fields and streambeds from Dighinala bazar: the big one drops in a wide fan over a rock wall; a full day for walkers.
Sources 2
Times, fares and opening hours change. Check before you go.
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