One-Day Trip to Chandranath Hill & Guliakhali Sea Beach
I always wanted to trek hills for a long time. I was a bit tense as I didn’t trek Hills before, I was thinking where would be the best place for a new hill trekker!!! Then came to my mind about Chandranath Hill. After searching I knew that there are many spots around Chandranath Hill that I can also visit in one day. I and some of my friends decided to go to Sitakunda. Many springs in Sitakunda-Mirsrai are a very close distance from one another. So it is possible to trek 2 trails in one day. Besides, if you want to relieve yourself and refresh your mind after the hill or waterfall trek, you can also come to Guliakhali sea beach/Bashbaria Beach/Kumira Ghat. Today our trip is about Chandranath Hill and Guliakhali Sea Beach.
How to go to Chandranath Hill, Sitakunda-
There are several ways to go from Dhaka to Sitakunda, all the routes I will share with you today.
Route 1- Direct bus is available from Dhaka to Sitakunda. Shaymoli and Hanif buses start from Kolabagan, Sayedabad, and Chittagong Road in Dhaka. The fare is- Tk 650 per person (Non-AC). If you leave at night, reach Sitakunda in the morning. Tell the bus contractor to drop you at the auto stand next to Chandranath Pahar trekking point. From there you can take an Auto/CNG to reach Chandranath Trekking Point. Fare – Tk 20 per person.
Route 2- First come to Mohipal in Feni from Dhaka. Ena, Star Line, Soudia Coach, etc buses go to Feni from Fokirapool, Kolabagan, and Sayedabad in Dhaka. The Ticket price is 350 Tk. Then from Feni, you get lots of buses to go to Sitakunda Bazar. You can get down at any place in Sitakunda if you want. Rent- 60-70 Tk.
Route 3- You can also travel by train. In that case, you will get on the train (Mahanagar, Turna, Sonar Bangla) that runs from Dhaka’s Komalapur station to Chittagong. Please note that there is no direct train to Sitakunda (except by mail). 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. Book Ticket On Online
Route 4- From Komalapur 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. This is the only way to go to Sitakunda from Dhaka directly. If you have a very tight budget, can go this way, but the mail train has some limitations. Know the details of the mail train.
where to eat?
From Chittagong-Dhaka Highway, you will find a food hotel after going a little further along the road to Chandranath Pahar. They prepare breakfast early in the morning. Bread, Dal, vegetables, etc are available. you can have lunch here also.
Trip to Chandranath Hill & Guliakhali Sea Beach-
We went as a group of 10 people on this trip. Since our budget was low, we plan to go to Feni first from Dhaka. We left by Star Line bus at 9:30 pm. We were dropped under Mohipal Highway in Feni. It was around 2 am. It was September. It was raining a lot that day in Feni. We took shelter in a tent at a shop. Most shops and bus counters are closed. Meanwhile, the Sitakunda bus does not leave before 4 pm. What was a situation!! Suddenly a man said, “You can spend the night in a hotel and then leave for Sitakunda in the morning”. I thought it might not be safe to stay on the road. it’s not bad if we spend the night in a hotel. So we all walked to the hotel.
After walking for 10-15 minutes, I came across a small hotel. The owner of the hotel saw us at night and started charging a high price. I was forced to leave without booking a hotel. So, we decided to spend the night on the road. Then I and my group mate sat under a shop and started chatting. And I will never forget this unexpected night. This night is undoubtedly one of the most memorable and best moments of this tour. At 4 Am, we boarded the bus going to Sitakunda. In about 2 hours we reached Chandranath Hill in Sitakunda. The morning light was still dim. We were waiting for dawn and drinking tea.
In the morning, I got fresh and had breakfast. After breakfast, I took an auto to Chandranath’s trekking point. We started our trekking by buying a bamboo stick for 20 Tk. There are two roads to the hill. One is clay and the other is stairs. Use dirt roads while climbing. After trekking some distance we could see a very beautiful view. We were taking rest again and again to overcome the weakness. There are small food shops at various points of the trekking route. You can buy water, syrups, drinks, juices, different kinds of fruits, biscuits, etc. to relieve fatigue. We all drank lemon juice.
Before going to the top, I saw a small temple. From one side you can see the distant sea and on the other side, the mountains are surrounded by green. After spending some time in this place, we started walking again. From here it didn’t take long to reach the peak point. It was around 9 a.m. But there is no way to understand it from the mouth. The sunshine is all around. There is a Chandranath temple on top of Chandranath Hill. We took a rest for a while and looked around. The combination of mountains, green, and sea brought a different kind of peace.
Now it’s time to come down. The way is different. You have to come down through the stairs. Going down was more challenging than going up. The entire trekking way was so difficult. our feet were shaking. The stairs are very steep and narrow so step carefully. There is not much place to rest on the way down. You must try to take your time, don’t rush. At the end of the stairs, a small stream was seen. Everyone cooled down in the spring water and left again. On the way back we took everything from where we had left our bag and baggage. We were all very tired so the next destination was to find a food hotel.
We went to Sitakunda Bazar by Laguna from the highway. There are numerous food hotels here. We ate rice, Loitta fish, chicken, and potato mash for lunch. The Loitta fish was amazing. After finishing the meal, we rested for a while and left for Guliyakhali Sea Beach. Auto goes to Guliyakhali Beach from the Sitakunda Bazar, the fare is 30-40 taka per person.
Gulyakhali Beach is a wonderful place. The seashore looks like a carpet of green grass. The seawater accumulates in different places among the grass. This grass section looks best in winter because there is less water in winter. Since we did not go in winter, we got enough water on the beach. So we hired a trawler and go around the beach. The fare was 50 taka per person. Trawlers will take you across the pasture and allow you to spend some time there. We enjoyed the sunset there. I have never seen so many colors in the sky before. I wanted to stay here for the night. But we had to come to the trawler soon. After returning to Sitakunda Bazaar, we booked our bus tickets, completed our dinner, and we left for Dhaka.
Chandranath Hill and Guliakhali Beach Travel Precautions and Tips-
1) If you want to travel via mail train from Dhaka to Sitakunda, needed to present at Kamalapur railway station by 9 pm. The fare is Tk 110.
2) If you want to come from Dhaka by Chittagong train, book the ticket online 5 days in advance. Book tickets online
3) Do not forget to take enough water, and sweet food like dates, and biscuits, and must take a bamboo stick before trekking.
4) It is better not to go to the mountains during summer.
5) Go downstairs carefully while trekking.
6) People with weak hearts or breathing problems should avoid trekking tours.
7) The best time to visit the Chandranath and the Guliakhali beach are in winter.
8) Leave Guliakhali Beach after the evening. Note when the trawler that you will be crossing leaves. You can leave the boat driver’s phone number in that case.
9) After reaching Feni from Dhaka, you dropped at Feni in the middle of the night. So be mentally prepared.
10) Don’t get too excited and swim into the beach water without a life jacket.