Tourists across the country and abroad can be seen at the Lama Khal as its beauty enthralls them. Locals opine that businesses have also seen a surge recently as tourists flock to the area to see the beauty of the place.
Lama upazila which is one of the most attractive travel destinations of the hilly district Bandarban. Rupashipara Union in Lama Upazila has a lone market at 9.5 kilometer east of the town of Lama Upazila.
One can can travel the snaky road with any kind of transport. To see Lama Khal’s beauty, the only means is small engine boat from Rupashipara bazaar. I went out to see that wonderful beauty.
To enjoy the spectacular “Machkum of Lama Khal” I reached Rupashipara bazaar at 6:30 in the morning from Lama bazaar. After having breakfast, I started my journey to Machkum. From Rupashipara bazaar. Small engine boats are available for the river trip to Naikhanmukh bazaar and Chumpang Headmanpara.
However, it is not possible to travel more than 5/6 km by boat during dry season. Then you have to walk the rest of the way. October to January is the ideal time to travel there for boat journey. On the other hand, motorcycle or jeep is available on the newly constructed road from Rupsipara Bazar to Mangpru Para.
The journey started with the boatman Md Shafiq and a local businessman Md Rafiq Bhai as guide. I took dry food and water with me. Rupashipara is comparatively well-known place but it was not found on Google map. But we got Lama-Rupashipara road and a restaurant of Rupashipara named “Hotel maruf” on google map.
It was a sunny morning. Our Lama canal journey was undergoing. No one had to ask about the destination because the boatman and the guide knew the location well. A few small villages of hilly people and Bangali people were seen on both sides of the canal. I witnessed the amazing locality, green paddy fields, crop fields and dark hills along with many birds. Many Bengalis have started living in the hills for the sake of life and livelihood. As I went deeper into the mountains, I saw people of Tripura and Marma communities. We also witnessed the green field and vegetable gardens on both sides of the canal. After almost two hours journey, our boat finally reached at Naikhangmukh bazaar. I thoroughly enjoyed the site scenery of the 12 km Lama canal. As There was no shops after that I ordered some food from a restaurant.
After taking rest, our boat journey again started and after 2 km journey, we reached Chumpang Headman para. As there was less water in the canal, our boat could not move anymore and I started walking to reach our next destination. Our next destination was Machkum of lama Khal. Machkum is the main heart of the Lama’s river and canal. I saw some localities on the top of the hill where the tribes live. Their life revolve around mountains.
I looked some big stones on the road and after walking another 4 km tricky road I reached Machkum at 11 o'clock. The eye-catching place is very cool with huge boulders are arranged in steps and clear water flowing in a rhythm. Machkum is about 1 km long and 30 feet wide on average and there are narrow caves on both sides. Water comes slowly from above. You have to swim in this place with cold water. It is not possible to travel this place without adventure mindset. Some local Murang people from Chumpang para accompanied us.At 3 p.m. I returned to the Chumpung Murung headman's area. I heard from local people that there is another attractive place nearby which is called Goda Jhiri Machkum and Jharna. The Godajhiri fountain is beautiful and quite wide but the water velocity is low. Then it's time to end the journey. We were a little bit tired but satisfied. The journey and the beauty of the environment was amazing. The beauty is so remarkable that I will never forget.
