One-Day Trip to Mahamaya Lake
Mahamaya Lake is an artificial lake located in Thakurdighi Union of Mirsrai Upazila of Chittagong. This lake is a very popular place for tourists, spread over 11 km and surrounded by green forests and mountains. Every day there is a rush of tourists, especially on off days. Apart from local people, many visitors come here from far and wide. It is a perfect travel destination for a relaxing family outing. It is located in a park. If you want to lose yourself in nature, you can go to Mahamaya Lake. various sizes of boats float across the lake in the morning and afternoon. Kayaking is also available here. Besides, if you want to enjoy the beauty of the whole lake, you can rent a boat and explore it
Best time to visit Mahamaya Lake-
Before traveling anywhere, a tourist should know when that place is suitable for travel. Because nature changes with the change of seasons. The ideal time to visit Mahamaya Lake is monsoon season. During this season there is a lot of water in the lake, and water is also available in the fountain.
Ticket price and parking cost at Mahamaya Lake-
Entry ticket price – Tk 30 per person.
Car/Microbus Parking Cost – 150 Tk
Bus parking cost-300 Tk.
Motorbike cost – 30 TK.
Since we went to Mirsrai from Dhaka, it has yet to be decided to go to the Boalia trail of Mirsrai in a one-day tour plan and then go to Mahamaya Lake. We wanted to enjoy the afternoon sunset by sitting on the bank of the lake if you want you can visit in the morning. The most interesting part of Mahamaya Lake is the boat trip. Boats of different sizes are floating here. Boat fares also vary according to boat size and travel time.
Mahamaya Lake Kayaking and Boating Cost-
There are different types of boats here. There are motorized boats, paddle boats, standing boats, and boats for kayaking. You can choose any boat of your choice to enjoy the beauty of Mahamaya Lake. Details of boat rental and kayaking expenses are given below-
- Kayaking boat fare (3 persons)- 300 Taka, time 30 minutes, 1-hour fare is 400 taka
- Kayaking boat (2 people) fare–200 TK, time-30 minutes, 1-hour fare is 300 taka
- Cost of big size boats for 18-20 people-
- 1500 taka up to the fountain, if you want to visit the whole lake it will cost 2000 taka.
- Big size boat (8-10 people) up to the waterfall – 1000 taka and if you want to visit the whole lake, the boat cost will be 1500 taka.
- Medium boat (4 people) – 400 Taka, time 30 minutes
- Medium boat (6 people) – 300 Taka, time 30 minutes
- Medium boat (6 people) – 600 Taka, time 1 hour
You may have to wait for the boat if the tourist pressure is high. Boating or kayaking are open till evening so definitely try to arrive before evening. If you spend the night in a tent at Mahamaya Lake, you will get a special discount on kayaking.
Mahamaya Lake Camping Information-
One of the attractions of Mahamaya Lake is overnight camping. The price of the camping package is 750 TK per person. The package includes a tent, dinner, barbecue, breakfast, washroom, entrance ticket price, and a special discount on kayaking. But this camping facility is only for boys, girls cannot stay. Camping starts after the evening. Call 01837085074 for booking or message their Facebook page- Mahamaya Lake Kayaking and Camping point
Or contact the Facebook page Mahamaya Kayaking and Camping Point.
How to go to Mahamaya Lake?
Mahamaya Lake is located in Mirsarai, Chittagong. You can easily reach Mirsrai by bus or train. Directly from Dhaka, you can go by Shyamoli, Ena, Hanif, or Unique bus, the fare is 690 Taka, and get off at Mahamaya Lake Gate. These buses travel regularly from Kolabagan, Syedabad, Gabtali, Chittagong Road, etc. bus terminals in Dhaka
As the budget is low, many people reach Mirsarai by traveling to Feni. Star Line, Ena, Mamun, Saudia, and many other types of buses ply to Feni. Fare- 350 Tk. Get off at Mohipal in Feni and get a bus to Thakurdighi, Mirsarai. Fare 60-80 Tk.
If you want to travel by train, there are inter-city and mail trains. The mail train leaves platform no.1 at 10:30 p.m. But the mail train doesn’t stop at Mirsarai. You can get down at Feni/Sitakunda station. Fare from both Feni and Sitakunda to Mirsarai Mahamaya Lake is Tk 60-70. Time required 1-1.5 hours.
You can go by inter-city train. At night Mohanagar (Sunday off) and Turna Express (No off) trains go from Dhaka to Chittagong. The fare is 380 Tk. No train stop at Mirsarai so get off at the next station Kumira. You can reach Mirsarai by bus/auto/cng from Kumira, the fare is Tk 30-40. Train Schedule and Ticket Price
Where to stay and eat on Mahamaya Lake?
Before entering the lake you will find some food hotels, you can have breakfast and lunch there. There is a restaurant called Handi, the quality is quite good. If you want, you can eat food in handy too.
And to stay you have to come to Sitakunda Bazar. There is no hotel to stay in Mirsarai. However, if you want to spend the night, don’t miss the opportunity to campaign at the Mahamaya Lake.
My Experience-
After Getting off the bus we see the signboard of the Water Development Board. A little further you will see a row of CNG waiting to take you to the main gate of Mahamaya Lake. CNG fare is Tk 15 per person and reserve 70 Tk. Within 10 minutes you will reach the gate of Mahamaya Lake. The ticket counter is left side of the entrance. There are lots of shops around. Many tourists are taking a rest in Handi restaurant’s waiting room. Handi is quite a big food restaurant here. Besides, there are no good food hotels in the vicinity. Burmese pickles, nuts, and various roasted items are sold in small shops. I buy a ticket at 30 Tk and enter the lake. A broad road, full of trees on both sides. The road is a bit steep as the road is cut through the mountains. After ends a trail our energy becomes so low that it is very difficult to climb this road. But I can say that you can feel nature when you walk on this road. After walking for about 10 minutes, I found Mahamaya Lake. It was a holiday and there were a lot of people. There is a place like a bridge, where many people are busy taking pictures there. There is also a serial in Kayaking Point and no boat was empty. We are requested to wait for some time. Meanwhile, there is not much time left in the evening so we miss kayaking. As it is the rainy season, Mahamaya is full of water. It is not bad to sit by the lake and enjoy the beauty of the lake. Boats of various sizes are floating all over the lake. Apart from the lake, there are many places in the vicinity, which can be explored on foot. There is a steep road going up next to the lake, so we keep walking along that road. I thought I would get the watch tower, but I didn’t get it. From the top, you can’t see the whole Mahamaya lake, but you can get some view. If there had been a watchtower, people could have seen a very beautiful view of the entire lake. If you are tired of walking around the entire area of the Mahamaya project, there are good facilities to take a rest at different points of the lake.
Precautions and Tips in Mahamaya Lake Trip-
1) Don’t go down to the lake if you don’t know swimming.
2) Wear a life jacket while kayaking.
3) If you want to enjoy Mahamaya Lake better, you can camp at night on the banks of the lake. However, camping is only applicable to boys. All things camping will be given to you by the authority, the cost of that is 750 taka. But you must book in advance.
4) Kayaking is not possible after the evening so come on time.
5) Friday and Saturday are very crowded days. You can visit here except on off days/public holidays.
6) Kayaking is a must in Mahamay Lake. There is a fountain, don’t forget to visit.
7) You can visit the whole lake by boat. The experience of a boat trip through a tunnel which is surrounded by mountains and forests you will remember forever.
