Home  -  Back Issues  -  The Team  -  Contact Us
     Volume 10 |Issue 11 | March 18, 2011 |


   Inside

 Letters
 Voicebox
 Cover Story
 Impressions
 Event
 Sport
 Lifestyle
 Travel
 A Roman Column
 Environment
 Special Feature
 Exhibition
 Theatre
 Art
 Health
 Neighbours
 Book review
 Star Diary
 Perceptions
 Postscript

   SWM Home


Travel

Kingdom of Clouds

Javed Hossain


Dusk at Nilgiri.

Located 47 kilometers Southeast of Bandarban town and approximately 2312 ft above the sea-level, Nilgiri is the highest vehicle-accessible point in Bangladesh. It is most popular for its breathtaking panoramic views of the mountains rising above the sunken layer of clouds.

Although easily reachable from Bandarban town, staying over at Nilgiri is not as straight forward as it might seem. The Nilgiri Resort, the only resort on the top of Nilgiri, is relatively small and maintained by Bangladesh Armed Forces. One has to book weeks and sometimes months earlier to get a cottage for a single night at the resort. The booking is done through the Armed Forces officials at the Bandarban Cantonment. The good news is that no permission is required if one does not plan to stay overnight at the Nilgiri. Anyone can reach Nilgiri before midday from the Bandarban town; savour all the beauties it offers and come back to Bandarban before nightfall. With a nominal parking fee for the vehicles visitors are free to stroll around the resort and take photos of the hilly and cloudy heaven around.

Different times of the year provide different attractions at Nilgiri. In the winter the weather is cooler, hence comfortable but the vegetation lacks the lushness of the monsoon. Being caught in a storm up there during the summer can be the most phenomenal experience one can ever have at Nilgiri. To enjoy Nilgiri to the fullest one must have heartfelt respect for Mother Nature and the will to conserve what we still have.


Unnoticed Beauty.


Lost in the Clouds.
Fading Mountains.
Bugs, Photos: Javed Hossain


Lonesome Tree.

 

Copyright (R) thedailystar.net 2010