Thanchi, Bandarban: A Hub To Touch Beauty, Clouds & Sunshine

Thanchi is one of the seven sub-districts of Bandarban. Bandarban is 383 km from Dhaka city, and it takes somewhere around 7 to 8 hours to reach from Dhaka to Bandarban. From almost all of the bus stations in Dhaka City, there will be buses which depart from Bandarban. Some of the popular bus service providers are Saudia Paribahan, S Alam Paribahan, Unique Service etc.

AT A GLANCE

Name: Thanchi
Location: Thanchi, Remakri, Bandarban, Bangladesh
Destination: Dhaka to  Bandarban.
Transport:  Shamoli Paribahan, Hanif Enterprise, Year-71 etc bus services 
from Fakirapul, Saydabad , Kalampur,Panthopath etc.
Fair: BDT 350  to 700 (Dhaka to Bandarban)
Time: 9-10 Hours
Explore: Thanchi, Remakri, Bandarban,Bangladesh
Distance: 383 kilometer from Dhaka city.
Cost: Depend to coverage tourists spots.
Accommodation: Thanchi Rest House ,cottages etc available.
Food: Available.
Advice: Keep dry foods, water, medicines, saline, glucose, extra money, and kits.

From Bandarban, there are “Chander Gari”, jeeps and buses available which will take the tourists to Tanchi from Bandarban town. The time it takes to reach Thanchi from Bandarban town is four hours. A Chander Gari would cost around 5000 taka to hire for a journey from Bandarban to Thanchi for the day, and around 2000 for a single trip. It is best to hire a “Chander Gari” if a travel group consists of more than 15 members. Apart from that for small travel groups, there are other alternatives such as public bus service which takes less money than the “Chander Gari”, near around 200 taka per person. However due to the remoteness of the area buses after 2 pm are not available from Thanchi.

Thanchi is 3500 feet above sea level, and the path which leads to Thanchi from Bandarban consists of extreme turns as it goes up. The path is narrow so that the turns would seem a bit perilous. However, the local drivers are very skilled, and the view of the beautiful hills which can be seen travelling along this 4-hour path would keep tourists engrossed. Indeed to stray off into the heart of nature and wilderness and escape from the monotonous urban life Thanchi is the place to visit.

Thanchi, Bandarban
Thanchi, Bandarban

In Thanchi there are many tourists’ spots. When tourists land reaches in Thanchi bazar, there are rest houses available to spend the night. Food and water are less but accessible to an extent as Thanchi is a remote area. It is better to take as much dry food and water as possible. The cost of living in the Thanchi Rest House is 500 to 600 taka per night.

The most fabulous and eye-catching thing about Thanchi are the hills which immediately greets the tourists upon entering the area. In Thanchi a road has gone which is known as the Thanchi-Alikadam road. Travelling through this road are many of the tourists’ spot such as Chimbuk Hill, Nilgiri Mountain etc.

Also, Shoilo Propat is another place where tourists will be able to witness water flowing through a stony, sometimes straight and sometimes zigzagged, path. It is beautiful to watch, almost subliminal as the water flows, gently in the winter season, and rushes in the rainy season. It is a fantastic place altogether surrounded by immense greenery and fresh air, and it represents the raw beauty of Bandarban. There are also Nafakhum and Amiakhum waterfall, a boat ride on the beautiful Shangu River, trek Nilgiri and Chimbuk, watch the sunset from Tiger Hill, visit the localities of Thanchi and travel through the other end of the road which leads to Alikodom area where is situated the famous Ali’s Cave.

A tourist with five to six days visit to Bandarban can begin his/her travelling from Thanchi and visit all the famous places of Bandarban. It will seem like there are many places to visit while visiting Thanchi and each one of the journeys has in its store a different type of experience for the tourist.

Living Accommodations and Food facilities in Thanchi

As there are many places to visit while visiting Thanchi Bandarban, there are many living accommodations as well as food facilities. However for those tourists who want to have a unique experience can stay at the Guide’s Tour Resort in Miloinchori. It is situated on a small mountain, and the settlement will really provide the tourists with a different experience. There are beds at the dormitory costing 200 taka to VIP cottages, air-conditioned, which costs 3000 taka.

In the middle there are many rooms and tourists can choose their convenient service and enjoy the stay. There are cottages designed imitating the structure of the houses of the Baum tribe as well as the Marma tribe. The tribal people might seem like they are a lot different from us, and they are diverse regarding ethnicity and culture, but their welcoming heart will instantly make the tourists feel like they are meeting and talking with their friends rather than strangers.

Food is available at this resort as they have a local restaurant, there are food shops where light and dry food is also available. However, the best experience to eat in Bandarban is to buy the necessary food items and request one of the localities of the Baum tribe to cook the food and together have lunch or dinner. Apart from Milonchori, there are rest houses in Thanchai bazaar where it costs 500 to 600 taka per night to stay. There are local restaurants and fresh fruits which tourists can have at a reasonable price. For tourists going to Chimnbuk Hill or Keokradong, they can spend the night by camping in the outdoor fields or visit these places and come back to Thanchi, better before nightfall, and stay at rest houses and cottages for the night.

Path leading to Nafakum Waterfall from Thanchi

In the Thanchi upazilla or sub-district, there is a place in the Remakri Union, where exists the Remakri River. To go to the Remakri River one needs to walk for at least 1 hour from the Remakri Union through the mountain paths. Most of us who are people of the plain land, cannot sense the beauty and brilliance which lies in the mountains. There is only one way to sense it, and that is to visit mountains directly, and in Bangladesh, Bandarban offers one of the finest experience of visiting a mountain filled area.

In every turn of the mountain path, there is some wonder available, in every individual of the local Baum or Marma tribe a spirit of wilderness and the magnificent simplicity of nature can be discovered.

Having an experience of all these beautiful things, crossing many small “paras” and walking for 3 hours at least following the trails of Remakri River one will go through the heart of the wilderness. It is wise to wear half pants as tourists will have to cross many waterways and some of the waterways reach one’s knees. As a result, one needs to be careful, and it is wise to hire a guide while reaching to Nafakum Waterfall.

It is important to mention that for those tourists who love wilderness, have the passion and intensity to explore new areas. They can walk for 3 to 4 hours crossing river streams and up and down mountain paths which are tiring and demand relentless energy, for them is the way to Nafakum Waterfall following one of the many diffused trails of the Remakri River which also travels to mix with the waters falling from Nafakum. The tourists can, in this journey of walking, have a glance at all the beauties of Bandarban and finally reach to Nafakum Waterfall and witness its majestic and stunning beauty.