Chandranath Hill Trek-Sitakunda,Chittagong
For mountain lovers, the mountain is a source of healing. For mountain addicts, mountains mean “addiction”. Many poets and writers have written many prose, stories, and poems about mountains. The beauty of hills as well as their immensity fascinates us. Nowadays trekking has become an important part of traveling. These trekking trips are beneficial in rejuvenating yourself from mental fatigue and stress for a while. Not believing? Try it once! Every forward step of trekking will help boost your courage by pushing back exhaustion.
Although there are so many mountains in Bangladesh, many of them are forbidden to allow tourists for safety reasons. A few are open but there is heavy security by the Army. As beautiful as the mountain is, also it is difficult to conquer. Today I am going to share with you my first mountain conquest story, along with it, I will tell you some things to be aware of while trekking. There will also be some tips for those who have never been to the mountains before but are interested in going.
“Chandranath Hill” is the most suitable place for new hill trekkers. The height of this hill is about 1020 feet and is located in Sitakunda of Chittagong. But I found it more challenging to go down than to climb this Hill. Our Trekking started by buying a stick from the trekking point. At first, its function is incomprehensible, but at the last moment, this bamboo stick helps us a lot. There are two trekking routes in Chandranath. One is mud road and another is stairs. When climbing, you must go through the mud road. If you cannot identify the road, ask the people around you and they will tell you. The higher you go, the more green nature you can see. A lot of Small shops we could see in different places. Local mountaineers sell fruit juice, various fruits, chocolates, drinks, etc. in these shops for tourists. You can relieve your tiredness on the way. Before reaching the top, I saw a temple. A lot of Hibiscus Rosa Sinensis trees around the temple. This flower is used in worship. It looked like locals pray in this small temple. This place is quite flat and the sea is visible from here. I rested for a while and walked again.
One last small shop came into view before reaching the summit. Many tourists were crowded here. We ate some mountain fruits here. Mountain fruits are usually very tasty. One thing I noticed was that the higher I went, the higher the price of food. Actually, the shopkeepers buy this food and drink for tourists from the foot of the mountain, so that’s why the price is a little higher.
After about 2 hours of trekking, we reached the top of Chandranath. A temple came into view while climbing up. This is called “Chandranath Temple”. There is a place to sit around the temple. There was a lot of crowd that day. Someone was playing loud music on the soundbox, someone was taking group pictures, and someone was enjoying the surrounding environment from the peak. We saw the distant sea clearly from here. Chandranath Temple is a holy place for local Hindu community residents. They Worship this temple regularly. A washroom has been arranged at the back of the temple. Chandranath Peak is not as wide as other hills so there is no accommodation here. I looked around for a while and started to go down.
There are two roads up and down the hill. One is made of mud and the other is of stairs. You can use any one according to your choice. However, it is said that it is better to take the mud road while going up and the stairs road while going down. Climbing the steep stairs is very difficult. We were proceeding along the stairway. Earlier these stairs were made of mud but now they are paved with brick cement. It is all stairs from the top to the bottom. There is no place to rest on this road. We were getting too tired to step on the stairs. Our feet were shaking. After about an hour and a half of trekking, we reached the ground.
**** You can also rappel on Chandranath Mountain. The cost is 2000 Tk per person.
How to reach Chandranath Hill –
Chandranath Hill is located in Sitakunda, Chittagong. There are several routes to reach Sitakunda from Dhaka. I will try to tell you all the routes-
Route 1- From Dhaka Gabtali, Jonopoder Mor, Sayedabad, Chittagong Road- Ena, Hanif, Shyamoli travel to Sitakunda directly. Fare is Tk 680 per person (Non AC). There are other bus services (Saudia Bus Service) which travel in less budget. These buses leave from Jonopod’s Junction in Dhaka.
Route 2- From Dhaka Maniknagar, Kola Bagan, Sayedabad first come to Mohipal in Feni. Ena, Star Line, Saudia Coach, etc. Buses go From Mahipal to Sitakunda Bazar by. Fare- 350-450 Tk. You can get down at any place in Sitakunda if you want—rent- 100 Tk. The bus will drop you off directly at Sitakunda.
Route 3 – You can also go by train, in that case, you will get on the train (Mahanagar, Turna, Sonar Bangla) that runs from Dhaka’s Kamalapur station to Chittagong. Please note that there is no direct train to Sitakunda (except Mail Train). In that case, first, you have to get down at Chittagong railway station and come to Sitakunda by bus. Dhaka to Chittagong train ticket price – 345-1180 Tk. Bust fare 70-80 Tk. Book train tickets
Route 4 – From Kamalapur railway station in Dhaka, you can go directly to Sitakunda by mail train. The rent will be Tk 110. It takes 7-8 hours to go. The only mail directly from Dhaka goes to Sitakunda. Those on a very tight budget can go this way if they want, but the mail train has some limitations. Know the details of the mail train.
Where will you stay in Sitakunda?
There are many hotels to spend the night in Sitakunda Bazar, such as Hotel Saudia, Hotel New Saudia, Hotel 99, Hotel Jalsa, Hotel Simon, Hotel Sandeep, etc. You will get single, double, and couple rooms in these hotels. Prices may vary seasonally. However, the rent of these hotels starts from 500.
Hotel Saudia – 01991787979
Hotel 99- 01889-203037/ 01979-985898
where to eat in Sitakunda-
If you go down the road to the place where the bus will drop you, will find a food hotel. They prepare breakfast for tourists in the morning. Lunch will also be available there. If you want, you can also eat at Sitakunda Market.
How to Travel Chandranath Hill at a low cost-
1) There is no need to take a guide for Chandranath trekking.
2) keep light food in your backpack like water, saline, and dates before starting trekking. You can get them along the way of trekking but the price is a bit higher.
3) You can go down to Feni first and then from Feni to Sitakunda. The cost will be slightly less. Some cheap buses go directly to Sitakunda. You will find those buses if you look for them at the Jonopoder Mor, Sayedabad, Dhaka.
4) You can go by mail train at a very low cost.
Chandranath Hill Travel Precautions-
1) Use good grip shoes or trekking shoes
2) Don’t forget to buy bamboo sticks before starting trekking.
3) Keep water, saline with you. Also sweet foods like dates, biscuits, fruit, etc.
4) Avoid stairways while climbing hills. Use mud roads.
5) Take a rest without trekking continuously. Many small shops will be seen on the way. You will get juice, various fruits, drinks, etc. in those shops. You can eat them to get rid of fatigue very quickly.
6) Step carefully while coming down from the hill. Don’t rush at all. Don’t step straight, Step on the next step with your feet slightly apart. It has less chance of falling.
7) It is better not to trek Chandranath on rainy days if you have no previous trekking experience.
8) Arriving by bus, the bus will drop you at the Sitakunda bus stand in the morning. In that case, you can wait for a while. Some tea shops on the opposite side of the road are open to tourists all night.
9) If you want to go by the mail train, know its advantages and disadvantages and then decide to travel.
stay well You can also share your travel experience with us through mail. Thank you
