Spread across the heart of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Rangamati is a mountainous district where emerald hill folds rise directly out of the flooded expanse of Kaptai Lake. It serves as the traditional cultural seat of the Chakma Raja alongside Marma, Tanchangya, and Tripura communities. Most visitors base themselves in the island-like town to explore lakeside monasteries, while adventurers take the mountain highway north to the cloud ridges of Sajek.
- From Dhaka
- About 305 km, 8 hours by road
- Best time
- October to February
- A day costs
- About ৳1,400 to ৳6,000 per person
What Rangamati is famous for
- Chakma pinon hadi পিনন হাদি
- Hilly bamboo shoot বাঁশ কোড়ল
- Kaptai Lake fish কাপ্তাই হ্রদের মাছ
- Waist-loom textiles কোমর তাঁতের পোশাক
How Rangamati got its name
The name is said to come from rangamati, meaning red clay or colored earth, describing the distinctive reddish soil visible across the district's excavated hillsides.
Places to visit in Rangamati
Photo: Moheen Reeyad, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Kaptai Lake কাপ্তাই হ্রদ
Bangladesh's largest artificial lake, created in 1962, wrapping around green forested hills and dotted with fishing boats.
- Best time
- October to March
- Give it
- Half a day
- Cost
- Engine boat hire roughly ৳1,500–2,500 for a half-day private cruise for up to six people
Photo: Shakhawat Hossen Shafat, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Rangamati Hanging Bridge রাঙামাটি ঝুলন্ত সেতু
A landmark 335-foot pedestrian suspension bridge linking two hillocks over Kaptai Lake at the Parjatan complex.
- Best time
- November to February
- Give it
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Parjatan complex entry ৳20; town auto-rickshaw about ৳60–80 each way
Photo: Hasib, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Rajban Vihara রাজবন বিহার
One of the most revered Theravada Buddhist monasteries in Bangladesh, set across 33 wooded acres beside Kaptai Lake.
- Best time
- October to February
- Give it
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free entry; auto-rickshaw from town centre about ৳40–60 each way
Photo: Shadman Samee from Dhaka, Bangladesh, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Sajek Valley সাজেক ভ্যালি
A high mountain ridge village at 1,800 feet known for panoramic sunsets, sea-of-clouds dawns, and Lushai tribal hamlets.
- Best time
- September to February
- Give it
- A full day
- Cost
- Hired jeep roughly ৳8,000–10,000 round trip for up to 12 people; individual resort stay roughly ৳2,000–6,000 per room
Unseen Rangamati: the lesser-known places
Quieter spots most visitors miss. Go with a local driver or ask us to arrange one.
Photo: Mohammad tushar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Shuvolong Waterfall শুভলং ঝর্ণা
A sheer rock waterfall plunging hundreds of feet directly into Kaptai Lake, reached only by boat through a winding gorge.
- Best time
- July to November
- Give it
- Half a day
- Cost
- Engine boat hire roughly ৳2,000–3,000 round trip for a private boat; entry at waterfall jetty ৳20
How to get to Rangamati
- Direct non-AC and AC highway coaches including Hanif, Shyamoli, and Unique depart from Sayedabad, Arambagh, and Gabtoli in Dhaka, arriving in Rangamati town in about 7.5 to 8.5 hours.
Where to stay in Rangamati
Rooms run from about ৳900 a night for a simple hotel, around ৳2,500 mid-range and ৳6,000 or more for the most comfortable. Prices are approximate.
- Parjatan Motel Rangamati, Hanging Bridge Road
- Hotel Prince, Old Bus Stand
- Aronnak Holiday Resort, Kaptai Lake
- Resorts along Ruilui Para in Sajek
What to eat in Rangamati
Dine at tribal restaurants in Rajbari or along the lake for traditional Chakma cuisine: sample hebaang (meat or fish steamed inside banana leaves), boiled bamboo shoots with spicy sidol, and fresh chapila or rui fish caught from Kaptai Lake.