Nafakhum is a place in Bandarban, right along Myanmar Border. The main attraction of this place is the waterfall which is flowing about 500 feet down to the river, Sangu, at a ferocious speed but with heavenly beauty. We have found that there are also some communities who live by the waterfall and earn their living from the forest. They are really far from the modern world!!! It is an amazing experience to see someone at a place so remote like this.
Anyways, now I would like to tell you how you can go to this place. But before that, there are some precautions that you definitely need to take before going. First, mind the mosquitoes and the insects in the forest. Guyz, they are really bad! If they can bite you once, you are doomed! You are gonna fall sick pretty sick, and be a burden for your friends. So, you must make sure that you have mosquito preventing medicines (e.g. Odomos). It will be better to carry a first aid box. You will feel safer!
Second, carry at least a small bottle of drinking water with you. Trust me, you are gonna need that. Third, be mentally and of course physically ready to travel for a very long time. You will have to ride in different transports, and walk a lot of kilometers. And last but not the least, learn swimming! The river has a very strong current, thanks to the never ending rainwater coming down from the hill.
After all the preparation, take a bus to Bandarban, from their go to Thansi by a local bus (which will take 5-6 hours) and from their take boat ride to Remakri (which will take 3-4 hours), and from their you can walk to Nafakhum, in 3 hrs! I have heard that there is a boat service from Remakri to Nafakhum, if possible check that out! But believe me, walking to Nafakhum will give much much more pleasure, than going by a boat.
Along the way, you will enjoy the nature in an extraordinary. You will wonder how nature can change so drastically. The ride from Bandarban to Thansi is an excellent ride. You will be able to see the hills standing tall and strong, and clouds are coming down to them. You will know how green our country actually is.
I was really amazed when I saw the cloud from so close a distance. When we were riding uphill, we went through very thick cloud. All on a sudden, it started raining. It was really beautiful!
So many a times, we looked at the horizon, and found the sky taking many different forms. The nature has so many faces to show.
The mighty Sangu river. There are a few thousand people who live along the coast of this river. This is their living
Rocks formed in millions of years. They are bold but beautiful. Sometimes they can be tricky too. As we walked over these rocks, we saw many different types of rocks. Some are big, some are edgy, some are round! All formed in the same river. I have heard once a guide saying that if somebody fell into the river and got stuck in between the rocks, they will have to live them there. It is not only because it is going to be very challenging to rescue some out of the rocks, but also because of their belief that if they move a single piece of rock from there, the world will collapse!
The flow of the river varies from time to time. In the rainy season, the river gets full with water coming down from the hill and becomes very strong, and very beautiful. So anybody interested to pay visit to Nafakhum, should wait for this season!
Trekking to Nafakhum is the best part of the journey. You will be so close to the nature that you feel yourself as a part of it. While walking to our destination, we were splashed with occasional rain, and suddenly we found that we were actually walking in the cloud!
Go and see by yourself. It's a lifetime achievement.My next stop is Modok, a few kilometers beyond Nafakhum. So let's get ready for that!!!